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AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



In the preparation of this history, the author has endeavored to carry 
out the following design, viz; to give only the most important and interesting- 
events, and to place them hefore the reader in not only an attractive hut syste- 
matic form. The chronological arrangement of the history proper from the 
traditional period to the present time, is treated in decades, as hy this method, 
the gradual de\-elopment of the people and the resources of the county can be 
best appreciated. Following this will he found separate chapters on such 
phases of our history as deserve individual treatment. The military annals, 
the churches, the secret societies, the ship-lniilding industry, the car w<irks, 
banks and banking, the Ijench and bar, etc., etc., ha\e been described from 
data furnished bv men ni'St capable and most intimately acquainted with 
these subjects. 

If some of our frailties have been exposed, the account of our material 
de\-eloi)ment, and the high character and ability of our earlier leaders more 
than overbalance the weaknesses of those periods, and should sen-e to direct 
and enthuse the lives and efforts of this and succeeding generations. The 
author has endeavored most conscientiously to make this work authentic and 
complete and has freely cnnsulted authorities lioth local and otherwise. 

He is indebted to man\- persons in the preparation of the chapters follow- 
ing the decade^ as well as in writing the body of the work, and believes that 
the facts thus presented may be relied uixm as being authentic. To John 
Owens, of Charlestown, he wishes to give the greatest credit for the facts 
procured frtm the storehouse of his memory and his library, and for the 
suggestions he has made. Col. Reuben T. Durrett, of Louisville, Hon. Jonas 
G. Howard and Dr. D. L. Field, both of JefTersonville, and others have added 
greatly to the value of the work. English's "Conquest of the Northwest," 
Dillon's "Indiana," Dunn's "Indiana," and other volumes have furnished 
much. In fact every precaution has been taken to record the history of the 
county correctly and the author is profi.aindly grateful for the encouragement 

he has received. 

Lewis C. B.mru. 



PUBLISHER'S PREFACE 



All life and achievement is evolution : fjiesent wisdom comes from past 
experience, and present commercial pros])erity has come only fn.m past exer- 
tion and sufl'ering. The deeds and motives of the men that have gone before 
have lieen instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and states. 
The de\elopment of a new country was at once a task and a privilege. It re- 
quired great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the present conditions 
of the residents of Clark county, Indiana, witli what tliey were one hundred 
\ears ago. From a trackless wilderness and \irgin prairie it has come to be a 
center of prosperity and civilization, with millions of wealth, systems of inter- 
.secting railwavs, grand educational institutions, marvelous industries and im- 
mense agricultural productions. Can any thinking person be insensible to the 
fascination of the study wliich discloses the incentives, hopes, aspirations and 
efforts of the early pioneers who so strongly laid the foundation uprm which 
has been reared the magnificent prosperity of later days? To perpetuate the 
story of these people and to trace and record the social, political and industrial 
progress of the community from its first inception is the function of the local 
historian. A sincere purpose to preserve facts and personal memoirs that are 
deserving of preservation, and which unite the present to the past is the motive 
for the present publication. The work has been in the hands of able writers, 
who have, after much patient study and research, produced here the most com- 
])lcte biographical memoirs of Clark county, Indiana, ever offered to the 
pu])lic. A specially valuable and interesting department is that one devoted 
to the sketches of representative citizens of this county whose records deserve 
perpetuation because of their worth, effort and accomplishment. The prb- 
lishers desire to extend their thanks to these gentlemen who ha\-e so faithfulh' 
labored to this end. Thanks are also due to the citizens of Clark county for 
the uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for 
Iheir nvuiv ser\ices rendere<l in the gaining of necessary information. 

In placing "Baird's History of Clark County, Indiana" before the citizens, 
ihe ]jublishers can conscientiously claim that they have carried imt the ])lan 
as outlined in the prospectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has been 
submitted to the party interested, for correction, and tlierefore any error of 
fact, if there be any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was jire- 
pared. Confident that our efforts to please will fully meet the appn il)atiiin 
of the public, we are, 

Respectfully, 

The PuRi.isiiERS. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER L 

TRADITIONAL EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

The Welsh in America in Twelfth Century — \\'hite Indians or Stranger 
People at Falls of the Ohio — Madoc — Evidences of Early Inhabi- 
tants in Clark County — Great Battle at Falls — La Salle 17 

CHAPTER II. 

EARLY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY BEFORE ORGANIZATION. 

The French Claim — British Claim — Virginian Claim — Ceded to United 
States — Early Names of Clark County — First Settlement — First 
Flood of Ohio River 23 

CHAPTER III. 

THE ILLINOIS GRANT. 

George Rogers Clark's Instructions From Patrick Henry — Capture of 
Kaskaskia, Cahokia, St. Phillips, Prairie du Rocker — Helm at 
Vincennes — Vincennes Captured by British — Clark's Recapture of 
Vincennes — Virginia Gives 150,000 Acres of Land to Clark and His 
Men — The Grant — The Survey — The Allotments — Clarksville — 
Original Settlers — General Clark's Residence 26 

CHAPTER IV. 

ORGANIZATION OF CLARK COUNTY THE FIRST DECADE 180I-181O. 

Organization — Name — Extent — Springf\-ille — First Court — Division Into 
Townships — Jeffersonville — Early Settlers — Aaron Burr — Indiana 
Canal Company — Spring\'ille Anti-Slavery Convention — Jonathan 
Jennings — Charlestown — Early Mills 46 

CHAPTER V. 

THE SECOND DECADE 181I-182O. 

New Counties Cut Off From Clark County — Roads and Ferries — New 
Settlers — Gov. Posey — Utica — Early Notices of Charlestown — New 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Washington — New Providence — Early Notices of Clarksville and 
Jeffersonville — Tunnel Mill — The Jeffersonville Ohio Canal Com- 
pany — First Steamboat — Indian Brutality — The Jeffersonville 
Springs 62 

CHAPTER VI. 

' THE THIRD DECADE 182O-183O. 

Early Mills — First Newspaper — The State Prison — Early Schools — 
General La Fayette's Visit to Jeffersonville — Jeffersonville Proposed 
Capital of Indiana — New Villages and Townships — Notices of 
Jeft'ersonville and Clarksville yj 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE FOURTH DECADE 183O-184O. 

Earlv Notices of Charlestown and Jeft'ersonville, Bethlehem. New Wash- 
ington and Utica — First Steam Ferry Boat — Utica Township — 
Hibernia — Hamburg — Jeffersonville Replatted — Jeffersonville In- 
corporated as a City — Flood of 1S32 — Cholera — First Bridge Across 
River — Bennettsville — New Market — Attempt to Remove Count}^- 
seat to Jeffersonville — High Moral Standard of People 88 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE FIFTH DECADE 184O-185O. 

Jeffersonville Enlarged — Noted Visitors — Death of General John Carr — 
The Millerites — Sellersburg — Site of State Prison Changed — Flood 
of 1847 — The Indiana Canal Company — Mexican War Troops — 
Benson's Addition — Schools 96 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE SIXTH DECADE 185O-1860. 

Broom Hill — Bridgeport — Henry ville — Memphis — Oregon Township — 
Otisco — Carr Township— Petersburg — Union Township — ^Jefferson- 
ville Railroad — J. M. & I. Company — Fort Wayne and Southern — 
Ohio Falls Marine Railroad Company — Public Schools of Jefferson- 
ville Opened — Citizens' National Bank Established — County Seat 
Question — Social. Religious and Intellectual Condition of People 
in this Decade 104 

CHAPTER X. 

THE SEVENTH DECADE 186O-187O. 

The War — Bridge Across the River — Severe Winter — O. & M. Built. . . 114 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE EIGHTH DECADE 187O-1880. 

Steamer James Howard Launched — Marysville Laid Out— United States 
Quartermaster Depot Built in Jeffersonville — Jeffersonville Fire 
Department Organized — Smallpox Epidemic — Female Convicts Sent 
to Indianapolis — The Crusades — County Seat Fight and the Removal 
to Jeffersonville — The Glass Works — Jeffersonville Orphans' Home 
Founded — The Panic and Strikes of 1877 117 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE NINTH DECADE 1880-189O. 

A\'arder Park in Jeffersnnville — Sweeney's Foundry — Great Floods of 
1883 and 1884 — Depths of Water in Jeffersonville — Xatural Gas — 
Campaign Enthusiasm — Borden Institute Founded — Jeff'ersonville 
Water Works Finished 124 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE TENTH DECADE 189I-I9OO. 

The Cyclone — Collapse of Big Fuur Bridge — The G. A. R. Reunion — 
Remains of Jonathan Jennings Removed — Company G. Indiana 
X^ational Guard — Spanish ^\'ar Company — Improvements 127 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE ELEVENTH DECADE I9OO-I9IO. 

Centennial Decade — Celebrations at Jeff'ersonville and Charlestown — 
Cornerstone of Jeff'ersonville Carnegie Library Laid —Contents of 
Cornerstone — St. Augustine's Church Burned — Last Mule Car — 
Interurban Approach to Bridge Built — Forestry Reservation Cre- 
ated — Spring Hill School — First Electric Car Over Bridge — 
Picturesque Charlestown — Jeffersonville Improvements — Toll Roads 
Made Free — First Electric Car to Seymour — Cornerstone to Poor 
Asylum Laid — Flood of 1907 130 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE MILITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY I7S6-1844. 

Port Steuben — Governor St. Clair — General Harmar — Captain John 
Armstrong — Early Militia Offfcers — Battle of Tippecanoe — Pigeon 
Roost Massacre — Indian \\'arfare — Black Haw!; War — The 
Rangers 137 



TABLE OF CONTEXTS 

CHAPTER X\'I. 

THE MILITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY 1844-1860. 

Teffersonville Blues — The Mexican War — Charlestuwa Companies — 
The F'ourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry at Jeffersonville 
— Capt. Ford's and Capt. Simonson's Companies of Dragoons from 
Charlestown — General Taylor in JefTersonville 152 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Rousseau's Regiment — Camp Joe Holt — Jefferson Genera' Hospital — 
Jefifersonville During War of Rebellion — United States Quarter- 
master Depot — The Indiana Greys — The Clark Guards — Home 
Guards — Morgan's Raid 159 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE MILITARY' HISTORY' OF CLARK COUNTY'. 

The Forty-ninth Indiana \'olunteer Infantry 1861-1865 — Organization — 
Leaves for the Front — First Skirmish — Cumberland Gap — The 
Fights and Frolics of the Regiment — The Return Home — Colonel 
Keigwin 1 78 

CHAPTER XIX. 

THE MILITARY' HISTORY' OF CLARK COUNTY. 

• Sterling's Battery — Company D, Fifty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry — Company D, Seventy-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infan- 
try — Companies I and B, Eighty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry — 
Company E. One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Indiana Volunteer 
(Tenth Cavalry) — Company M, One Hundred and Thirty-first 
Indiana Volunteer (Thirteenth Cavalry) — Company G, One Hun- 
dred and Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantr}- — Jefifersonville 
Rifles 1876 — Company G. First Regiment Indiana National Guard, 
Jeffersonville — Company E, One Hundred and Sixty- first Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry — Company M, First Regiment, Indiana X^ational 
Guard 198 

CHAPTER XX. 

FREE MASONRY IN CLARK COUNTY'. 

Early History — Blazing Star Lodge — Posey Lodge — Clark Lodge — X'ew 
Washington Lodge — Utica Lodge — Jefifersonville Lodge — Buckner 
Lodge — Henry\ille Lodge — Xew Providence Lodge — Horeb Chap- 
ter — Jefifersonville Council — Jeffersonville Commandery — The 
Eastern Star 211 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXI. 

ODD FELLOWSHIP, PYTHL\NS AND OTHER SECRET SOCIETIES IN CLARK COUNTY. 

Odd Fellows — Knights of Pythias — The Ell<s — Modern Woodmen — 
Knights of Honor — German Aid Society — Knights and Ladies of 
Honor — Railroad Men"s Organizations — Red Alen — Eagles — Royal 
Arcanum — Pathfinders — Golden Cross 220 

CHAPTER XXn. 

HISTORY OF ST. PAUL's PARISH, JEFFERSONVILLE, THE ONLY' EPISCOPAL 

CHURCH IN THE COUNTY. 

Earl}- Church History — First Church — Present Church — Church Societies 229 

CHAPTER XXHI. 

THE METHODIST CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

Earliest Societies — Samuel Parker — Benjamin Lakin — Peter Cartwright 
— Early Revivals — History of Wall Street Church. Jeffersonville — 
History of Port Fulton Church. Charlestown — Xew Washington 
Circuit — Henryville Circuit — Otisco Church and Circuit — Utica 
Circuit — Morton Memorial Church — German Methodist, Jefferson- 
ville 242 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

Organized in 181 2 — The Charlestown Church — The First Presbyterian 
Church of Jefi'ersonville — Pisgah — \[t. \'emon — Owen Creek — X'ew 
Washington — Bethlehem — Xabbs — Utica — Mt. Lebanon — Otisco — 
Mt. Zion — Hebron 259 

CHAPTER XXV. 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

Roman Catholics in Clark's Regiment — Missionaries — St. Augustine's, 
Jeffersonville — St. Anthony's. Jeft'ersonville — Schools — St. Joseph's 
Hill — Church Societies 270 

CHAPTER XXMI. 

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY'. 
THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENT CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY'. 

Location of Christian Churches in Clark County — Earliest Organization — 
Founding of the Advent Church — Dr. Field — Present Church 
Rebuilt in 1899 276 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE REFORMED CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

The Church in Jeffersonville — Tlie Church in Sellershurg 278 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE BENCH AND BAR OF CL.ARK COUNTY. 

Previous to the Convention of 1851 by Judge C. P. Ferguson — Subse- 
quent to the Convention of 185 1 by Hon. Jonas G. Howard 282 

CHAPTER XXX. 

BANKS AND BANKING IN CLARK COUNTY. 

The First Bank — Tlie Second Bank — The State Bank — The Citizens' 
Xational Bank of Jeffersonville — The First X^ational Bank of 
Jeffersonville — The Bank of Charlestown — The First Xational Bank 
of Charlestown — The Henryville State Bank — The Borden State 
Bank — The X'ew Washington State Bank — The Sellershurg State 
Bank- — The Citizens' Trust Company of Jeft'ersonville 315 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE RIVER STEAMBOAT BUILDING AND STEAMBO.VTING FLATBOATING AND 

FALLS PILOTING HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS AND THE NINE FOOT STAGE. 

Frontage on River — Advantages — Keelboating — Flatboating — Broad 
Horns — The Falls — Dangers of X^avigation — First Steamboats on 
River — The Steamer United States — The French Boat Yard — Falls 
Piloting — The Howard Ship Yards — Flood Stages of River — 
Barmore Ship Yard — Improvements of River by Congress — Falls 
Improvements 321 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

HOSPITALS AND HOMES. 

Jeffersonville Hospital — ]\Iercy Hospital — Hauss Sanitarium — Old 

Ladies' Home — Orphans' Home — Poor Farm 357 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

PUBLIC UTILITIES. 

The Ferry Company — The Pennsylvania Railroad Company — The Balti- 
more & Ohio Southwestern Railroad Company — The Big Four — 
The Monon Railroad — The Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Conipaii}- — The Home Telephone Company — The Jeffersonville 
Water Supply Company — The United Gas and Electric Company — 
The L. &• S. I. T. Co.— The L. & X. R. & L. Co.— The L & L. T. Co. 362 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE INDIAX.\ REFORMATORY AND THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY. 

The Old State F'rison — The Prison South — The Reformatory — Descrip- 
tion of Institution — The Ohio Falls Car and Locomotive Company — 
The Ohio Falls Car Company — Location — Plant — The American 
Car and Foundry Company 375 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

JOURNALISM IN CLARK COUNTY. 

Early Xewspapers — The Xational Democrat and Evening Xews — The 
Jeffersonville Times — The Jetlersonville Gazette — The Jeffersonville 
World — The Penny Post — The Clark County Republican and 
Jeffersonville Star — The Clark County Sentinel — The Clark County 
Citizen 386 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

SCHOOLS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

Early Conditions of Schools — Steady Advancement — Early Charlestown 
Schools — Public Schools Started in Jeffersonville — Present Condi- 
tions 394 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE LIME AND CEMENT INDUSTRY. 

Early Lime Burners at Utica — Extent of Shipments — Decadence of the 

Business — Cement Mills of Clark County — The Portland Industry. 399 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES. 

The Grand Army of the Republic, Daughters of the American Revolution, 

C. A. R., L'nited States War Veterans, Historical Society 403 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

Hardships of Early Doctors — Early Practice — Early Practitioners — 

Sketches of Doctors Early and Late 410 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XL. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE CARNEGIE LIBRARY THE BORDEN MUSEUM. 

Old Township Library — Air. Carnegie's Gift — Building — Books — Circu- 
lation — Professor \\'illiam Borden's Aluseum — Collection of Speci- 
mens — \^alue 425 

CHAPTER XLL 

INDUSTRIES AND STATISTICS. 

Manufactured Products — Agricultural Statistics — Temperature — Rain- 
fall — Population — Wealth — Charlestown — Jeffersonville — Advan- 
tages 428 

Bic)gra])hical 431 



INDEX 



HISTORICAL 



Advent Christian Church in Clark 

County 277 

Agricultural Statistics 428 

Allottments. The 34 

American Car Foundry Company 382 

Ancient Order of Hibernians.... 275 

Armstrong, Captain John 138 

Atlantis Tradition 17 

Attempt to Remove Countyseat to 

Jeffersonville 94 

Baptist Church in Clark County. 237 
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern 

Railroad Company 370 

Banks and Banking 315 

Barmore Ship Yards 327 

Battle of Tippecanoe 144 

Bench and Bar 2S2 

Benevolent and Protective Order 

of Elks 224 

Bennettsville 93 

Big Four Bridge 368 

Biographical 431 

Black Hawk War 149 

Borden Institute — founded 126 

Borden Museum 426 

Bridge Across River 115 

Bridgeport 104 

British Claim 23 

Broom Hill 104 

Burr. Aaron 57 

Camp Joe Holt 160 

Campaign Enthusiasm Ill 

Captain Ford's and Captain Si- 
monson's Company of Dragoons 

from Charlestown 157 

Capture of Cahokla, Kaskaskia, 
St. Phillips. Prairie Du Rocker 27-30 

C. A. R 403 

Carnegie Library 425 

Carnegie Library, Cornerstone 

Laid 130 

Can- Township 106 

Car Works Established 114 

Catholic Knights of America.... 274 

Ceded to the United States 24 

Celebration at Jeffersonville and 

Charlestown 130 

Centennial Decade 130-135 

17 

23 

26 

46 

62 



Chapter I . . 
Chapter U., 
Chapter in. 
Chapter IV. 
Chapter V. . 



Chapter VI 

Chapter VII 

Chapter VIII 

Chapter IX 

Chapter X 

Chapter XI 

Chapter XII 

Chapter XIII 

Chapter XIV 

Chapter XV 

Chapter XVI 

Chapter XVII 

Chapter XVIII 

Chapter XIX 

Chapter XX 

Chapter XXI 

Chapter XXII 

Chapter XXIII 

Chapter XXIV 

Chapter XXV 

Chapter XXVII 

Chapter XXMII 

Chapter XXIX 

Chapter XXX 

Chapter XXXI 

Chapter XXXII 

Chapter XXXIII 

Chapter XXXIV 

Chapter XXXV 

Chapter XXXVI 

Chapter XXXVII 

Chapter XXXVIII 

Chapter XXXIX 

Chapter XL 

Chapter XLI 

Charlestown 

Charlestown Military Companies 

Cholera 

Christian Church in Clark County 

Citizens' National Bank Estab- 
lished 

Clark County Citizen 

Clark County Xamed 

Clark County Organized 

Clark County Republican 

Clark County Sentinel 

Clark Guards, The 

Clark's Re-capture of Vincennes. 

Clarksville 

Company M. First Infantry, In- 
diana National Guard 

Condition of People, Socially, Re- 
ligiously and Intellectually. 
During Sixth Decade 

Cornerstone to Poor Asylum Laid 



77 
88 
96 
104 
114 
117 
124 
12'i 
130 
137 
152 
159 
178 
198 
211 
220 
229 
242 
259 
270 
276 
278 
282 
315 
321 
357 
362 
375 
386 
394 
399 
403 
410 
425 
428 
60-68 
155 
92 
276 

110 

391 

24 

46 

391 

391 

16i 

28 

70 

210 



111 
135 



INDEX 



County Seat Fight and Removal 

to Jeftersonville 120 

County Seat Question 110 

Cumberland Gap 183 

Cumberland Telephone and Tele- 
graph Company 373 

Crusades, The 119 

Cyclone, The 127 

Dangers of Navigation 324 

Daughters of American Revolu- 
tion 403 

Death of Jonathan Jennings.... 93 

Death of General John Carr 97 

Decade, First 46 

Decade, Second 62 

Decade. Third 77 

Decade, Fourth 88 

Decade, Fifth 96 

Decade. Sixth 104 

Decade. Seventh 114 

Decade, Eighth 117 

Decade, Ninth 124 

Decade, Tenth 127 

Decade. Eleventh 130 

Depth of Water in Jeffersonville 125 

Division Into Townships 48 

Eagles, Fraternal Order of 227 

Early History of Clark County 

Before Organization 23 

Early Lime Burners at Utica. . . . 399 

Early Militia Officers 142 

Early Mills 57-77-96-60 

Early Names of Clark County 24 

Early Notices of Charlestown, 
Jeffersonville, New Washing- 
ton, Bethlehem and Utica 88 

Earlv Notices of Clarksville and 

Jeffersonville 70-86 

Early Settlers 50 

Eastern Star 219 

Eighty-first Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, Companies I and B.... 199 
Enlargement of Jeffersonville... 96 
Episcopal Church in Clark County 229 
Evidences of Early Inhabitants in 
Clark County 17 

Ferries in Clark County 62 

Ferry Company 370 

Field. Doctor 91 

Fifty-third Regiment, Indiana Vol- 
unteer Infantry, Company D.. 198 

Fire Department Organized 117 

First Bank in Clark County 72 

First Bridge Across the River. . . 92 

First Court 48 

First Court House 68 

First Electric Car Over Bridge.. 133 

First Electric Car to Seymour... 135 

First Flood of Ohio River 25 

First NewspajjCr 78 

First Settlement 24 



First Skirmish of the Forty-ninth 

Regiment 182 

First Steamboat 73 

First Steamboats on River 325 

Flatboating 323 

Flood of 1832 91 

Flood of 1847 100 

Flood of 1907 135 

Forestry Reservation Created.. 132 

Fort Sackville 29 

Fort Steuben 138 

Fort Wayne and Southern 107 

Forty-ninth Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry 178 

Fourth Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry at Jeffersonville. 156 
Free Masonry in Clark County.. 211 

French Boat Yard 327 

French Claim 23 

Frontage on River 321 

G. A. R. Reunion 127 

General Hamilton's Expedition.. 28 
General Lafayette Visits Jeffer- 
sonville 79 

General Taylor in Jeffersonville. 158 
George Rogers Clark's Instruc- 
tions from Patrick Henry 26 

German Aid Society 226 

German Evangelical Church 280 

German Reformed Church 278 

Glass Works 121 

Grand Army of the Republic... 404 

Great Battle at Falls 21 

Great Floods of 1883 and 1884. . 124 

Golden Cross, United Order of. . 228 

Governor Posey 66 

Governor St. Clair 139 

Hamburg 90 

Harmar, Colonel 137 

Hauss Sanatarium 360 

Helm at Vincennes 28 

Henryville 105 

Hibernia 89 

High Moral Standing of People.. 95 
Historical Society of Clark Coun- 
ty 408 

Home Telephone Company 373 

Hospital and Homes 357 

Howard Ship Yards, The 330 

Illinois Grant 26 

Improvements During Tenth 

Decade 129 

Improvements of River by Con- 
gress 355 

Improved Order of Red Men 227 

Incorporation of Jeffersonville as 

a City 91 

Indei)endent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows in Clark County 220 

Indian Brutality 74 

Indiana Canal Company 57-100 



INDEX 



Indiana Greys 166 

Indiana National Guards, First 

Regiment. Company G 207 

Indiana Reformatory 37b 

Indian Warfare 147 

Industries and Statistics 428 

Jeftersonville 49-88 

Jeffersonville Blues 152 

Jeftersonville Gazette 390 

Jeffersonville Hospital 357 

Jeffersonville Canal Company... 72 

Jeffersonville Journal 390 

Jeffersonville Proposed Capital of 

Indiana *»4 

Jeffersonville Orphans' Home 

Founded 122-357 

Jeffersonville Railroad Company 107 

Jeffersonville Re-Platted 90 

Jeffersonville Rifles 205 

Jeffersonville Springs 75-94 

Jeffersonville Times 389 

Jeffersonville Star 391 

Jeffersonville Water Supply Com- 
pany 36;j 

Jeffersonville World 390 

Jefferson General Hospital 161 

Jennings. Jonathan 59 

J. M. & I. Railroad Company.. 107 

Journalism in Clark County 3S6 

Kaskaskia 2S 

Keelboating 32^ 

Keigwin. Colonel 197 

Knights of Columbus 275 

Knights of Honor 225 

Knights and Ladies of Honor.. 226 

Knights of Pythias 221 

Knights of St. John 275 

LaSalle 22 

Last Mule Car 132 

Louisville & Northern Railway 

and Lighting Company 366 

Louisville & Southern Indiana 

Traction Company 365 

Lime and Cement Industry in 

Clark County 399 

Madoc Tradition 17 

Marysville Laid Out 117 

Memphis 105 

Mercy Hospital 358 

Methodism in Clark County 242 

Mexican War 154 

Mexican War Period 102 

Military History in Clark Coun- 
ty 137-152-159-178-198 

Millerites. The 99 

Modern Woodmen of America.. 224 

Monon Railroad 370 

Morgan's Raid 171 

National Democrat and Evening 

News 388 

National Guard • • 128 

Natural Gas 126 



New Market 94 

New Providence 69 

New Settlers 63 

New Villages and Townships.. 85 

New Washington and Utica 89 

New Washington 69 

Noted Visitors 79-97 

Ohio Canal Company 72 

Ohio Falls Car Company 383 

Ohio Falls Marine Railroad Com- 
pany 108 

Ohio & Mississippi Railroad 

Built 115 

Old Ladies' Home 359 

Old State Prison 375 

One Hundred Twenty-fifth Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry. Com- 
pany E, Tenth Cavalry 202 

One Hundred and Thirty-first 
Indiana Volunteers, Thirteenth 

Cavalry, Company M 204 

One Hundred Thirty-seventh In- 
diana Regiment 204 

One Hundred Forty-fourth Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry, Com- 
pany G 205 

One Hundred Sixty-first Indiana 

Volunteer Infantry, Company E 209 

Organization of Clark County.. 46 

Oregon Township 105 

Orphans' Home 357 

Otisco 106 

Panics and Strikes of 1S77 122 

Pathfinders, The 227 

Patriotic Societies 403 

Penny Post, The 390 

Pennsylvania Railroad Company 367 

Petersburg 107 

Physicians and Surgeons 410 

Pigeon Roost Massacre 147 

Poor Farm 360 

Piloting 329 

Presbyterian Church in Clark 

County 259 

Previous to Convention of 1851 282 

Prison South 376 

Public Schools of Jeffersonville 

opened 109 

Public Utilities of Clark County 362 

Rangers. The 150 

Rebekah, Daughters of 221 

Remains of Jonathan Jennings 

Removed 128 

Return Home 196 

River, The 321 

Roads and Ferries 62 

Roman Catholics in Clark's Regi- 
ment 270 

Roman Catholic Church of Clark 

County 270 

Royal Arcanum 227 



INDEX 



Rousseau's Regiment 160 

Reformatoi-y. The 375 

Schools of Clark County 394 

Sellershurg yy 

Seventy-seventh Indiana Volun- 

.teer Infantry. Company D 199 

Severe Winter, A 115 

Site of State Prison Changed.. 100 

Sixty-sixth Regiment 199 

Small-pox Epidemic 118 

Spanish War Company 12S 

Springville, Anti-Slavery Conven- 
tion 59 

Springville 4'i 

Spring Hill School 133 

Statistics and Industries 428 

Sterling's Battery . 198 

Steamer James Howard 

Launched 117 

Subsequent to Convention of 1851 293 

Survey, The 33 

Sweeney's Foundry 124 

Tenth ^Cavalrv 202 

Tunnel Alill 71 

Toll Roads Made Free 134 



Union Home Guards 170 

Union Township 107 

United Gas & Electric Company 362 
United States Quartermaster's 
Depot Built at Jefferson- 

ville 115-117-165 

United Spanish War Veterans of 

Clark County 405 

Utica 89 

Utica Townships 89 

Virginian Claim 23 

Vincennes Captured, British.... 29 
Virginia Gives One Hundred Fifty 
Thousand Acres of Land to 

Clark and His Men 32 

War, The 114 

War of the Rebellion 159 

War With Spain 208 

Warder Park 124 

Welsh in America in Twelfth 

Century 18 

White Indians or Stranger Peo- 
ple at Falls of Ohio 18 



INDEX 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



Adams, William 093 

Applegate, James D 762 

Anderson, Albert L 490 

Andrews, Prof. Francis E 437 

Antz. Charles F 618 

Armstrong, Fi-ank S 797 

Armstrong, James Howard 798 

Badger, Louis 801 

Baird, James A 87V 

Baird, Lewis C 857 

Bare, Jacob P 822 

Barnes, Hon. Willis L 894 

Barratt, William H 885 

Baldwin, John Hutchinson 583 

Ballard, Hon. Curtis W 788 

Barnett. William J S12 

Barrett, Capt. Anderson 659 

Beard, James H 505 

Beck, Cornelius 649 

Bell, George W ',,,[', 709 

Bentley, Edwin B 808 

Bigelow, Jonas David 557 

Biggs, Abner 768 

Blankenbaker. David O... 707 

Bottorff, Charles M 889 

Bottorff. Columbus J 692 

Bottorff, Joseph E 594 



Bottorff, John W 815 

Bottorff, Moses E 672 

Bottorff, Peter H 633 

Bottorff, Robinson Prather 596 

Bottorff, William E 78V 

Bottorff, William J 854 

Borden, Prof. William W 496 

Bower, Addie 842 

Bower, Benton B 825 

Bower, Daniel W 915 

Bower, Daniel J 698 

Bower, John M 823 

Bower, William E.. Sr 752 

Britan, W. A 834 

Brock, Thomas J 463 

Brock, Rev. Francis Marion 466 

Brown. James Edgar 669 

Brown. Wendell 479 

Brayfleld, Carl 804 

Buttorff, Porter C 729 

Burke, James E 777 

Burtt. Balie L 765 

Burtt. Henry F 582 

Burlingame, Major Benjamin F. . 532 

Byrn, John 846 

Cain. Edward B 484 

Calloway, A. J 733 



INDEX 



Carr, Elisha 911 

Carr, Joseph L *>•" 

Carr, F. M., M. D 828 

Carr, James ^1" 

Carr, Frank W ^=>1 

Casey. John Joseph 60o 

Cisco, Capt. William F 537 

Clapp, John W 83^ 

Clapp, John V 840 

Clarke. George R 393 

Clark, Joseph 9^*2 

Clark, William T 56a 

Clegg, James A 'i' ' 2 

Cohen. David, M. D til* 

Cole. James L 853 

Cole, John C 851 

Cole, Mordicai B 848 

Coll, Bernard A 445 

Coll, Maurice 439 

Coleman, Jesse E 650 

Collings. William E 624 

Colvin. Matthew 630 

Cook. David S "22 

Colwell. Faires ''44 

Conro.v. Martin A 502 

Coombs, Edgar 1 684 

Coombs, D. H 890 

Cortner, William P 839 

Covert, Edward 870 

Coward, George W., Capt 471 

Crawford, Josiah C 830 

Creamer, Edgar Leon 522 

Crone, Oliver ''49 

Crum, John F 667 

Dailey, Hon. Reuben 52S 

Davis, Edward G 443 

Davis. Frederick W 493 

Davis, William A 539 

Dean, Frank F 850 

Dean, Charles W 547 

Deibel. William H 676 

Denzler Gustave Adolph 564 

Denser, William M 873 

Dilger, Henry F 458 

Dix, George B 629 

Dix. Oscar 627 

Dobbins. Frank G 767 

Donaldson. Peter C 538 

Dow. Daniel Milburn 685 

Doubet. Joseph C 520 

Duffy. James H 589 

Duffy, Captain James T 688 

Duffy, Oscar H 598 

Dugan, Capt. Henry 533 

Dunbar Family 677 

Dunlevy, Matthew H 757 

Eberts, Conrad 616 

Eberts, Jacob 616 

Elrod. Richard, Jr 771 

Enlow, Joseph Thomas 573 

Enlow, John E 760 



Enders. Ferdinand. Sr 728 

Evans, Sargent W 888 

Faris, William W 868 

Ferguson, James R 770 

Finley, George W 478 

^Fischer, Henry 917 

-Fischer. Matthias 7pl 

'Fisher. Andrew. M 833 

Flood, Richard L 447 

Flvnn. Edward H 436 

Forward. H. C 847 

Fox. Wilmer T 590 

Foster. William Henry 571 

Freeman. Thomas W 901 

Frank, H. Monroe 612 

Frank, Adolph 1 579 

Frv, Abraham 703 

Funk, Austin, Dr 449 

Gibson, Judge George H. D 816 

Gibson, Jacob 679 

Gibson, James K 704 

Gienger, John 455 

Giltner, Allen A 880 

Giltner, Stephen H 882 

Gilbert. Frank R. M 485 

Glass, John A 845 

Glaser, John L 518 

Goedeker. John Henry 680 

Goodman. Joseph 526 

Goodwin. Charles Sharp 632 

Goodwin, William 631 

Glossbrenner, Jacob Edgar 488 

Glossbrenner, James C 743 

Graham, Oliver P., M. D 643 

Graves, Edward M 831 

Green, The Family 781 

Goyne, Jefferson D 477 

Haas, Joseph M 872 

Haddox, Joseph E 547 

Hallet, John Milton 687 

Hancock, Hon. Chas. F. C 774 

Hand. Major George D 730 

Hanka. Henry 700 

Harmon, Lillian ■ 910 

Harrison, Henry W '. 577 

Hartwell. Richard Meldrum 663 

Haymaker, Joseph M 809 

Hawes, Joseph J 731 

Hauss, Robert Q., M. D 720 

Hawes, Ep 764 

Heaton. Hiram E 655 

Hevn. John 514 

Hikes, Walter S 800 

Hobson, William Fletcher 535 

Hoffman, Capt. Henry 640 

Hoffman. John H 642 

Holloway, F. V 875 

Holman. Andrew J 904 

Holman. Walter J 635 

Holman. Isaac 636 

Holzbog, George H 482 



INDEX 



Holzbog, Walter J 

Holmes, Basil Robinson 611 

Hoover, John W 511 

Howard, James 431 

Howard, James 892 

Howard, Clyde ''•^'■^ 

Howard, Hon. Jonas George 440 

Howard, Capt. Edmonds J 464 

Howard. William, Capt 527 

Howser, Robert M 754 

Howes, Epenetus 646 

Howk, Rev. Jolin Simonson .... 790 

Hughes, Edward C 896 

Hunt, John W 716 

Hutchison, Joseph M 609 

Hutsel. Allen A 841 

Hydron, Edwin Wilkes 503 

Ingram, Col. John Nelson 516 

Ingram, William T 516 

Irwin, Walter 664 

Jacobs, George T 863 

Jacobs, Thomas D 673 

Jacobs, Wallace Lawrence 775 

Jackson, George, Sr 70o 

Jennings, Theodore S 665 

Johnson, Oscar Theodore 457 

Johnson, James A 864 

Johnson. John R 460 

Joiner, Harvey 696 

Jones, Dr. Cadwallader 805 

Keigwin, James S 500 

Reiser, Frank 695 

Kelly, S. P 874 

Kendall, James J 549 

Kern, Frank X 883 

Kiger. Theodore J 66S 

Kiger. James D 867 

Kirk, John M 738 

Koetter, John Bernard 712 

Lancaster. John R 745 

LeCIare, Thomas L 519 

Leppert, John C 541 

Lemmon, Walter Lewis 556 

Lentz. Edgar Mitchell 647 

Lentz, Jacob 635 

Lentz, Nicholas 638 

Lewman, Thomas J 869 

Lewnian, Winnie Clare 780 

Llndley, Thomas J 645 

Lindley, Eli M 467 

Loomis, Arthur 653 

Loomis, John 599 

Long, Theodore S 552 

Long, William H 824 

Lusher. George W 623 

Lutz. Henrv S 803 

Lutz, Henry J 862 

McRride. Claude B 71Ji 

McCulloch, Walter Erie 904 



McCuIloch. Charles W 734 

McCormick, Frank P 813 

McGregor, James 531 

McKinley, Charles Edwin 683 

McKinley, Samuel 545 

McMillin, John 818 

Mackey, John 627 

MaGruder, John L 837 

Marble, Claytes McHenry 652 

Marra. James 542 

Marsh, James K 434 

Martin, George W 592 

Mauzy, John M 568 

Mayneld, Frank M 491 

Meiboom, J. Henry 608 

Meloy, Charles P 8SV 

Meloy. .lohn Morton, M. D 724 

Meriwether Family 62i 

Miles, Albert R 8.S1 

Miller, James L 561 

Miller, Omer L 905 

Mitchell, John A 799 

Molck. Joseph 566 

Montgomery. Harry C 776 

Morrow, William, Sr 656 

Moore, Joseph G 521 

Morgan, Joseph C 726 

Morris, William J 747 

Mullen, Thomas 586 

Murphy, John B 525 

Myers, Peter F 506 

Myers, Newton H 580 

Nanz. George 569 

Nicholson, Joseph, Sr 711 

Owens, John A. H 778 

Packwood, Henry 70S 

Payne, Francis Eugene, Jr 554 

Payne, Paradv 916 

Peel. Charles C 510 

Peet, Harry D 682 

Pernett, Edward S 878 

Perry, Thomas W 475 

Perrine, Edward L 740 

Pevton, David C, M. D 585 

Pfau, William C 648 

Piers, Thomas J 658 

Pile, Burdet Clifton 601 

Poindexter. Charles Edgar 452 

Potter. John Ellis 743 

Prall, Elam G 761 

Prall, Thomas F 753 

^rather, David L 674 

^rather, Jefferson 674 

Quick, William 524 

Ratts. Henry H 829 

Rauschenberger. John 560 

Reddina;. Floyd J 678 

Renn, Peter P 721 

Reynolds, Hon. James M 725 



INDEX 



Richards, Lewis E 544 

Rickaid, George M 536 

Rigsby. Charles R 553 

Robinson, Hamilton 750 

Rosenberger, Joseph 71V 

Rubey, William A 795 

Ryans, Edward Arthur 548 

Same, Frank H 563 

«-^ample, William Tit 

vSample, Thomas W 835 

Saunders, Louis 559 

Scheller, John 736 

Schmidt. Benjamin 718 

Schimpff, Charles A 473 

Schinipff. Rudolph A 453 

Schwaninger, Charles A 480 

Schwaninger, Willacy Joseph. .. . 604 

Scott, Aaron P 699 

Sheets, Rev. William H 507 

Shepherd, Capt. Francis B 574 

Smith, Jacob S 661 

Smith. Mitchell P 550 

Smith. William W 671 

Smith. Henry E 766 

Snider, Joseph G 486 

Scott. Samuel L 746 

Shadday. Walter G 461 

Sharp. Harry C 907 

Sharpless Family 857 

Spangler. David Alden 634 

Sparks. Nathan 603 

Speith. John F 512 

Spriestersbach. Hon. Louis 865 

Stacy. Amos B 694 

Stalker. Benj, F 542 

Stevens, Thomas R 843 

Sullivan, Samuel D 886 



Swartz. Benjamin F 641 

Swartz. Charles F 657 

Swartz. George Wiley 637 

Sweeney. William 607 

Sweeney. William Oscar 662 

Swengel. George W 827 

Sylvester, Emery 670 

Taggart. James E 469 

Taggart. Dr. Josiah 814 

Talley. John 69V 

Taylor, James W 628 

Townsend Family 819 

Townsend, LaFayette D 755 

Van Liew. Capt. John R 595 

Voigt, Hon. George H 588 

Volmer. Henry J 555 

Wade, Jonathan 714 

Walker. James H 758 

Ward. Rev. John S 494 

Warman. Aaron N 741 

Watson, David W 913 

Weber, William 523 

Whiteside. Isaac F 784 

Whiteside Bakery 911 

Willey, Frank R 515 

Willey, Wyatt Emory 859 

Willey, Wyatt E . . . 861 

Woerner. Frank 570 

Wood. James N 897 

Wood, Samuel X 626 

Work. W. F 893 

Worrell. Luther M 576 

Young. William G 450 

Zulauf, John C 793 



HISTORICAL 



CHAPTER I. 
TRADITIONAL EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

That the country north of the Falls of the Ohio and adjacent to the river 
was inhabited by a strange people many years before the first recorded visit 
of a white man, there can be no doubt. The relics of a former race are scat- 
tered throughout this territory, and the many skeletons found buried along 
the banks of the river below Jeffersonville are indisputable evidence that a 
strange people once flourished here. Of all the legendary stories told of pre- 
Columbian visitors to the American continent, the Madoc tradition takes prece- 
dence. The Atlantis tradition, twelve thousand years old; the Phoenician 
tradition, dating from three quarters of a century before the Christian era; 
the Chinese tradition of the Buddhist priest in the fifth century; the Norse 
tradition of the tenth century ; the Irish tradition of the eleventh century ; and 
the ]Madoc tradition of the Welshmen in America near the close of the eleventh 
centurv, all lay claim to the honor of being accounts of the first visit of white 
men to the North American continent. The greatest probability of truth 
seems to attach to the Aladoc tradition, and the evidence from many different 
sources gives it a greater credibility than any of the other accounts. 

This tradition is to the effect that a colony of Welshmen, who had emi- 
grated to America in 1170, found their way finally to the Falls of the Ohio, 
and remained there for many years, being finally almost exterminated in a 
great battle with "Red Indians." 

Owen Gwyneth, Prince nf \\'ales, died in 1167, and left seventeen sons. 
Disputes and contentions arose among them as to who should succeed the 
father, and Aladoc, one of the sons, thinking it better prudence to try his 
fortune elsewhere, set sail with a good company of Welshmen and traveled 
westward until he reached the shores of another continent. The new land 
ofifered such a fair and alluring prospect that JNIadoc returned to Wales and 
brought back a considerable number of Welsh to join his colony in the "New 
World." \Miere they landed is conjecture, but the testimony of many authori- 
ties, and the stories and traditions of manv of the early settlers of this west- 



1 8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

em country prove to a greater or less degree of probability that white Indians, 
who spoke an almost pure ^^'elsh tongue, existed in several localities. 

In 1582 the first account of this Welsh emig-ration to America appeared 
in "Hakluits's Divers Voyages Touching the Discovery of America," etc.. and 
his authority was Gutton Owen, a \\'elsh bard, who flourished during the reign 
of Henr\- VII. The account also appears in an addenda to Caradoc's "Histoiy 
of \^"ales," which was translated into English in 1584. In America the first 
mention of the Madoc tradition belongs to Captain John Smith, who gives it 
as the only discovery prior to that of Columbus (See "Generall Historie of 
Virg-inia, New England and the Summer Isles," London, 1624, page i), but 
the personal evidence corroborati^•e of this tradition begins with a statement 
by the Rev. Morgan Jones, in 1685. ( See Gentlemen's Magazine. London, 
1740, page 103). The Rev. Mr. Jones was sent out by Governor Berkeley, of 
Virg'inia, as chaplain of an expedition to South Carolina. Arriving at Port 
Royal on April 19, 1660, they lay at a place called Oyster Point for about eight 
months, at which time, being almost starved by their inability to procure 
provisions, he set out with five companions through the wilderness. His nar- 
rative continues as follows : "There the Tuscarara Indians took us prisoners 
because we told them we were bound for Roanoke. That night they carried 
us to their town, and shut us up close, to our no small dread. The next day 
they entered into a conversation about us, which after it was over, their in- 
terpreter told us that we must prepare ourselves to die the next morning. 
Thereupon being very much dejected and speaking in the British (Welsh), 
tongue, 'Have I escaped so many dangers that I must now be knocked on the 
head like a dog?' His words were understood by one who seemed to be a 
war captain, and through his intervention the six prisoners were spared." 
These men remained with the Indians for four months, and, the minister 
states, "During which time I had the opportunity^ of conversing with them 
familiarly in the British (W'elsh) tongue, and did preach to them three times 
a week in the same language." 

Captain Isaac Stewart, an officer in the Provincial Cavalry of South 
Carolina, in 1782 was captured by Indians and taken westward of Fort Pitt. 
He and a \\^elshman named John Davy were kept in bondage for over two 
years and were finally taken up the Red river to an Indian settlement. Davy 
understood and conversed with this tribe of white Indians in his native tongue. 
(See American Museum, Vol. 2, page 92, July, 1787). 

The Rev, John ^^■illiams, LL. D., in a book entitled "An Inquiry into 
the Truth of the Tradition Concerning the Discovery of America by Madog," 
published in London in 1796, gives the testimony of numerous persons who 
had been among the ^^'elsh Indians in America. These incidents are too 
lengthy to relate here, but they show that enough testimony relating to \\'hite 
Indians who sixike the Welsh language lias been collected l)v writers in the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I9 

past to give the story more weight than attaches to the Norse, the Chinese, the 
Irish or the Phoenician traditions of pre-Columbian discovery. 

In later years historians have delved deep into this subject, and George 
Catlin, who published "Letters and Notes on the Manners of the North Ameri- 
can Indians" in 1857, says that the Mandan Indians, among whom he lived 
and studied their histoiy and peculiarities, were descendants of the Welsh 
colony established in America by Prince Madoc in the twelfth centurj'. This 
entire tribe of Welsh Indians was almost wiped out of existence by the small- 
pox in the summer of 1838. In 1842 Thomas S. Hinde, an antiquarian of 
more than local reputation, gave some valuable infonnation touching the 
Madoc tradition. In answer to inquiries made by John S. Williams, editor 
of The American Pioneer, he wrote as follows : 

"Mount Camiel, Illinois, May 30, 1824. Mr. J. S. W'illiams : Dear Sir — 
Your letter of the 17th. to Major Armstrong, was placed in my hands some 
days ago. The brief remark and hints given you are correct. I have a vast 
quantity of western matter, collected in notes gathered from various sources, 
mostlv from persons who knew the facts. These notes reach back to remote 
periods. It is a fact that the Welsh under Owen Ap Zuinch. in the twelfth 
century, found their way u]) the Mississippi, and as far up the Ohio as the 
Falls of that river at Louisx'ille, where they were cut ofif by the Indians; others 
ascended the Missouri, were either captured or settled with and sunk into 
Indian habits. Proof I. In 1799, six soldiers' skeletons were dug up near 
Jeffersonville. Each skeleton had a breastplate of brass, cast with the Welsh 
coat-of-anns, the Mermaid and Harp, with a Latin inscription, in substance, 
'virtuous deeds meet their just reward." One of these plates was left by Cap- 
tain Jonathan Taylor with the late Mr. Hubbard Taylor, of Clark county, and 
when called for by me in 1814 for the date Dr. John P. Campbell, of Chilli- 
cothe, Ohio, who was preparing notes on the antiquities of the \A^est, by a 
letter from iNIr. Hubbard Taylor (a relative of mine), now living, I was in- 
formed that the breast-plate had been taken to Virginia by a gentleman ot 
that state. I supposed as a matter of curiosity. Proof II. The late Mr. ]\Ic- 
Intosh, who first settled near this and had been for fifty or sixty years prior to 
his death, in 183 1 or 1832, a western Indian trader, was in Fort Kaskaskia 
prior to its being taken b}- General George Rog'ers Clark, in 1778. and heard, 
as he informed me himself, a Welshman and an Indian from far up the Mis- 
souri speaking and conversing- in the Welsh languag-e. It was stated by Gil- 
bert Imlay, in his history of the west, that it was Captain Abraham Chaplain, 
of L'nion county, Kentucky, that heard this conversation in ^^'elsh. Dr. 
Campbell, visiting Chaplain, found it was not he. Afterwards the fact was stated 
by ]\IcIntosh. from whom I obtained other facts as to western matters. Some 
hunter, manv years ago. informed me of a tombstone being- found in the south- 
ern part of Indiana with the initials of a name, and '1186' engraved upon it. 



20 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

The Alohawk Indians had a tradition among them respecting the Welsh, and 
of their having been cut off by the Indians at the Falls of the Ohio. The late 
Colonel Joseph Hamilton Davis, who had for many years sought for infonna- 
tion on this subject, mentions this fact, and of the Welshman's bones being 
found buried on Corn Island." 

The early pioneers of Kentucky, in their intercourse with the Indians, 
who frequently visited the Falls of the Ohio for the purposes of trade, got 
from them the tradition of Madoc, and Colonel Reuben T. Durrett, the presi- 
dent of the Filscn club, of Louisville, in the 23d publication of that society, 
gives an account which was related to him by an aged W'elshman named Grif- 
fin in the early sixties. Griffin related as follows : 

"On the north side of the river, where Jeffersonville now stands, some 
skeletons were exhumed in early times with armor which had brass plates 
bearing the Mermaid and Hai^p, which belong to the Welsh coat-of-amis. On 
the same side of the river, further down, a piece of stone supposed to be part 
of a tombstone was found, with the date 11 86 and what seemed to be a name 
-or initials of a name so effaced by time as to be illegible. If that piece of 
stone was ever a tombstone over a grave, the party laid beneath it must have 
been of the Welsh colony of Aladoc. for we have no tradition of any one but 
the Welsh at the Falls so early as 1186. In early times the forest along the 
river on both sides of the Falls for some miles presented two kinds of g-rowth. 
Along the margin of the river the giant sycamores and other trees of the forest 
primeval stood as if they had never been disturbed, but beyond them was a 
broad belt of trees of a dift'erent growth, until the belt was passed, when the 
original forest again appeared. This indicated that the belt had been de- 
prived of its original forest for agricultural or other purposes and that a new 
forest had grown up in its stead. He said, however, it was possible that the 
most important of these traditions learned from the Indians concerned a great 
battle fought at the Falls of the Ohio, between the Red Indians and the ^^'hite 
Indians, as the Welsh Indians were called. It has been a long time since this 
battle, but it was fought here and won by the Red Indians. In the final 
struggle the \Miite Indians sought safety on the island since known as Sand 
Island, but nearly all who sought refuge there were slaughtered. The rem- 
nant who escaped death made their way to the Missouri* river, where, by dif- 
ferent movements at different times, they went up that river a great' distance. 
They were known to exist there by different parties who came from there and 
talked Welsh with the pioneers. Some Welshmen living at the Falls of the 
Ohio in pioneer times talked with these White Indians, and although there 
was considerable difference between the Welsh they spoke and the Welsh 
spoken by the Indians, yet they had no great difficulty in understanding one 
another. He further said, concerning this tradition of a great battle, that 
there was a tradition that many skeletons were found on Sand Island, mingled 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 21 

promiscuously together as if left there unburied after a great battle, but that 
he had examined the island a number of times without finding a single bone, 
and that if skeletons were ever abundant there they had disappeared before 
his time." 

John Filson, the author of the first history of Kentucky, published in 
1784, was a believer in the Madoc tradition, and while in Louisville collecting 
material for his history, discussed the subject with such men as General 
George Rogers Clark, Major John Harrison, Colonel Moore and others. At 
a meeting of a club of prominent citizens in that city about this time Filson 
was invited to attend, and the subject of the Madoc tradition was brought up 
for discussion. General Clark spoke first, and confined himself to what he had 
learned from a chief of the Kaskaskia Indians concerning a large and curious- 
Iv shaped earthwork on the Kaskaskia river, which the chief, who was of 
lighter complexion than most Indians, said was the house of his ancestors. 
Colonel Moore spoke next, and related what he had learned from an old In- 
dian about a long war of extermination between the Red Indians and the 
White Indians. The final battle, he said, between them, was fought at the 
Falls of the Ohio, where nearly the whole of the \\'hite Indians were driven 
upon an island and slaughtered. General Clark, on hearing this statement by 
Colonel Moore, confinned it by stating that he had heard the same thing from 
Tobacco, a chief of the Piankeshaws. Major Harrison spoke next, and told 
about an extensive graveyard on the north side of the Ohio, opposite the Falls, 
where thousands of human bones were Ijuried in such confusion as to indicate 
that the dead were left there after a battle, and that the silt from inundations 
of the Ohio had covered them as the battle had left them. 

The testimony of many living men of Clark county today bears out the 
statement about the number of skeletons to be found in the vicinity of the Big 
Eddy. The late Dr. Beckwith, of Jeffersonville, had in his possession a skull 
from this graveyard at the Falls, and he pronounced it not the skull of an 
Indian. The White Indians, or, as some of the other Indian tribes called 
them, the "Stranger People," were possibly the builders of the mysterious 
fortifications on the hill crest, two hundred and fifty feet above the river, at 
Fourteen Mile creek. It is without doubt the most elalaorate and extensive work 
of defense erected by the vanished race. It is the only one of its kind in 
the United States. It has an area of about ten acres and has the remains of 
strong fortifications along its exposed front. These fortifications consisted of 
a wall with watch mounds or towers at intervals, five of which can yet be 
traced. Students and antiquarians have shown that it was not built by North 
American Indians, but its origin, like the battle at the Falls, is made obscure 
by the hazy lapse of centuries, and we can only surmise as to what it was and 
who built it, whether by the Stranger People or the Mound Builders; but 
that it was of a race previous to the Indians is certain. Bones of a race ante- 



22 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

dating the Red Indians are frequently found in the mounds in this vicinity. 
As an historical and antiquarian curiosity its ruins are far more remarkable 
and interesting than the dilapidated castles along the German Rhine. 

Among the traditional or semi-traditional accounts of early white ex- 
plorers to the Falls of the Ohio, the visit of the French explorer, La Salle, may 
be mentioned. The Indiana country was claimed by the French by virtue of 
his discovery of the Ohio river. The account of this voyage is as follows : 

Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle in i66g started on a voyage of dis- 
covery down the Ohio, and it is said that he floated as far down as the Falls 
of that river, where his guides and crew deserted him. Not daunted by this 
misfortune, he made his way back to the French settlements to the north. An 
iron hatchet which he left here in a small tree on the bank of the river is said 
to have been found imbedded in the tree one hundred and thirty-nine years 
afterward. La Salle is credited with being the earliest white man ever in this 
vicinity, but his discovery amounted to nothing. From shortly after his sup- 
posed visit other explorers began to periodically discover the river, until the 
settlers came and the "Beautiful river" became a highway for travel, rather 
than an entrance into a mysterious land. 

Xote : I am indebted to Colonel Reuben T. Durret, President of the 
Filson Club, of Louisville, Kentucky, for much of the material in this chapter. 



CHAPTER II. 
EARLY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY BEFORE ORGANIZATION. 

From the discoveries of Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle and the earlier 
voyage of the Jesuit Fathers Charemonot and Breboeiif, France claimed all of 
the Indiana, Ohio and Illinois country as early as the seventeenth century. 
The Iroc|uois nation also claimed it, but France was an aggressive power, and 
the wars of the Indians against her encroachments availed nothing. At the 
treaty of Utrecht, April ii, 1713, Louis XIV renounced in favor of England 
all claims except those to the St. Lawrence and Mississippi valleys. Both 
nations claimed the region west of the Alleghany ^Mountains, along the Ohio 
river, and the resultant squabble was that war known as the French and Indian 
war, 1754 to 1763. The Treaty of Paris ended this war and Indiana, to- 
gedicr with all of the other territory east of the Mississippi claimed by France, 
^vas ceded to England. This territory, of which Clark county was a part, thus 
passed to the rule of the British nation, to remain a colony until the war of 
the Revolution was terminated by the Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783. 
In the year of 1766 the British parliament insisted upon the Ohio river as the 
southwestern boundary and the Mississippi river as the western limit of the 
dominions of the English crown in this quarter. By this measure the entire 
northwest, or so much of it as afterwards became the Northwest Territory, 
was attached to the Province of Quebec, and the tract that now constitutes the 
state of Indiana was nominally under its local administration. 

Virginia began to lay early claim to the vast area beyond her western 
border, but government was still nominal, and the few white settlers and 
Indians were generally a law unto themselves. In 1769 Virginia, acting upon 
the authority of her royal grants, by an enactment, extended her jurisdiction 
over all the territory northwest of the Ohio river, and by that act the county of 
Botetourt was organized and named in honor of Lord Botetourt, governor 
of the colony of Virginia. It was a vast country, about seven hundred miles 
long, with the Blue Ridge for its eastern and the Mississippe for its western 
boundary. It included large parts of the present states of \\'est Virginia. 
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and was the first county organization covering 
what is now Clark county. After the conquest of the Indiana and Illinois 
country by General George Rogers Clark, in 1778. the county of Illinois was 
erected by the Virginia legislature (in October of the same year) out of the 
great county of Botetourt, and included all the territory between the Pennsyl- 



24 liAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

vania line, the Ohio, the Mississippi, and the northern lakes. Colonel Tohn 
Todd was appointed the first county lieutenant and civil commandant of the 
county. He perished in the battle of Blue Licks, August i8, 1782. and 
Timothy de Montbrun was named as his successor. 

The close of the war of the Revolution found the American states deeply 
involved in debt and with no resources in prospect, except such as might be 
derived from the sale of their lands west of the Alleghanies. Some of the 
states claimed that the title to this vast unsettled domain to have ^•ested in 
the various colonies whose charters had extended their limits indeffinitely to 
the west, and there was a special claim from Virginia on account of her con- 
quest and the retention of possession through George Rogers Clark. Other 
states objected to this, but on October 20. 1783, Virginia authorized a cession 
to the Federal government, and on March i, 1784, our countn* passed from 
Virginian rule to that of the United States of America. A plan for the di- 
^-ision of this vast tract was taken up immediately and a scheme for the forma- 
tion of ten states out of it was reported. The names of the states as proposed 
were as follows : Sylvania, Chersonesus, Michigania, Washington, Saratoga, 
Metropotamia, Assenisipia, Illinoia, Polypotamia and Pelisipia. These last 
two names concern Clark county, as it lay partly in both as proposed. Both 
of these states lay south of the thirty-ninth parallel and north of the Ohio 
river, and their dividing line was a meridian drawn through the rapids of the 
Ohio. Pelisipia was to be the eastern state and Polypotamia the western. 
To think that our mail might have been addressed to Charlestown, Pelisipia, 
or to Borden, Polypotamia, may appear strange, but such was the plan of the 
early fathers. However, the plan failed to carry, and the name of Indiana 
was finally given our great state when the territory was organized, and the 
illustrious name of Clark given the county when it was created in 1801. Xo 
legislative measures ever enacted meant so much to Clark county as the Ordi- 
nance of 1787. This celebrated act, entitled "An ordinance for the govern- 
ment of the territoiy of the United States northwest of the river Ohio." was 
passed by Congress July 13. 1787. By this great organic act— "the last 
gift," as Chief Justice Chase said, " of the congress of the old confederation 
to the country, and it was a fit consummation of their glorious labors" — 
provision was made for various forms of territorial government to be adopted 
in succession, in due order of the advancement and development of the west- 
ern country. The sixth article provided that. "There shall be neither slavery 
nor involuntary sen-itude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punish- 
ment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. This ques- 
tion of slavery was a bitter one, and within a few years was to become the 
chief issue in the politics of the territory of Indiana, but it was a luilwark 
behind which the best men of the time stood, and even the action of a legisla- 
ture was powerless to have this paragraph changed. The settlement made at 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., I^'D. 2; 

Clarkesville, mentioned in a succeeding chapter, and the building of the fort 
at Jeffersonville in 1786 were the beginning of the settlements of Clark county. 
This period of the history of the county will be more fully treated in the 
chapter on the military annals. 

In 1793 the first of the great floods ever recorded overtopped the banks 
of the Ohio and the few settlers who had built their cabins in the rich low- 
lands were forced to retreat to higher ground for safety, while their fences, 
and, in some cases, their cabins, floated away. This flood was not as great 
as the flood of 1832. but no record of the stage of the water is in existence. 



CHAPTER III. 
THE ILLINOIS GRANT. 

The grant of land by the state of Virginia January 2. 1781, to General 
George Rogers Clark and his men was a fitting recognition of the value of 
their sen-ices in the "Conquest of the Northwest." Around this grant and 
the events leading up to it cluster nearly all the early history of Indiana Terri- 
tory and the Northwest Territory. The events leading up to this grant of 
land to Clark and the Illinois regiment date from the instructions he received 
from Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia, January 2, 1778. Two sets 
of instructions were given to Clark, one intended for the public eye, as 
follows : 

"Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark : 

"You are to proceed, without loss of time, to enlist seven companies of 
men, officered in the usual manner, to act as militia, under your orders. They 
are to proceed to Kentuck3% and there obey such orders and directions as you 
shall give them, for three months after their arrival at that place: but to re- 
ceive pa}-, etc., in case they remain on duty a longer time, etc., etc., etc. 

"Given under my hand at \Villiamsburg-, January 2, 1778. "P Henry." 

The private instructions given into the hand of Clark are, in part, as 
follows : 

"Virginia Set. "In Council Williamsburg, January 2, 1778. "Lieutenant 
Colonel George Rogers Clark: "You are to proceed with all convenient speed 
to raise seven companies of soldiers to consist of fifty men each, officered in 
the usual manner, and armed most properly for the enterprise, and with this 
force attack the British post at Kaskaskia. It is conjectured that there are 
many pieces of cannon and militarj^ stores to a considerable amount, at that 
place, the taking and preservation of which would be a valuable acquisition 
to the state. If you are so fortunate, therefore, as to succeed in your expedi- 
tion, you will take every possible measure to secure the artillery and stores, 
and whatever may advantage the state. For the transportation of the troops, 
provisions, etc., down the Ohio, you are to apply to the commanding officer 
at Fort Pitt for boats, and during the whole transaction you are to take es- 
pecial care to keep the true destination of your force secret ; its success de- 
pends upon this. Orders are therefore given to Captain Smith to secure the 
two men from Kaskaskia. 

"It is earnestly desired that you show humanity to such British subjects. 




KtbiDfc-Ncfc, Ut Gb-NKKAL CLARK AT CLARKSVILLE. 



Krum "t'dmiuest of the Northwest." Copyright 1S95. Used by special permis- 
sion of tlie publishers. The Bobbs-Morrill Company. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 2,y 

and Other persons as fall into your hands. If the white inhabitants of that post 
and neighborhood will give undoubted evidence of their attachment to this 
state, for it is certain they live within its limits, by taking the test prescribed 
by law, and by every other way and means in their power, let them be treated 
as fellow citizens, and their persons and property be duly respected. As- 
sistance and protection against all enemies, whatever shall be afforded them, 
and the commonwealth of Virginia is pledged to accomplish it. But if these 
people will not accede to these reasonable demands, they must feel the conse- 
Cjuences of war, under that direction of humanity that has hitherto dis- 
tinguished Americans, and which it is expected you will ever consider the rule 
of your conduct, and from which you are in no instance to depart. The corps 
you are to command are to receive the pay and allowances of militia and to 
act under the laws and regulation of this state now in force as to militia. The 
inhabitants of this post will be informed by you that in case they accede to the 
offers of becoming citizens of this commonwealth, a proper garrison will be 
maintained among them, and every attention bestowed to render their com- 
merce beneficial ; the fairest prospects being opened to the dominions of France 
and Spain. It is in contemplation to establish a post near the mouth of th.e 
Ohio. Canniin will be wanted to fortify it. Part of those at Kaskaskia will 
be easily brought thither or othenvise secured as circumstances make neces- 
sary. You are to apply to General Hand, at Pittsburg, for powder and lead 
necessary for this expedition. If he cannot supply it, the person who has that 
which Captain Sims brought from New Orleans, can. Lead is sent to Hamp- 
shire by my orders, and that may be delivered to you. Wishing you success, 
I am your humble servant, "P. Henry." 

It will be seen from the above that the campaign was to be of such a char- 
acter that the men themselves were not to know more than that the service 
was to be on the frontier and against the Indians and British, as they well 
knew the British were secretly in league with the Indians and furnishing them 
with the munitions of their cruel and treacherous warfare. 

Thus was the expedition launched and the organization of his forces be- 
gun. The end of May, 1778, found the little army encamped on Com Island, 
a long narrow strip of land reaching from what is now Fourth street to Four- 
teenth street, Louisville, Kentucky, and laying very near the south side of the 
river. On June 24, 1778, they embarked in the boats which had been pre- 
pared — shot the falls, and in the sombre shadow of an almost total eclipse 
of the sun began the first part of their expedition against the British posts at 
Kaskaskia. Their voyage down the river to the mouth of the Tennessee, 
and the march of one hundred ad twenty miles through the wilderness, to- 
wards Kaskaskia without pack horses, wagons or other means of conveying 
their munitions of war, baggage or provisions than their own robust selves, 
was a feat of endurance that tried their hardihood. 



^8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Througli forest dark, dense and tangled, across glades of intervening 
prairie lands which were often covered with reed-like grasses, higher than the 
head of the tallest among them, over hill and through valley, often withiut 
water for hours, save only that which each man carried, under the blazing of 
a Southern Illinois summer sun. without transportation of any kind, no horses, 
no wagons, no tents, no baggage, no artillery ; this band of heroes led i)y a 
hero, pressed nn. \\'hen in the confines of what is now Williamson county, 
Illinois, the guide, Saunders, became confused and lost his bearings and the 
troops believing he was betraying them, were on the point of wreaking sum- 
mary punishment on him for his suspicioned treachery, when he recognized a 
point of timber which he said marked the way to Kaskaskia. 

The little band pressed on with clothes ragged and soiled with the wear 
of the march, and faces scratched and laruised In- liramliles and briars, foot- 
sore and weary with the labor of forced marching and want of proper rest, with 
only the sod for a bed, and the canopv of heaven for a covering when at night 
they lay down for a few hours' sleep in strict silence, not a shot being- fired for 
fear its echoes might be heard by some prowler and the news of their apprnach 
carried to the enemy. Arriving withn a few miles of Kaskaskia on the e\'ening 
of July 4, 1778. no time was lost in effecting the capture, and when the n-iorn- 
ing of July 5th broke the town was Virginian and not Britsh. Clark in-ime- 
diately hastened to send a detachment of troops to take possession of Cahokia, 
St. Phillips and Prairie du Rocher. on the Mississippi. The fort and town 
of Vincennes. ha\-ing Ijeen left by Abbott, the English Governor, virtuallv in 
the hands of the French inhabitants, was garrisoned, the American flag raised 
and Capt. Leonanl Helm put in command. 

Clark being now in possession of all the military posts, turned his at- 
tention at once to making the best terms he could with the numerous Indian 
tribes. Helm continued in command at Post Vincennes. but his force was 
small, and Fort Sackville was described as "wretched," "a miserable stockade 
without a well, barrack, platform for small arms, or even a lock to the gate." 

General Hamilton, the commandant at Detroit, headed an expedition 
against Helm at Vincennes, and on December 17, 1778, Fort Sackville and 
the ancient town of Vincennes again came into possession of the British. Helm 
and his twenty-one men demanded and received all the honors of war upon 
their surrender to an enemy, which numbered between five hundred and six 
hundred men. In February, 1779, Clark began his memorable march from 
Kaskaskia against Vincennes. After incredible difficulty and severe exposure, 
marching and wading through the icy water of swamps and overflowed 
streams, with an insufficiency of provisions and baggage, the worn and wearied 
expedition appeared before the town, and Clark, with his usual generalship, 
compelled Hamilton to surrender, and the final downfall of the British in the 
Wabash and Illinnis ccmntrv was acconiplished. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 29 

When Clark marched his little army from ^Massac to Kaskaskia, across 
the glades and timberlands of Southern Illinois, it was summer time. Soft 
winds wafted the perfume of flower-sprinkled prairies, and the fragrance of the 
woodlands about the marching troops, the water of the streams was compara- 
tively low, and the swamp lands were firmer to the tread of their moccasin-clad 
feet. The canopy of sky and cloud was covering enough by night, and while 
the blazing of a June sun was far from soothing to spirts or temper, it was not 
to be compared to the hardships to which the troops on the march to the cap- 
ture of Vincennes were to encounter. 

At the crossing of the Little Wabash, Clark cheered them on, and called 
to his aid an Irish drummer, celebrated for his fund of droll and comic songs, 
the singing of which, at a time when the men were chilled almost to freezing 
bv the icv waters through which they had been wading, sometimes for an 
hour, up to their armpits, would put new life in.to the men, and agai'.i they 
would struggle on. What a picture ! What melody can equal the living pic- 
ture of this band of heroes or the song of this wild Irishman's singing? The 
painters of the picture have passed away. The song of the singer is stilled 
forever, but truly their works live after them. 

The party on the i8th heard the morning gun at Fort Sackville, at Vin- 
cennes, and when they reached the A\'abash, below the mouth of the Embarass 
river, they were exhausted, destitute and starving — literally starving, with no 
means of crossing the ri\-er, which was merflowed and was several miles wide. 
On the 20th of February a party of French, in a boat, was hailed and came 
to the little army. From them Clark learned that the French of Vincennes 
were true to the oath of Vincennes, which they had taken the previous summer, 
and that the British garrison had no knowledge of the approach of the expe- 
dition, indeed, had no knowledge that an expedition had e\'en been planned, 
much less had they thought it possible that men wcjuld undertake so hazardous 
an. expedition, and one which, if undertaken must, as they thought, result in 
the death of every soldier from the hardships of the march. And now, with 
the facts before us it seems to us they accomplished the impossible. By wading 
and rafting they managed to cross to the highlands below Vincennes. Clark 
immediately sent the following notice to citizens of Vincennes': "To the in- 
habitants of Post Vincennes : Gentlemen : Being now within two miles of your 
village, with my army, determined to take your fort tonight, and not being- 
willing to surprise you, I take this method to request such of you as are tnie 
citizens, and would enjoy the liberty I bring you, to remain, still, in your 
houses. Those, if any there be, that are friends to the King, will instantly re- 
pair to the fort and join the hair-buyer general, and fight like men. and such 
as do not go to the fort and shall be discovered afterwards, they may depend 
on severe punishment. On the contrary, those that are true friends to liberty 
shall be treated as friends deserve. And once more I request them to keep out 



30 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

of the streets, for everyone I find in arms on my arri\-al I shall treat as an 
enemy. 

"G. R. Clark." 

Clark's army, consisting of one company from Cahokia, commanded by 
Captain McCarty, and one company from Kaskaskia, commanded by Captain 
Charleville, and were composed of French, and the rest, about seventy men, 
were Americans of liis old command, in all not over one hundred and seventy 
men, were made to appear to the villagers' minds as mvtch greater by this pe- 
culiar note, and to still further deceive them and to make the garrison believe 
a large force was about to attack them, Clark marched his men back and forth 
among some mounds in the prairie, changing the flags, so that the British be- 
lieved many times the true number of fierce Kentuckians were about to assail 
them, as the British onl}- knew them as Kentucky bordermen, and had no 
thought that more than half were Illinois French. At about sunset on Feb- 
ruary 23d, Lieutenant Bayly was sent with fourteen men to make an attack 
on the fort. He led his men to about thirty yards of the fort, where they lay 
concealed behind a bank of earth, protected from the guns of the fort. Every 
one of the Americans was an expert rifleman, and whenever a porthole was 
opened a storm of Inillets whistled in. killing or wounding the men at the guns, 
so that none would work the cannon. At nine in the morning of the 24th, 
while his men were eating the first breakfast they had had for sex'eral days, 
Clark sent the following note to the British commandant: 

"Sir: In otder to save yourself from the impending storm which now 
threatens 3'ou, I order you immediately to surrender yourself, with all your 
garrison, stores, etc. If I am obliged to storm, you may depend upon such 
treatment alone, as is justly due a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of 
any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or hurting one 
house in town, for, bv heaven, if you do, there shall be no mercv shown you. 

"G. R. Clark'" 

This note may seem brutal to modern minds, but when it is remembered 
that it was addressed to a man who was paying a bounty to the merciless sav- 
age as a reward for the murder, not only of the American men, but of helpless 
women and innocent children, it is not too harsh. Governor Hamilton was 
deeply impressed by this note, it is certain, by the meek reply returned by him, 
which" is as follows : 

"Governor Hamilton begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clark that lie and 
his garrison are not to be awed into any action unworthy of British subjects." 

About midnight of the 23d Clark had cut a ditch near the fort, and in it, 
secure from the guns of the fort, the riflemen lay, with watchful eye and un- 
erring aim. They poured in a steady fire, and in fifteen minutes had silenced 
two pieces of artillery and killed evei")' gunner approaching them or had driven 
them away from their guns, horror-stricken at the certainty of death or of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 3 1 

wounds, if but tlie smallest portion of their person was exposed but for an in- 
stant. This terrible fire was kept up for eighteen hours. This incessant fire 
convinced the garrison that they would be destroyed, and Governor Hamilton 
sent Clark the following note : 

"Governor Hamilton proposes to Colonel Clark a truce of three days, 
during which time he promises that there shall be no defensive work carried 
on in the garrison, on condition that Colonel Clark will observe, on his part, 
a like cessation of offensive works, that is, he wishes to confer with Colonel 
Clark, as soon as can be, and promises that whatever may pass between them 
two and another person, mutually agreed on to be present, shall remain secret 
until matters be finished, as he wishes whatever the result of the conference 
may be, it may tend to the honor and credit of each party. If Colonel Clark 
makes a difficulty of coming into the fort. Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton will 
speak to him by the gate. 

"Henry Hamilton." 
February 24. 1779. 
Clark replied : 

"Colonel Clark's comi)liments to Governor Hamilton, and begs to say 
that he will not agree to any terms other than Mr. Hamilton surrendering 
himself and garrison at discretion. If ]\Ir. Hamilton wants to talk with 
Colonel Clark, he will meet him at the church, with Captain Helm." 

A conference was held and Clark demanded a surrender, (itherwise he 
threatened to put the leaders to the sword for the gold paid for American 
scalps. He was in earnest and the garrison so understood. In an hour Clark 
dictated the following terms of surrender, which Hamilton accepted : 

"First — Lieutenant-Go\-ernor Hamilton agrees to deliver up to Colonel 
Clark, Fort Sackville and all the stores, etc. 

"Second — The garrison to deliver themselves as prisoners of war, and to 
march out with the arms and accoutrements. 

"Third — The garrison to be delivered up by tomorrow, at ten o'clock. 
"Four — Three days are allowed the garrison to settle their accounts with 
the inhabitants and traders. 

"Fifth — The officers of the garrison are to be allowed their necessary 
baggage. 

"Signed at Post Vincennes, this 24th day of February, 1779. 
"Agreed to for the following reasons : First, remoteness from succor ; 
second, state and quantity of provisions; third, the unanimity of the officers 
and men in its expediency ; fourth, the honorable terms allowed, and lastly, 
the confidence in a generous enemy. 

"Henry Hamilton." 
Lieutenant-Governor and Superintendent." 
On the 25th this surrender took place. Fifty thousand dollars" worth of 



32 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

arms and stores were turned over to Clark. Governor Hamilton, Major Hay 
and some other officers were sent under guard to the capital of Virginia. Sev- 
enty-nine prisoners were paroled and sent to Detroit. 

An expedition up the \\'abash, under command of Captain Helm, 
resulted in the capture of seven British boats which were manned by 
about forty men and loaded with valuable goods and provisions, intended for 
Fort Sackville, worth at least fifty thousand dollars. Thus was consummated 
the scheme of conquest which originated in the brilliant mind of the genius, 
Clark. Dillon says, "With respect to the magnitude of its design, the valor 
and perseverance with which it was carried on, and the momentous results 
which were produced by it, this expedition stands without a parallel in the 
annals of the valley of the Mississippi. English says : "Measured by the 
standard of great results, the map of the magnificent territory, acquired mainly 
through his agency, speaks louder in behalf of General Clark and his little 
army than any words of praise." When compared with other portions of the 
United States, the five states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, 
and part of Minnesota comprise the very heart of the Republic. The resolution 
of the General Assembly of Virginia, January 2, 1781, provided that a 
gratuity of land not to exceed one hundred and fifty thousand acres should 
be given the officers and men of Clark's army. In 1783 another act was passed 
"for locating and surveying the one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, 
as follows : 

"Be it enacted by the' General Assembly, That William Flemming, John 
Edwards, John Campbell, ^^'alker Daniel, gentlemen, and George Rogers 
Clark, John Montgomei-y, Abraham Chaplin, John Bailey, Robert Todd and 
William Clark, officers in the Illinois regiment, shall be, and they are hereby 
constituted a toard of commissioners and that they or the major part of them, 
shall settle and determine the claims to land under the said resolution. That 
the respective claimants shall give in their claims to the said commissioners on 
or before the first day of April, 1784; and, if approved and allowed, shall pay 
down to the said cijmmissioners one dollar for eveiy one hundred acres of 
such claim, to enable them to survey and apportion the said lands. The said 
commissioners shall appoint a principal surveyor, who shall have power to 
appoint his deputies, to be approved by the said commissioners and to con- 
tract with him for his fees. That from and aftei^ the said first day of April, 
1784, the said commissioners, or the major part of them, shall proceed with 
the surveyor to lay ofif the said one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land 
on the northwest side of the Ohio river, the length of which shall not exceed 
double the breadth ; and, after laying out one thousand acres at the most con- 
venient place therein for a town, shall proceed to lay out and survey the resi- 
due, and divide the same by fair and equal lot among the claimants ; but no 
lot or sun-ey shall exceed five hundred acres. That the said commissioners, in 



BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



33 



their apportionments of tlie said land, sliall govern themselves by the allow- 
ances made by law to the officers and soldiers in the Continental Army. That 
the saiid commissioners shall, as soon as may be, after the said one hundred and 
forty-nine thousand acres shall be surveyed, cause a plat thereof, certified on 
oath, to be returned to the register's office, and thereupon a patent shall issue 
to the said commissioners or the survivors of them, who shall hold the same 
in trust for the respective claimants ; and they, or the major part of them, 
shall thereafter, upon application, execute good and sufficient deeds for con- 
veying the several portions of land to the said officers and soldiers." 

The frontage of the "grant" upon the Ohio river extended from a point 
about midway between Silver creek and Falling run, up the river to a point 
opposite the upper end of eighteen Mile Island, and lay almost wholly in Clark 
county. The divisions of this tract of land are unlike the regxilar United 
States survey of the public lands, which is based upon lines running at right 
angles to the cardinal points of the compass. The lines here run northeast 
and southwest. Why this sui-\-ey was made in this position it is impossible to 
tell, unless it resulted from trying to make the lines mn perpendicular to the 
Ohio river when the sui"\-ey commenced. 

At the preliminai-y negotiations for peace in Paris in November, 1782, 
between England and her revolted, successful American colonies, both France 
and Spain, for similar reasons of discovery and partial occupancy, filed their 
protests against the claim of either of the lately contending parties to "the 
Illinois country." It cannot be too often repeated, to the everlasting honor of 
General Clark, that it was his conquest in 1778 that detemiined the contro- 
versy in favor of the infant republic, and carried the lines of the new nation 
to the Mississippi and the northern lakes. Otherwise the east bank of the 
Ohio, or possibly even the Alleghanies, would have formed its western bound- 
ary in part. The final convention signed at Paris, September 3, 1783, con- 
firmed the claim of the United Colonies as made good by the victories of Clark. 
On August 3, 1784, the commissioners met in Louisville for the purpose of 
allotting the land of the grant, and to decide who was entitled and who was 
not. 

The state of Virginia appointed William Clark, a cousin of the general, as 
sur\'eyor. He selected his assistants as follows : Edmund Rogers, David 
Steel, Peter Catlett, and Burwell Jackson. This cession or grant was made by 
Virginia; but she relinquished soon after her right to the United States, on 
condition that the previous donation would be respected. From this time Vir- 
ginia has not retained ownership of land north of the Ohio river. William 
Clark and his party divided themselves into companies. Some of his men 
were poor engineers, and many mistakes occurred. Peter Catlett was especial- 
ly notorious for inaccuracies. He surveyed that portion of the county now 
occupied by Oregon, a row of five-hundred-acre tracts off the west side of 

.3 



34 EAIRU S lilSTORV OF CLARK CO., IND. 

AX'ashington, and the greater part of Owen. From his mistakes resuUed many 
lawsuits, wlien in later days land became more valuable. Says William Clark: 
"I discovered several errors by Catlett in going into his district to subdivide 
some of the five-hundred-acre tracts." They were principally made in laying 
down watercourses. David Steel surveyed that part of the county now oc- 
cupied by Charlestown, Utica, and Union townships; and his surveys are 
almost without errors. Burwell Jackson surveyed the township of Silver 
Creek, a part of Monroe, and besides assisted in laying off Clarksville. Ed- 
mund Rogers and William Clark sun^eyed the remaining part of the count}-. 

The area of some of the tracts in the grant instead of being fi\e hundred 
acres, as intended, miss that figure by one hundred acres. 

The provision for a town in the grant was made by the following act : 

That a plat of said land (one thousand acres) be returned by the surveyor 
to the Court of Jefferson which was then in Louisville, to be by the Clerk there- 
of recorded and thereupon the same shall be and is hereby invested in William 
Flemming, John Edwards. John Campbell, ^^''alker Daniel, George Rogers 
Clark. John Montgomery, Abram Chaplin, John Bailey, Robert Todd, and 
William Clark. The lots are to be laid off into one-half acre each with con- 
\-enient streets, and the same shall lie and is hereby called Clarksville. 

On each lot there was to be built a good dwelling house, at least eighteen 
feet by twenty feet, with a brick or stone chimney, to be completed three years 
after the deed with recei\'ed. If these terms were not comi)lieil with the cdui- 
missioners had the right to sell again the lot and use the money in public im- 
provements. After some time, however, it was found necessary to enlarge 
this provision in order to give the young colony a chance ti) grow, and induce 
early settlers to make it their residence. 

However, the inducements did not seem to induce, and Clarksville"s claim 
to greatness lies in her histoiy rather than in her prospects. 

The grant outside of the town of Clarksville was allotted to those en- 
titled, and from this allotment originate all the titles to property in the tract 
at the present day. 

\\'illiam H. English, in his "Conquest of the Northwest," has the only 
authentic roll of officers and soldiers who "assisted in the reduction of the 
British forts." and the following is a copy with their allotments Each 
number represents five hundred acres, unless otherwise indicated. Where a 
letter precedes a number it indicates that that tract is subdivided and the 
subdivisions lettereil. 

OFFICERS. 

Clark, George Rogers, Brigadier General — Xos. 2-j. 36, 62. 84, 165, 168, 
185. 208, 212, 223, 227, 229, 242, 285, 288, 297: four acres in 74, and forty- 
five acres in 141. Total, 8,049 acres. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 35 

Montgomen-, John, Lieutenant Colonel — Nos. 35, 40, 51, 143, 167, 202, 
239, 270, 283 and B141, 351 acres. Total. 4.851 acres. 

Bowman. Joseph, Major — Nos. 5. 49, 97, 125. 140, 186, 193, 237, and 
B32. 312 acres. Total. 4.312 acres. 

Lynn, William. Major — Nos. 12, 93, 105, 132, 181, 217, 218, 291 and 
B216. 312 acres. Total. 4.312 acres. 

Quick, Thomas, Major — Nos. 21. 70. 163. 204. 215, 233, 265, 284, and 
B276, 312 acres. Total. 4.312 acres. 

CAPTAIN.S. 

(3.234 acres each.) 

Bailey, John — Nos. 16, 22, 24, 81, 225. 226, and ^^194, 234 acres. 
Brashear. Richard — Nos. 68. 1 1 1. 112. 1 14, 134, 236 and B194, 234 acres. 
George, Robert — Nos. 17, 137, 146, 159, 172. 275 and A149. 234 acres. 
Herrod. \\'illiam — Nos. 91, 99. 164, 234. 261. 264, A148. 
Helm, Leonard — Nos. 66. 147. 201. 266. 269, 279, 149. 
Kellar. Abraham — Nos. 71. 120. 156. 173. 238. 295, B148. 
McCarty. Richard — Nos. 63. 80. 90. 228. 251, 259, A190. 
Rodgers. John — Nos. 11, 72, 207, 235, 282, 296, A248. 

/Ruddell, Isaac — Nos. 14, 34. yj . no. 153. 179. B190. 
Shelby, James— Nos. 42. 43. 88, 89. 95'. 249. B248. 
Taylor. Isaac — Nos. 109. 129, 144, 151. 253. 293. loi. 
Todd. Robert — Nos. 3. 36. 48, 55. 122, 203. A246. 
Williams. John — Nos. 9. 75. 115, 152, 166, 240 and loi. 
Worthington, Edward — Nos. 2,1- 67. 69, 131. 176. 199 and B246. 

LIEUTENANTS. 

(2.156 acres each.) 

Bowman. Isaac — Nos. i. 158, 213. 289 and A32. 
Calvit. Joseph — Nos. 41, 50, 61. 161. and A216. 
Carney, Martin — Nos. 38. 192. 250. 263. and C154. 
Chaplin. Aliraham — Nos. 145. 180, 222. 267 and A276. 
Clark. Richard — Nos. 15, 18, 191, 274, and part 160. 
Clark. William^ — Nos. 96, 103. 272. 287. and part 160. 
Dalton. Valentine — Nos. 76. 104. 206. 247. C155. 
Davis, James — Nos. 39. 136. 187. 257. and B154. 
Floyd. Henr\ — Nos. 65, 107. 230. 280. and A 154. 
Gerault. Jnhn — Nos. 82. 117. 175. 189. and A133. 



36 BAIRD's HISTOKV of CLARK CO., IXD. 

Harrison, Richard — Nos. 102, 135, 139, 183, and B133. 
Merriweather, James — Nos. 26, 92, 150, 214. and A106. 
Montgomery, James — Nos. 6, 83, 127, 252, and C133. 
Perault, Michael — Nos. 23. 78, 256, 277, and C106. 
Robertson, James — Nos. 25, 200, 260, 294, and B106. 
Slaughter, Lawrence — Nos. 8, 58, 157, 221. and A271. 
Swan, John — Nos. 37, 98, 100. 209, and B156. 
Todd, Levi — Nos. 29. 46, 87, 290, and C271. 
Williams, Jarrott — Nos. 197, 241, 258, 268, and part 160. 
Wilson, Thomas — Nos. 10, 45, 47, 298, and A169. 

ENSIGN. 

(2,156 acres.) 
Vanmeter, Jacolj — Nos. 7, 64, 182, 232. and 156 acres in B155. 

CORNET. 

(2,156 acres.) 
Thurston, John — Nos. 53, 244, 278, 292, and 156 acres in A155. 

SERGE.\NTS. 

(216 acres each.) 
Brand, John — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in D and E130. 
Brown, James — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in D & E273. 
Crump. William — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A184. 
Dewit, Henry — 16 acres in 196 and 200 acres in 121. 
Elms, William — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in 108. 
Irby, James — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A and B138. 
Kellar, Isaac — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in C and D245. 
Key, Thomas — 16 acres in 194 and 200 acres in B and E245. 
Merriweather, Wm — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in 4. 
Miles, Michael — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A and B85. 
Moore, John — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A and B126. 
Morgan, Charles — 16 acres in 196 and 200 acres in 178. 
Oreer, John — 16 acres in 160 and 100 acres in C211 and 100 acres in 31. 
Parker, Edward — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in part of 4. 
Patterson, Robert — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in D and E177. 
Pittman, Euckner — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in D and E171. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 3/ 

Prichard. William — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in C and D124. 

Rubey, William — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in C and D118. 

Strode, Sam — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in 19. 

Treat, Beverly — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A and B142. 

Vaughn, John — 16 acres in 196 and 200 acres in 178. 

Walker, John — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in A and B130. 

Williams, John — 16 acres in 169 and 200 acres in B and E124. 

PRIVATES. 

(108 acres each.) 

Allen, David — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 188. 
Anderson, Joseph — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C178. 
Ash, John — 8 acres in 210 and 100 aci'es in 19. 
Asher, William — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C59. 
Bailey, David — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B195. 
Bamet, Robt. — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C162. 
Batten, Thos. — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A273. 
Baxter, James — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C273. 
Buckley, William — 8 acres in 208 and 100 acres in D162. 
Bell, William — 8 acres in part of 210 and 100 acres in 184. 
Bell, Sam — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A 162. 
Bentley, James — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 184. 
Bentley, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 184. 
Bethey, Elisha — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in E108. 
Bigger, James — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in 262. 
Bilderback, Charles — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in D85. 
Blackford, Sam'l — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 20. 
Blankenship, Henr>' — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B162. 
Booton, Travis — 8 acres in 248 and 100 acres in C85. 
Booton, \\'illiam — 8 acres in 48 and 100 in B44. 
Bowen, Ebenezer — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres- in A 128. 
Boyles John — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C60. 
Bryant, James — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 188. 
Bulger, Edward — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A195. 
Burk, Nicholas — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in 113. 
Bush. William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 219. 
Cameron, Angus — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C281. 
Camp, Reuben — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 86. 
Campbell, John — 8 acres in 248 and 100 acres in D60. 
Camper. Moses — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in E52. 



38 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Camper, Tilman — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C52. 
Conore, Andrew — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A170. 
Chapman. William — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A205. 
Chenowith, Richard — 8 acres in loi and 100 acres in C30. 
Clark. Andrew — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 231. 
Clark, George — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in E205. 
Clifton, Thomas — 8 acres in K)6 and 100 acres in 188. 
Cofer, William — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B286. 
Choheren, Dennis — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C231. 
Copland, Cornelius — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A60. 
Consule, Harman — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in C205. 
Cowan, John — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A231. 
Cox, Richard — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B59. 
Cozer. Jacob — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B205. 
Cozer, Peter — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B52. 
Craze, Noah — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in A52. 
Crosley. William — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in D52. 
Curry, James — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in D205. 
Curtis, Rice — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in B60. 
Davies, Asael — 8 acres in 246 and 100 acres in C220. 
Davis, Robert — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in E59. 
Dawson, James — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in 113. 
Doherty, Frederick — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in A220. 
Dohej'ty, Xeal — 8 acres in loi and 100 acres in D30. 
Doran, Patrick — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in E220. 
Dudley, Amistead — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in E60. 
Duff, John — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in 86. 
Elms, James — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in 86. 
Elms, John — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in D220. 
Evans, Charles — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in B220. 
Faris. Isaac — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in B94. 
Fear, Edmund — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in C73. 
Finley, Samuel — 8 acres in 32 and 100 acres in D30. 
Finn, James — 8 acres in 32 and 100 acres in E 94. 
Flanaghan, Dominick — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in A73. 
Floyd. Isham — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 188. 
Foster. William — 8 acres in 32 and 100 acres in A30. 
Freeman. William — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in E73. 
Flogget. William — 8 acres in 32 and 100 acres in 121. 
Frost, Stephen — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in B73. 
Funk. Henry — 8 acres in 141 and 100 acres in D73. 
Carrot. Robert — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in C224. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 3O 

Gaskins, Thomas — 8 acres in 276 and 100 acres in B273. 
Gagnia. Lewis — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 1 13. 
Gaylor. Gasper — 8 acres in 194 and 100 acres in D224. 
Gihnore, George — 8 acres in 276 and 100 acres in C94. 
Glass, ^lichael — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 121. 
Glenn. David — 8 acres in 216 and 100 acres in 20. 
Godfrey, Francis — 8 acres in 276 and 100 acres in A94. 
Goodwin. William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 262. 
Grav. Georg-e — 8 acres in 216 and 100 acres in E224. 
Greathonse. William — 8 acres in 216 and 100 acres in B224. 
Green, John — 8 acres in 276 and too acres in D94. 
Grimes. John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in A 124. 
Guthrie "\\'illiam — 8 acres in 216 and 100 acres in A281. 
Gwin. William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A224. 
Hacker. John — 8 acres in 148 and 100 acres in D28. 
Hammet. James — 8 acres in 133 and 100 acres in E138. 
Hardin. Francis — 8 acres in 133 and 100 acres in D13S. 
Harland. Silas — 8 acres in 190 and 100 acres in D13. 
Harris. James — 8 acres in 190 and 100 acres in D28. 
Harris, John M — 8 acres in 106 and 100 acres in E128. 
Harris, Samuel, Sr. — 8 acres in 106 and 100 acres in D128. 
Harris, Samuel, Jr. — 8 acres in 106 and 100 acres in C128. 
Hatten. Christopher — 8 acres in 148 and 100 acres in A28. 
Hayes, Thomas — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 198. 
Henry, David — 8 acres in 154 and lOO acres in A^J. 
Henry, Hugh — 8 acres in 154 and 100 acres in B57. 
Henry, Isaac — 8 acres in T54 and lop acres in A13. 
Henry. John — 8 acres in 154 and 100 acres in B13. 
Higgins. Barney — 8 acres in 190 and 100 acres in D57. 
Holmes, James — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in E13. 
Honaker, Henry — 8 acres in 133 and 100 acres in C57. 
Honaker, Peter — 8 acres in 133 and 100 acres in E57. 
Hooper, Thomas — 8 acres in 149 and 100 acres in part 19. 
House, Andrew — 8 acres in 148 and 100 acres in E28. 
Hughes, John — 8 acres in 148 and 100 acre^ in C28. 
Humphris, Samuel — 8 acres in 190 and 100 acres in C13. 
Isaacs. John — 8 acres in 271 and 100 acres in B123. 
James, Abraham — 8 acres in 155 and 100 acres in D108. 
January, James — 8 acres in 271 and 100 acres in C198. 
Jarrald. James — 8 acres in 155 and 100 acres in B128. 
Johnson. John — 8 acres in 271 and 100 acres in E170. 
Tohnston, Edward — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in inrt 1 13. 



40 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Jones, Charles — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in A 198. 
Jones, David — 8 acres in 271 and 100 acres in C138. 
Jones, John — 8 acres in 194 and 100 acres in B198. 
Jones, ]\Iathe\v — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in C170. 
Joynes, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 219. 
Kendall, Benjamin — 8 acres in 155 and 100 acres in 245. 
Kendall, William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in D44. 
Kenton, Simon — 8 acres in 155 and 100 acres in E198. 
Key, Georg-e — 8 acres in 246 and 100 acres in C79. 
Leare, William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in A54. 
Lemon, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in Ai 19. 
Levingston, George — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 86. 
Lindsay, Arthur — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in D79. 
Lockart, Pleasant — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in D34. 
Lovell, Richard — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 219. 
Lniisford. George — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 86. 
Lunsford, JNIason — 8 acres in 246 and 100 acres in E44. 
Lunsford, INIoses — 8 acres in 246 and 100 acres in E119. 
Lnsado, Abraham — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in A79. 
Lutterell, Richard — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in B79. 
Lines, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in C119. 
Lyne, Joseph — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in E79. 
McBride, Isaac — -8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D130. 
IMcDermet, Francis — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in B54. 
McDonald. David — 8 acres in 248 and 100 acres in A211. 
McGar, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 219. 
McLitire, Alexander — 8 acres in 10 1 and 100 acres in C130. 
McManus, George — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A286. 
McJNIanus, John, Sr. — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D286. 
McManus. John, Jr. — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C286. 
McMullen, Samuel — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in A254. 
McNutt, James — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in E126. 
Mayfield, Micajah — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in D184. 
Mahoney, Florence — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E281. 
Manifee, Jonas — 8 acres in 106 and 100 acres in E254. 
Marr, Patrick — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 219. 
Martin, Charles — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B254. 
Mershorn. Nathaniel — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C254. 
Millar, Abraham — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in C54. 
Montgomeiy, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 231. 
Monroe, James — 8 acres in 169 and too acres in D254. 
Moore. John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in C126. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 4I 

Moore, Thomas — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in A123. 
Murphv, John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 86. 
Murry. Edward — 8 acres in ig6 and 100 acres in E54. 
Myers, \\'iniam — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in D126. 
Nelson, Enoch G — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E85. 
Newton. Peter — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 20. 
Oakley. Jijlin — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 4. 
O'Harrow. Michael — 8 acres in 149 and 100 acres in B211. 
Oreer. Daniel — 8 acres in 160 and 100 acres in 31. 
Oreer. Jesse — 8 acres in 160 and 100 acres in 31. 
Oreer. William — 4 acres in 210, 4 in 196 and 100 in 31. 
Osburn. Ebenezer — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E211. 
Oundsley. Charles — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D211. 
Pagan. David — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 19. 
Paintree. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in Bi 77. 
Patten. James — 8 acres in loi and 100 acres in B30. 
Paul. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 123. 
Peters, John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B281. 
Phelps. Josiah — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A 177. 
Pickens. Samuel — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 121. 
Piner. Jesse — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B171. 
..^^Prather. Henry — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C171. 
Priest. Peter — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A171. 
Pruitt. Josiah — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D170. 
Purcell, William — 8 acres in ig6 and 100 acres in 123. 
Pulford. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E31. 
Ramsey. James — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D119. 
--Ray. William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B118. 
Rubey. William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A118. 
Ruddle. Cornelius — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E118. 
Rulison. William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C177. 
Ross, Joseph — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 113. 
Sartine. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D116. 
Sartine. Page — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C116. 
Saunders. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A 174. 
Sevems — Ebenezer — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D174. 
Severns. John — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 195. 
Shepard. George — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A116. 
Shepard. Peter — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 195. 
Sitzer. John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E2. 
Sitzer, Michael — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B2. 
Simpson. Thomas — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B59. 



42 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Slack, William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in K174. 
Smith, (iecirge — 8 acres in 149 and 100 acres in A2, 
Smith, William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in C44. 
Sworden. Jonathan — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E116, 
Snow, George — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C174. 
Spear, Jacob — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B174. 
Spilman, Francis — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D2. 
Spilman, James — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 262, 
Stevens, Shep — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 108. 
Stephenson, Samuel — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E286. 
Swan, William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A44. 
Swearingen, Van — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B116. 
Talley, John — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in DJ42. 
Taylor, Abraham — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C142. 
Teall, Levi — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 6170. 
Thompson, William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 262, 
Thornton, Joseph — 8 acres in 74 and 100 in C2. 
Tygert. Daniel — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 108, 
Taylor, William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E142. 
Vance, Hanley — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D243. 
Vanmeter, Isaac — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in C243. 
Venshioner, George — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in Birg. 
Walker, Thomas — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A210. 
Watkins, Samuel — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A243. 
\\"alen, Barney — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E255. 
^^'elch, Dominique — 8 acres in 149 and 100 acres in B255. 
White, Layton — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in D255. 
White, Randall — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in E195. 
\\hitecotton, James — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 123. 
\\"hitley. William — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in 262. 
\\'hitehead, Robert — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 20. 
^^'hitehead, William — 8 acres in 196 and 100 acres in 20. 
\\'ilson, Edward — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in A255. 
\/^^'illiams, Daniel — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in E243. 
\\"itt. Robert — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B243. 
Wood, James — 8 acres in 169 and 100 acres in C255. 
Yates, Isaac — 8 acres in 74 and 100 acres in B210. 
Znckledge, William — 8 acres in 210 and 100 acres in E162. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 43 

RECAPITI'I.ATION. 

I Brigadier General "^-049 acres 

I Lieutenant Colonel 4.851 acres 

3 Majors — 4.312 acres each 1 1,936 acres 

14 Captains^3,234 acres each 45,276 acres 

20 Lieutenants — 2.156 acres each 43,120 acres 

23 Sergeants — 216 acres each 4,968 acres 

I Ensign 2,156 acres 

I Cornet 2,156 acres 

236 Privates — 108 acres each 25,488 acres 

300 ]\Ien 149,000 acres 

The following taljle will show the number of the tract upon which the 
various cities, towns and villages were located, and the name of the soldier to 
whom same was allotted : 

Charlestown. 117, Lieutenant John Gerault. 

Charlestown Landing, 56, General George Rogers Clark. 

Hamljurg, 108, Sergeant \\'illiam Elms and others. 

Henr}^ville, 254-5, Private James JMonroe and others. 

Herculaneum, ^y. Pri\-ate David Henry and others. 

Hibernia. 105, Alajor William Lynn. 

Jeffersonville, X'o. i. Lieutenant Isaac Bowman. 

]\Iarysville, 248, Pri\-ate Travis Booton and others. 

Alemphis, 203. Captain Robert Todd. 

Xew ^Market, 196, Sergeant John Vaughan and others. 

Otisco, 210, Private John Biggar and others. 

Petersburg, 130. Private Isaac AIcBride and others. 

Port Fulton, 2, Private Francis Spilman and others. 

Sellersburg. no. Captain Isaac Ruddle. 

Springville, 94, Private Isaac Paris and others. 

Ltica, 16, Captain John Bailey; 17, Captain Robert George. 

A\'atson, 36, Captain Robert Todd. 

Clarksville, opposite the falls, just below and adjoining Jefferson\-ille. 

Old fort above Fourteen Alile creek, 76. Lieutenant Valentine Dalton. 

The deed for the Illinois grant was not recorded by the commissioners 
until about 1823. It appears on page 270 of Deed Record No. 30 in the deed 
records of Clark county. It is a peculiar coincidence that General Clark had 
a double title to the land which became his in the Illinois grant. After the 



44 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

close of his memorable campaign, where he had fairly earned the title "the 
Hannibal of the West," he lost no time in pacifying the Indians. The loyal 
Piankeshaws held a council and insisted on presenting the General with a tract 
of land two and one-half leagues square, on the west side of the falls of the 
Ohio, the location of his subsequent grant from Virginia. 

General Clark was a citizen of Clarksville for many years and took an 
active part in elections and public affairs, but being a bachelor, he divided his 
time between Indiana and Kentucky. As early as 1783 a number of log 
houses had been built in Clarksville and a town government was organized, 
pursuant to the charter. In the record book of the Trustees of Clarksville, 
pages 66 and 67, appears a resolution to confirm the title of the following per- 
sons, as they were the original settlers in the town : 

David Owens, John Owens, brothers. 

Levi Theel (Teall), private in Illinois regiment. 

William Burgoe. 

Robert George, captain in Illinois regiment. 

William Clark. 

Martin Carney. 

John Jackson. 

Valentine T. Dalton (lieutenant in Illinois regiment). 

John INIartin. 

George Clear. 

Christopher Hewet. 

William Burge. 

Jacob Miner. 

John Cleghorn. 

Joseph Cleghorn. 

Joseph Sprolsman. 

Philip \\'alkes. 

Nancy Smith. 

Buckner Pitman. 

This resolution is dated August 7, 1784. The town, however, did not 
prosper, and in 1797 there were but twenty houses in the place. The Captain 
Robert George mentioned above had brought a party of settlers out to the 
"grant" from Pennsylvania, and some of the names in thc' resolution were of 
his party. Mrs. Nancy Smith's daughter, aged twelve, was shot and scalped 
by the Indians in 1790. She had gone to the spring about a quarter of a mile 
from the stockade for water, and after the Indians had scalped her they left 
her for dead. The men in the fort brought her in and to the surprise of all, 
she finallv recovered. Tlie hair on her head o-rew in again, but ven' coarse 



IND. 



45 



and snow white. She married a man named Pitman, whu, with his family, 
afterwards emigrated down the river and settled on an island abont twenty 
miles above Natchez, Mississippi, called Fairchild's Island. 

The Valentine Dalton in the resolution drew the old stone fort at Fourteen 
Mile creek in the allotment of land in the grant. 

The place selected by General Clark for his residence was at the upper 
end of the village on a point later on called General's Point. Here he had a 
full and delightful view of the falls, but he took little pains to improve the site, 
having raised only a small cabin. His lonely life here was enlivened at one 
time by a party of jovial hunters, who left him at the end of their visit in the 
best of spirits. Shortly after their departure he was stricken with paralysis 
and fell into the fire, burning one of his legs badly. This burn finally made 
amputation necessary and Dr. Ferguson performed the operation amid sur- 
roundings that are probably without a parallel. It was before the day of 
anaesthetics and a fife and drum corps marched around the cabin playing dur- 
ing the operation, and it is said that the old General kept time to the music with 
his fingers, and when the music finally stopped asked, "\A'ell. is it off?" 

He died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Lucy Croghan, at Locust Grove, 
Kentucky, February 13. 1818. and is buried in Cave Hill cemetery, Louisville, 
Kentuckv. 



CHAPTER IV. 
ORGANIZATION OF CLARK COUNTY. 

.THE FIRST DEC.-XDE. 

William Henry Harrison, the first Territorial Governor of the Territory 
of Indiana, created Clark county by gubernatorial proclamation February 3, 
1801. Emigrants had begun to settle at man}- points along the Ohio river, 
and for the convenience of these settlers it became necessary to establish a new 
county by cutting off a portion of Knox county. Clark county was the first 
to be created out of the territory included within the original limits of Knox, 
so that she has the proud distinction of belonging to the second generation of 
Indiana counties. Knox county was organized June 20, 1790, by proclama- 
tion of General Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory. This 
county not only included all of what is now Clark county, but nearly all of 
what is now Indiana. The new county which was to bear the name of the 
illustrious George Rogers Clark was a state in itself. The proclamation creat- 
ing Clark county was dated February 3, 1801, and the description of the tract 
is as follows : Beginning on the Ohio at the mouth of Blue river, now the 
boundary line between Harrison and Crawford counties, up the said river to 
where the trail leading from Vincennes to the Ohio Falls crosses said river: 
thence by direct route to the nearest point on (the east fork) W'hite river: 
thence up said river to the branch thereof which runs towards Fort Recoxery. 
and from the head springs of said branch to Fort Recovery : thence along- the 
boundary line between Indiana Territory and the Northwest Territory, south 
to the Ohio river: thence down said river to the place of beginning. It may 
be difficult to trace these lines at the present day, but the point on Blue river 
where the line left the stream was about where the town of Fredericksburg 
is located in the southern part of Washington county. The line runs almost- 
north througli the entire leng-th of Washington county until it strikes the east 
fork of the \\'hite river. This stream is followed in a northeastwardly direc- 
tion through Jackson, Bartholomew, Shelby, Rush and Henry counties. The 
line runs from a point at the head springs of this stream in a straight line 
noi-theastwardly through Randolph and Jay counties to Fort Recovery, which 
is situated just across the Ohio state line, about opposite the center of Jay 
county. The line returns to the Ohio river at the mouth of the Kentucky river 
and thence down the Ohio to the point of beginning. Here indeed was a niag- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXI). 47 

nificent scope of territtjry. It included either in whole or part the following- 
counties : Harrison, Floyd, Clark, Washington, Jackson, Scott, Jefferson, 
Jennings, Ripley, Decatur, Franklin, Bartholomew, Shelby, Rush, Favette, 
Lnion, Henry. Randolph. Wayne and possibly part of Ja}- and Switzerland 
counties. 

\o other name could ha\-e been applied to this noble tract of land which 
included within its bounds n(jt onl}- the town of Clarksx'ille, but also the grant 
of land given to General Clark, his officers and men by the state of Virginia, 
January 2, 1781. 

At this early day there were l)Ut few families residing in the wilderness 
which is now embraced in the bounds of Clark count}-. One fan-iily resided 
at the present site of Charlestown — a few more south and southeast of here, 
and a few more six miles east at a place called "Armstrong's Station." 

Clark county at its creation embraced about one-fifth of the present area 
of the state of Indiana. It would have been appropriate if Clarksville could 
have been chosen as the countyseat. but geographical considerations had to be 
temembered, so the town of Spring\-ille was selected April 7. 1801, as the new 
seat of justice. 

Springville was a rising- and prosperous little town, about four miles from 
the river, and about one mile southwest of Charlestown. As early as 1799 a 
Frenchi-nan kept a store at the place where Springville was afterwards located. 
C'nc of the priiicipal traders was a man named Tulh-, and for this reason the 
Indians called the place Titllytown. The town of Springville was platted 
about the year 1800 and in 1802 it was a thri\-ing little village of probablv 
one hundred bona fide inhabitants. It was on the old Indian trail from the 
falls of the Ohio to the Indian nations of the north, west and east. Being the 
first camping station north of the falls, it naturally prospered. It was laid 
off aln-iost wholly on survey No. 115 of Clark's Grant. (See plat.) The 
streets running north and south were seventy feet wide and those running east 
and west were one hundred feet wide. The lots were one hundred feet front 
and two hundred feet deep. In 1801 the prospects of the little town were 
brightest. There were twc) taverns, one kept by John Ferguson and the other 
by Nicholas Harrison, who also had a store. The latter was also a Justice of 
the Peace. There was a blacksmith shop, a wheelwright shop, a hatter shop, 
etc. Old Dr. Vale was the physician, E\-en Shelby county surveyor, etc. 
Near by a still house operated. A short distance west lived Jonathan Jen- 
nings, the first Governor of Indiana. Just below the towii on Pleasant run 
John Bottorff carried on the milling business. The location of the still houses 
and trading posts made Spring\-ille a great rendezvous for Indians, and this, 
together with its location on the trail, made it a very prosperous village for 
those days. 

The settlers in this localitv were often alarmed bv the drunkenness and 



& 



48 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

insolence of the Indians, who had traded and bartered at Tuhytown. Here 
the red men were swindled out of their skins, venison and bear meat by the 
villainy of the Frenchmen and the small price which they received for their 
goods was usually invested in whisky, ruinous to themselves and dangerous to 
the settlers. They would generally get no further from Springville on their 
way homeward than where Charlestown is now situated, and their drunken 
revels would make night hideous and usually resulted in bloodshed. 

Springville and vicinity was at this time the only purely American settle- 
ment in Indiana ofT of the river, although there were Americans scattered all 
through the French settlements elsewhere. 

After the county seat was removed to Jefferscmville, June 9, 1802, the 
town began to dwindle away until within a few years it had wholly disap- 
peared. Not a vestige of it now i-emains to tell the curious where it stood, and 
where once was heard the sound of simple industry, where once the leading 
men of early days met to transact the necessary business of the courts, nothing 
remains but a rural scene, a winding country road and the song of birds above 
the growing crops. 

On April 7, 1801, the first court in Clark county was held at Springville. 
It was named the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and it was 
created by the Governor, William Henry Harrison. It was composed of Jus- 
tices Marston, Green Clark. Abraham Huff, James Noble Wood, Thomas 
Downs. William Goodwin, John Gibson, Charles Tuley and William Harwood. 
The men composing this court were the leading citizens of the county at the 
time, and nearly all have left their mark upon some phase of our early history. 

The first and most important work of the court was to divide the county 
into townships, so that the administration of justice might begin an active 
operation. The boundaries of the three townships of Clarksville, Springville 
and Spring Hill, into whicli the county was divided, were given as follows: 

The first to begin on the Ohio, opposite the mouth of Blue river ; thence 
up the Ohio to the mouth of Peter McDaniel's spring branch ; from thence in 
direct course to Pleasant run, the branch on which Joseph Bartholomew lives, 
and down that branch to the mouth thereof: thence down Pleasant run to 
where the same enters into Silver creek : thence a due west course to the west- 
ern boundary of this county; to be called and kmiwn by the name of Clarks- 
ville township. 

The second to begin at the mouth of Peter ^McDaniel's spring branch : 
thence up the Ohio to the mouth of Fourteen ^lile creek: thence up the main 
branch thereof to the head : and from thence a due west course to the county 
line, and from thence with the same to Clarksville township, and with the line 
thereof to the Ohio at the place of beginning: to be called and known by the 
name of Springville townsliip. 

The third one began at the mouth of Fourteen Alile creek: thence with 







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BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 49 

the line of Springville township to the county Hne ; thence with the same to the 
Ohio river ; and thence clown the same, to incUide the remaining part of the 
county, to the place of beginning; to be called and kn(iwn by the name of 
Spring Hill township. 

From these three original townships the number has grown to twelve. 
Jeffersonville, Utica, Charlestown, Owen and Bethlehem townships Ijnrder 
upon the river; Union is in the center: Carr and Silver Creek are on the west; 
Monroe and Wood are on the north and northw'est ; Washington and Oregon 
are in the northeast. 

The first "constables of the county" were Charles Floyd for Clarksville 
township, William F. Tulev for Springville and Robert Wardel for Spring 
Hill. 

The court transacted a great amount of business and appointed all the 
necessary officers for the county. Samuel Gwathmey w'as appointed Protho- 
notary Clerk of the several courts : Jesse Rowland, Judge of Probate ; Davis 
Floyd, Recorder: Thomas Douns, Treasurer; Marston G. Clark, Surveyor; 
Samuel Hay, Sheriff: Peter McDonald, Coroner. 

On December 24, 1S03, Davis Floyd and John Owens were appointed and 
commissioned pilots on the Falls. Augtist 14, 1802, the court ordered the 
first jail built at Jeffersonville. It was built by William Goodwin, with Davis 
Floyd on his bond of nine hundred dollars. 

This was a most vigorous beginning for the young county, but the re- 
moval of the county seat to Jeffersonville sounded taps to Springville's hopes 
as well as reveille to the ambition of the little villag'e on the banks of the Ohio. 
However, Spring\'ille remained a village as late as 1810. 

Jeffersonville had grown to be a scattering border of houses and stores 
along the river front, extending up from old Fort Steuben. On June 23, 1802, 
Isaac Bowman, who owned tract No. i of Clark's Grant, disposed of part of 
it to Marston Green Clark, William Goodwin, Richard Pile, Davis Floyd and 
Samuel Gwathmey as trustees to lay off a town and sell lots. The tract con- 
tained one hundred and fifty acres and John Gwathmey laid it off according 
to a design said to have been devised by Thomas Jefferson, for whom the town 
was named. The original plan resembled a checker-board ; the black squares 
to be sold in lots, the red squares to be crossed diagonally by streets, leaving 
four triangular spaces for parks in each square through which the streets 
passed. This design was not adhered to, and the present plan was adopted in 
1817. The boundaries of the original town of Jeffersonville are as follows: 
Beginning at a point on the north bank of the Ohio river at low-water mark, 
eighty-eight feet west of the west line of Fort street ; thence parallel with the 
w^est line of Fort street to a point on Ohio avenue fifty feet south of the south 
line of Court avenue ; thence with a line parallel to the south line of Court 
avenue and fifty feet from it to the west line of Watt street ; thence with the 

4 



50 DAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

west line of ^^'att street to a point on the north hank of the Ohio river a low- 
water mark; thence with the meanderings of the north bank at low-water mark 
to the beginning; containing about one hundred and fiftj' acres. 

About this time settlements began to be made in Bethlehem township, and 
the Flaskets. Rodgers, Giltners. Hamiltons, Kellys, Thislers, Abbotts and 
Simingtons began to improve their new farms. Jacob Giltner, Sr., came 
from Kentucky to Clark county about 1808, but was born in Pennsylvania in 
1767. His wife, Elizabeth Donagan, was from Lancaster county, of the same 
date. When the family came to Clark county there were four in the house- 
hold — two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and Mr. and Mrs. Giltner. 

Jacob Giltner bought three quarter sections of land at the land office in 
Jeffersonville. For many years after becoming a resident of the township he 
ran a distillery in connection with farming. By trade he was a linen stamper, 
when goods were made of that kind by the pioneers. During the War of 1812 
he was drafted, but on account of a physical disability was exempted. He was 
a member of the Lutheran church, and died in 1859. Mrs. Giltner died a few 
months after her husband, in the same year. 

^^'illiam Kell)', Sr., was born in Virginia, but was taken to Kentucky by 
his parents when a child, and came to Clark county in 1806. He married 
Margaret Kelly, who bore him thirteen children, four dying in infancy, the 
remaining nine growing up to maturity. He located one mile and a half 
northwest of Bethlehem village, before the land was suiweyed. ^^llen the sur- 
vevs were completed he attended the public sale in Jeffersonville in 1S09, but 
previously had made no clearing", on account of the uncertainty of g^etting the 
land desired. He bought two quarter sections, and began the work of improve- 
ment. He died June 27, 1837. Mrs. Kelly died September 13. 1854. 

W^illiam Kelly. Jr.. was born August 12. 1812. and married Elizabeth 
Starr, whose maiden name was Hammond. May 4, 1858. There are but few 
of the Kelly's left in the county. 

William, son of Archibald and Sarah Hamilton, was born near Frankfort, 
Kentucky, October 10, 1790. WHien twenty-two years of age he emigrated 
with his mother and two sisters to Bethlehem township, landing at the mouth 
of Knob creek March 25. 1812. The Ohio river at that time made landing 
easy by the backwater up these small streams. He immediately opened a tan- 
ner}' on one of the branches of Knob creek, which he ran till his death in 1845. 
His son, John T., continued in the business of his father up to 1865, when the 
old tannery was abandoned for more lucrative employment. \\'illiam Hamil- 
ton married Margaret Byers (who was born near McBride's IMill, Woodford 
county, Kentucky, April 4, 1795, and who came to Jefferson county, Lidiana, 
in 1816), October 30, 1821. Mrs. Hamilton died May 9, 1875, near Otto. 

Robert Simington was a settler and an owner of land in the township in 
1805, though his claim was subject to dispute after the public sales in 1809. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 5I 

He owned seven hundred and fifty acres in fractional sections 2i2 and 33. Sim- 
ington left in 1817, after selling most of his property, and settled one mile be- 
yond Hanover, in Jefferson county, Indiana, where he died in 1849. 

The Abbotts were among the first men of their day. considered in the 
light of sportsmen. John Abbott was the ancestor of the Abbotts in this 
county, and from him descended many of the same name. 

John Thisler began clearing off land below Bethlehem at an early day. 
The old fami now runs up close to the village. 

Moses Rodgers was among the first and most successful of the early 
settlers. 

Lucas and \\'illiam Plaskett, the latter a flat boatman, were here during 
the; first decade. 

All these men, with their wives and families, took an active part in pre- 
paring the way for future generations; and to their credit it can be truly said, 
they did their work well. Let us see that posterity shall improve on the past. 

The first settler in Monroe township was Robert Biggs, who came here 
in 1806 from Kentucky. He settled on Biggs's fork of Silver creek. Biggs 
lived and died in sight of Henryville. He took much pleasure in hunting, 
and was considered a superior marksman. 

Joseph Miller settled in sight of Henryville about 1806. or, what is more 
probable, a year or two afterwards; for Robert Bigg-s must have married one 
of his daughters. Miller was from Kentuck\- : his family consisted mostly of 
daughters, the onlv son dying many 3'ears since, and of course the family 
name is now extinct. He died about 1830. 

Nicholas Crist, a brother-in-law of Abner Biggs, settled about one mile 
west of Henry\'ille in 1808 or 1810. He was bom in Pennsylvania, but came 
here from Kentucky. He married a daughter of Robert Biggs. Crist re- 
moved to Clay county. Indiana, in 1830 or 1831, and died at"^n extreme 
old age. ' 

Robert Cams, who was from Pennsylvania by way of Kentucky, settled 
one mile east of Henryville about 1810. He carried on farming. 

Zebulon Collins, who was no doubt a brother of the famous scout and 
hunter, \A'illiam Collins, settled a year or two before the Pigeon Roost massa- 
cre one mile and a half east of Henryville. Here he beg'an to operate a still 
house, and finally a way tavern on the Charlestown and Brownstown road. 
During a part of his life he was chosen as a justice of the peace. It was at his 
tavern that the first polls were opened in the township, and from this fact the 
township derived its first name, that of Collins. The township was abolished 
afterwards and the territory was taken into other townships. It was here tliat 
a company of soldiers was stationed in 1813 when Mr. Huffman was killed by 
the Indians, to protect the frontier. Collins was originally from Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Huffman was an emigrant from Pennsvlvania and settled on the 



52 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

west bank of Siher creek, one and a half miles from Henryville, three or four 
years before his death, in 1813. 

Among the later settlers who came after Indiana was admitted as a state 
were James Allen and David McBride, brothers-in-law, from Pennsylvania. 
Juda Hemming", who emigrated from Kentucky, and Islam McCloud, of South 
Carolina, were the only early settlers in the township in the extreme south side. 

The most prominent family in the extreme west was that of Lawrence 
Kelly, who came from Pennsylvania, and was here as early as 1810. His sons 
were Hugh, John, Abram, William and Davis, who lived, in the township till 
their deaths. Martha Kelly married John Lewis, Sr., of Monroe township. 
Another daughter married William Blakely, a Virginian, Ijut here from Ken- 
tucky. One of the daughters married William Patrick, whose descend- 
ants are ciuite numerous in the county at this time. 

John Deitz and wife, both Germans, came to Monroe from Kentucky 
while the grant was yet in its infancy. 

On the west side of the township, near the Oregon line, AN'illiam Beckett, 
of Pennsylvania, settled about 1810. His family was very large, and consisted 
mainly of sons. He died many years ago. There are now but few of the 
family, with their descendants, in this section. 

Josiali Thomas settled in the same section years ago, manying one of the 
Beckett girls. 

During the years when the other townships were tilling up with settlers 
rapidly, Monroe was left uut in the cold. There were no early permanent set- 
tlers between Henryville and the Pigeon Roost settlement. 

A\^illiam E. Collins, by birth a Pennsylvanian, was one of the first white 
men in the neighborhood of the northwestern corner of the township. He 
came secondarily from the interior of Kentucky, whither he had gone from 
Louisville in quest of game. Learning that game was abundant in this region 
— the Pigeon Roost ground — he came hither. His son Henry met hf"s' death 
from the hands of the Indians. Kearns, one of the oldest sons of the family, 
settled near the old battleground in 1813, where he resided until his death. 

Seymour Guernsey was born in Connecticut, and emigrated to Utica 
township, Clark county, in 18 17. From Olean Point, on the Ohio river, about 
one hundred and fifty miles above Pittsburg, the family took passage in a boat, 
on which they made the entire trip to their place of landing. ]\Iehetabel Beard- 
sley. his wife, was born in New Haven. Connecticut, and bore him before arriv- 
ing here two sons — Burritt and Seymour — and one daughter — ]\Ialinda Ann. 
After remaining in the vicinity of LTica for one year and raising a crop he 
removed to Alonroe township, where he and his wife died. The marriage 
produced four sons and two daughters. 

One of the most prominent families in this township is the W'illey family. 
Barzillai Willey was a soldier of the Revolution, and was born in Xew York, 



V 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 53 

and came to Cincinnati in 1808 from Utica, in that state. All the land below 
the city at that time belonged to the Harrisons and Sedams. After remaining 
here for two years, accumnlating a boatload of produce, he started for Xew 
Orleans. Arriving at the Falls of the Ohio, he found them impassable, and an- 
chored on the west side. After waiting here some time for the river to rise, 
and having his merchandise damaged considerably by the cold weather, he 
sold his load to the best advantage possible and made Jeffersonville his home 
for one year. In 181 1 he moved to Monroe township and settled near Mem- 
phis; but at that time there was no such township as Union in the county. 
After a life of much hardship and ripe experience, he died at the residence of 
his son, J. F. A\"illey, in the township of Utica, n 1854. 

Colonel John Fletcher Willey, the son of Barzillai Willey, was one of the 
foremost Union men in Southern Indiana during the war of the Rebellion. 

In Oregon township the Henthorns, who settled in the vicinity of New 
Market, came from Virginia. Robert Henthorn, the founder of the village, 
was a prominent man in the affairs of his time. 

The Coverts came from Pennsylvania in 1798 and settled near the old site 
of ^^'ork■s mill. The family was composed of Bergen. Daniel. Peter and John 
Covert. 

In 181 7 James A. \\'atson came to Clark county and settled on grant 
No. 59. He moved to Oregon township in 1850, and settled on the bottoms 
of Poke run. 

One of the early and most prominent families in Oregon was the Henlys. 
They rose to occupy some of the highest positions in the gift of the people. 
Thomas J. Henly represented the third district of Indiana in congress for two 
or three terms. In 1842 he and Joseph L. \Miite fought a hard battle for con- 
gressional honors. This district being overwhelmingly Democratic, it was al- 
most impossible for a Whig to secure a prominent office. White lost the elec- 
tion and Henly went to congress. 

In the northwest corner of O.regon township the early settlers were made 
up of John Taflinger and family, John Todd and family, Alexander McClure 
and James Beckett, with their wives and families. Many of their descendants 
are now living in this part of the township, well-to-do farmers and artisans. 

In Silver Creek township the Poindexter family was quite an early one. 
C. S. Poindexter. a native of Virginia, was born in 1797. and came to New Al- 
bany with his father's family at an early age. After remaining in New Albany 
for a short time, he removed to the vicinity of Sellersburg. where he had pre- 
viously bought a tract of land from Absalom Littell. Nancy (Holland) Poin- 
dexter, his wife, was bom in Virginia and died in Sellersburg in 1854, at an 
advanced age. By this marriage were born seven children, five sons and two 
daughters. 



54 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

The Littell family came from Pennsylvania and settled on Silver creek, 
one mile east of Petersburg. There were five sons and two daughters. 

The \\'ellses were from North Carolina. They settled on Camp run as 
early as 1800. There were four daughters and five sons. 

William Adams was of Scotch-Irish extraction. He had a large family, 
and settled on Camp run. 

An early statistician says there were five hundred voters in Clark county 
in 1840 by the name of Bottorff. John Bottorff was the father of twenty-six 
children. They were long^-lived people, and from them descended a numerous 
posterity, who now live in nearly every state in the Union. 

In 1794 James Noble Wood and his wife settled in Utica township on 
the present site of Utica. He established the first feny there in 1795. He. 
was the foremost man in the township in early days, and had a reputation of 
being a great hunter. Wood made three trips to New Orleans, the first in 
1805, when the whole countiy from Louisville to Natchez was an unbroken 
wilderness. On retvtrning he walked through the countrj' of the Choctaw 
and Chickasaw nations. The second trip was made in 1806, and the third in 
1807. James Noble W'ood was present when most of the treaties were made 
with the Indians at Vincennes. He saw Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet 
(Tuthnipe), and the chief Meshecanongue. In 1805 he met Aaron Burr at 
Jeffersonville, and with him was much pleased. 

Judge W^ood's character is evidenced by the active part he took in the 
affairs of his time. He died near Utica, March 25, 1826. He was a fine his- 
torian, a faithful citizen, a devoted husband, and withal a man of many excel- 
lent parts. Margaret Wood was of fine physique and veiy handsome. She 
had musical talents of no ordinary degree ; she was also a fine swimmer. Her 
heart seemed to overflow with kindness and generosity, and in the world she 
had no enemies. 

BaaiJLR. Prathej, the father of all the Prathers in the township, came here 
from North Carolina in 1801. His sons — Thomas, William, Walter, Basil R., 
Jr., Judge Samuel, Lloyd, John and Simon — were all married when they came 
here, except the last named. They settled throughout the township, and 
formed a class of men possessed of many admirable qualities. 

Jeremiah Jacobs came here with his family from North Carolina in 1800, 
and settled near the old fort. His family was large, and its increase steady. 
A goodly number of his descendants are now living in this vicinity, respected 
and hospitable citizens. 

In the fall of 1802 Matthew Crum, from Virginia, settled within one- 
half mile of the Union Methodist Episcopal church. He married his wife. Miss 
Margaret Spangler, near Louisville in 1800. who bore him one child, William 
S., born October 28, 1801, before coming to this township. The marriage 
of Matthew Crum and ^Margaret Spangler resulted in a family of ten sons and 
two daughters. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 55 

In 1819 John Lewman came tn Utica township from Xortli Carolina with 
his father. In this family were four brothers and three sisters. 

Hezekiah Robertson was born in Alaryland, and came with his father's 
family to this township when fifteen years of age. In the family there were 
six brothers and two sisters. They immediately began the work of clearing, 
living here the most of their lives. 

In the year 1802 John and Elizabeth Schwartz came from Pennsylvania 
with a family of four children and settled five and a half miles above Jefterson- 
ville. His vocation was farming. In Indian wars he took an active part, but 
on account of his age did no fighting. His death was caused by an accident 
in June, 1824. Mrs. Schwartz lived to be over seventy years of age. 

The Bottorfifs settled in Utica township about the year 1S15. In all af- 
fairs of the township they took a prominent part, and are now among the sub- 
stantial people of the- county. 

The Lutz family came to Utica township from North Carolina and are 
now scattered over the township in considerable numbers. 

There' is no record of the first permanent settlement in Wood township. 
Whether George Wood was the first white man who settled in the township 
we cannot say ; but it is quite certain he was among the first. Wood emigrated 
north in 1802 and settled near Charlestown, where lie resided till 1807. He 
then removed to the Muddy Fork valley and settled for life one and a half 
miles below where New Providence was afterwards located. George \\ ood 
was a native of South Carolina: he died ten or twelve years after removing to 
this township. 

After Wood came John and Robert Burge, James Smith. Matthew Barn- 
aby. jMoses Harman. Elijah Harnian, James \\'arman and Sjmon Akers. To 
protect themselves from the savages a block house was erected on George 
Wood's farm in 1808. After this means of defense became generally known. 
John Giles, Jonathan Carr and Samuel Harrod came, accompanied by their 
families. In 18 10 John McKinley, of Shelby county, Kentucky, settled in the 
same valley: in 181 1 Samuel Packwood came from Shenandoah county, Vir- 
ginia. The Burges, Harmans. Smith and Barnaby emigrated from North 
Carolina; Giles and Akers were from Kentucky: likewise W'arman and a man 
named Frederick Gore and others. Carr and Harrod were from Pennsylva- 
nia. Harrod had two sons, W'illiam and Henry. The former was by trade a 
miller, and for many years owned a notable mill on Silver creek. Henry for 
several years was Clerk of Clark county. 

In 1813 came James McKinley, brother of John, whose name we have 
already mentioned. William Packwood, brother of Samuel, came in 1819. 
These were the parents and grandparents of many sons and daughters now in 
this region, and well known far and near. 

Among the other earlv settlers were Charles Rubertson. James Baker and 



56 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND, 

brother Jesse, Micaiah Burns, Thompson Littell, \\illiam Kelly. Michael Bor- 
ders, Christopher Morris. \\'illiam Gibson. James Johnson and brother Lance- 
lot. James Brown (who came from North Carolina in 1824 at six years of age 
and settled in the Silver creek valley with his father's family). John Bell, 
George Brock, Isaac Baggerly. Cyras Bradford, George Goss and his brother 
David, John Goss, Matthew W'est, Thomas Halow, mostly from^ the south. 
Robertson was from Virginia, and the Bakers from South Carolina: Bums 
was from Vermont ; Littell and Bradford were from New York state : the re- 
maining ones whose names have been mentioned were from North Carolina. 

Among other earlv families in the county can be mentioned the Absalom 
Little faniilv. near Sellersburg : James. John and Charles Beggs. near Charles- 
town ; John and David Owens, near Charlestown : the Pettitt family, near So- 
lon ; Nathan Robertson, near Charlestown ; the Hay family and Parson Todd's 
familv, near Charlestown ; Henry Bottorff, James Garner. David Lutz and 
Mathias Hester, near Charlestown ; Amos Goodwin, near L'tica. and the 
Amicks, Cortners and Clapps. in Oregon township. The customs of these 
earlv people was simplicity and plainness of dress and address. Their lack of 
wealth prevented the introduction of superfluity, and their dependence upon 
each other seemed to endear them in their several associations. 

During the first decade of Clark county history the settlements along the 
river at Bethlehem, Utica, Jefifersonville and Clarksville, and those back at 
Charlestown, Springville and New Providence, were the only ones in the county 
where more than three or four families had congregated. Charlestown w^as 
then the second town in the county, a population of probably four hundred peo- 
ple, in and near the place. 

The land at this time was covered with an almost unbroken forest and 
with canebrakes of vast extent. Game was unlimited, and the settlers had only 
to venture into the forest to obtain an ample supply. The presence of a salt 
lick attracted the denizens of the forest, and the fox, the panther, the cata- 
mount, the wildcat, the bear, the black and gray wolf and the wild hog made the 
journey through the forest extremely hazardous. Deer of several kinds, the 
raccoon, the opossum, the otter and the mink were numerous, while the squir- 
rels in some instances became a pest. Migratory fowls, such as the wild goose, 
wild ducks, brant and sandhill cranes, were found in profusion, and the forests 
were enlivened by the brilliant-hued plumage of thousands of paroquets. The 
wild animals were to be feared next to the Indians, and more than one story 
testifies to their iferocity when brought to bay or attacked. 

James Anderson, who lived on Becket's Fork of Silver creek, shot at two 
panthers while in the forest a short distance from his cabin, killing one. The 
other attacked him ferociously and in the melee he lost his gun and his knife. 
He fell on the beast and manag^ed to get its face down, but Udt until it had 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 57 

terribh' lacerated him. After he had strangled the animal he recovered his rille 
and killed it. but not until he was about hors de combat from loss of blood. 

Up to the year 1800 it was unsafe to venture far from the settlements 
without weapons. Buffalo' were reported by some of the early pioneers, Bull 
Creek being so named because a buffalo bull was killed near its mouth by one 
of the early settlers. One ambitious sportsman of this period declared that he 
had witnessed the last mastodon crossing the river from Iventucky near Four- 
teen Mile creek. 

As earlv as 1794 a mill had lieen built on the Alill Ivun creek. It is men- 
tioned in a deed recorded in Record Xo. 1 1, pages 188 to igo. This is evidently 
the earliest mill in the county. In 1800 Spencer Collins built a grist mill on 
]\Iuddy Fork, near where the village of Petersburg now stands. It came into 
the hands of Samuel and Peter Bottarff in 1815. Montgomery's mill, one and 
three-fourths miles above Petersburg on Elk Run, was about the earliest mill 
in the northern part of the ctninty. Some time between 1802 and 1804 John 
Schwartz put up a water mill in Utica ti.iwnship, on Six Mile creek. Straw's 
mill on Silver creek was put up not long after this date by Rezen Redman. In 
1808 George ^^'ood built the first mill in ^^'ood township. 

William Pervine was next to John Work in the milling business. He 
established a mill on Fourteen Mile creek about 1808. He did a big business, 
but sold cut to a Mr. Walker in 181 5. This mill was finally made into both a 
grist and saw. mill and tlid many years service. These mills were among the 
earliest necessities of the settlers and their builders not only reaped their re- 
ward from the business, but added to the attractiveness of the countv Iw build- 
ing them. 

In 1803 Samuel Gwathmey built the first frame house in Jeffersonville. 
Before this time log houses sheltered the seven hundred inhabitants of the vil- 
lage. The first licensed ferry at Jeffersonville was established in 1803 by }ilars- 
ton G. Clark. In 1808 a J\Ir. Sullivan established and ran a ferry between 
Bethlehem and ^^'estport, Kentucky, ^^'ith the early settlers of Clark county 
the matter of schools and churches was not wholly forgotten. In subsequent 
chapters both the schools and the various churches will be treated fullv. It is 
worthy of note here that the first Methodist church in Indiana was built near 
Charlestown in 1807. and the building, "old Bethel meeting house", built of 
logs, still stands. The vear 1806 is memorable as the date of the visit and 
scheeming of Aaron Burr, and his use of the canal project to cover his political 
designs in the ^^'est. On August 24. 1805. the Territorial Legislature of In- 
diana, passed an act incorporating the Indiana Canal Company for the pvu'pose 
of digging a canal around the Falls of the Ohio at Jeffersonville and Clarks- 
ville. The incorporators were Aaron Burr. John Brown. George Rogers 
Clark, Jonathan Dayton. Davis Floyd, Benjamin Hovey, Josiah Stevens, Wil- 
liam Croghan, John Gwathmey, John Harrison, Marston G. Clark and Samuel 



1^8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

C. Vance. The project was a most important one for Jeffersonville and Clarks- 
ville, and was commented upon by several travelers of that period as the be- 
ginning of a period of prosperity and growth. The line as sun^eyed seemed 
more practical than the one marked oS on the Louisville side of the river. The 
attempt of Burr, Hovey and others to secure the canal for Indiana led the Ken- 
tuckians to tiy their chances, and with governmental aid their project was car- 
ried to completion. The inability of the Indiana incorporators to finance their 
scheme no doubt gave their competitors a great advantage, and the arrest of 
Burr on a charge of treason in 1807 made the success of the undertaking an 
impossibility. The estimates of the cost of this canal are amusing. 

The total cost was estimated at two hundred and fifty-two thousand six 
hundred and thirt3r-eight dollars. This included the purchase of two hundred 
negroes at six hundred dollars each, making a total of one hundred and twenty 
thousand dollars. That amount would be increased by their clothing, subsis- 
\ tence, loss by desertion and mortality to one hundred and eighty thousand dol- 
lars. It was calculated that when the canal was finished the company would 
have on hand one hundred and eighty negroes valued at five hundred and fifty 
dollars each, or a total value of ninety-nine thousand dollars. This would re- 
duce the cost of labor to eighty-one thousand dollars. If the plan had suc- 
ceeded it would have made the country around Jeffersonville, New Albany and 
Clarksville one great city. Victor W. Lyon and other engineers still ably con- 
tend that a canal is a practical possibility on the Indiana side. This proposed 
canal should start near Six Mile island, and by following the course of Laca- 
sagne creek, a natural channel would be found to connect with Mill Run creek. 
This creek could be followed to Silver creek and thence across low lands 
southwestwardly to the lower end of New Alliany. The ambitions of Burr's 
friends were to have him become a citizen of Indiana and to return him to con- 
gress. His trip to Vincennes, under the assumed name of Colonel Burnham, 
was to see Francis Vigo, who had been very prominent in a previous scheme 
to have Indiana and Kentucky break oft from the Union and unite with the 
Spanish provinces west of the Mississippi. An agent was appointed to select 
several five hundred acre estates for Burr to choose from, one of which was 
on the Ohio river just above Jeffersonville. The idea of returning him to con- 
gress fell through with, but Burr continued to visit some of his adherents in 
Jeffersonville, and caused several boats to be built there. It was never estab- 
lished that any of his Clark county friends knew of his designs against the 
Spanish authority either in Texas or Mexico, but the probabilities are that they 
were privy to his whole scheme. Before the scheme was fully ripe the militia 
at Jeffersonville, acting on information of his treason, seized the boats that had 
been built there for him, and Davis Floyd, his host, while visiting the village, 
was arrested and tried as an accomplice in the crime of his friend. 

At this time, 1807, Charlestown had not been laid oft", Spring\-ille was 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 59 

already declining, Clarksville had but four or five houses, and JeiTersonville 
not more than forty houses. 

A Mr. Josiah Espy, who was here in 1805. found Clarksville in the san.ie 
state of decay which affected Spring\'ille later on, but with not such fatal re- 
sults. He says, "At the lower end of the Falls is the deserted village of Clarks- 
burgh, in which General Clark himself resides. The general has not taken 
much pains to improve the commanding and beautiful spot, having only raised 
a small cabin. While the villages and settlements throughout the country were 
weak the people themselves, in common with the rest of the territory, were 
strong in the advocacy of their political beliefs. The sixth article in the Ordi- 
nance of 1787 prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. In 1807 the 
pro-slavery- party had grown strong and were petitioning congress to suspend 
this article. The anti-slaveiy element became aroused to the danger, and in 
Clark county a mass meeting was called for October loth, at Springville, to 
take action on the legislative resolution which the pro-slavery people had been 
strong enough to put through. There was a large attendance and a general 
harmony of sentiment. John Beggs was elected chairman and Davis Floyd 
secretary. A committee composed of Absalom Little, John Owens, Charles 
Beggs, Robert Robertson and James Beggs was appointed to draw up a- me- 
morial against the Legislature's resolution. James Beggs was evidently the 
author of the memorial, which after briefly reviewing the histor}' of the slavery 
controversy in Indiana, proceeds : "And although it is contended by some that 
at this day there is a great majority in favor of slavery, whilst the opposite 
opinion is held by others, the fact is certainly doubtful. But when we take into 
consideration the vast emigration into this territory, and of citizens too de- 
cidedly opposed to this measure, we feel satisfied that at all e\'ents Congress 
will suspend any legislative act on this subject until we shall, by the Consti- 
tution, be admitted into the L^nion, and have a right to adopt such a constitu- 
tion, in this respect, as may comport with the wishes of a majority of the 
citizens. . . The toleration of slavery is either right or wrong, that it is in- 
consistent with the principles upon which our future constitution is to be 
formed, your memorialists will rest satisfied, that, at least, this subject will not 
be by them taken up until the constitutional number of citizens of this territory 
shall assume that right." This petition was presented to the senate on Novem- 
ber 7, 1807, and was referred to Messrs. Franklin, of North Carolina; Kitchell, 
of New Jersey, and Tiffin, of Ohio. They reported on the 13th that it was inex- 
pedient to suspend the sixth article, and a resolution to that effect was adopted 
on the 17th. The house received this same communication on the 6th and re- 
ferred it, but no action was taken after the report in the senate. It was during 
the strife over the cjuestion of slavery that there appeared a new champion in 
the field in the person of Jonathan Jennings. In 1806 Jonathan Jennings 
emigrated to Indiana, and for a short time stopped in Jeffersonville, but soon 



bo BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 

after pushed on to Vincennes. He soon afterward returned to Charlestown 
and adopted that place as his home. His slogan was. "Xo slavery in Indiana," 
and throughiiut his long and lirilliant career he kept the slavery question to 
the front. Jonathan Jennings was a man of the people, and owed much of his 
brilliant success in politics to his peculiar knack of keeping close to them. An- 
ecdotes of his doings were treasured up — how he used to take an axe and 
"carrv up a corner" of a log house ; how he took a scythe in the field and kept 
ahead of half a dozen mowers: and other deeds which appealed to the hearts 
of the men aniDng whom he was campaigning. He was the political sage of 
Southern Indiana, and his home the mecca of many aspiring politicians, who 
sought his advice on public cjuestions. Clark county has produced no more 
brilliant character. His incorruptible integrity, his refusal to bow to political 
expediency, his hospitality, his thorough understanding of the lives and needs 
of the people, and his firmness of character place him in the front rank among 
Indiana's great men. Clark county had the honor to furnish both candidates 
in the first campaign for governor in the new state. 

Thomas Posey, the territorial governor, and pro-slavery standard bearer, 
was a resident of Jeffersonville, as Jennings was a resident of Springville. 

In the year 1808 a new town was laid off a short distance north of Spring- 
ville. The original proprietors were Barzillai Baker and James IMcCampbell. 
John Hay and Charles Beggs were the surveyors, and the town, like many 
other places, derived its name, Charlestown, from one of its surveyors. What 
induced the founders to lay ofif a new town back in the woods, as it was then 
situated, will never become kno\\n. Charlestown is situated upon grant num- 
ber 1 17. and in the original plat there were one hundred and fifty-nine lots and 
about ninety-five acres of land. The lots were eighty by two hundred feet, 
and the founders of the town donated the proceeds of the sale of thirty lots 
for ])ul)lic buildings. In the central part of the new town a plat of aliout three 
acres was reserved for a public square. 

The excellent location for a town, and the decadence of Spring\-ille were 
both a help to Charlestown, and the original town was enlarged from time to 
time. The first addition lay north of Thompson street and comprised abi ait 
thirteen acres. James Ross added forty-two acres, and James INIcCampliell 
twenty-nine acres some time afterwards. John Naylor added twelve acres. 
Barzilla Baker added twenty-eight acres and James Gamer six acres. Charles- 
town now contains nearly three hundred acres. 

The early milling history of Charlestown township is without a parallel 
in Tniliana history, and this honor belongs to John W^ork. He settled 
near Charlestown, on Fourteen Mile creek, in 1804. and found a mill already 
in operation on the one hundred acres which he purchased from John and 
James Bate. Mr. \\'ork operated the mill until bis conception of the tunnel 
project in 1814. He was a man of great mechanical and mathematical talents. 



I 




JOXATliAX JEXXIXGS. Ul- CllARLESTUWX, IXDIAXA. 

FIRST STATE GOVERNOR. 
FROM A MIXIATCRE OWXED BY MR. WILLIS BARNES. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 6l 

and the calculations and actual work which he performed stamp him as a 
genius. His old mill was discontinued and a new one erected. The new mill 
was begun in 1814 and will be described in a subsequent chapter. Among the 
early families who settled in Clark county in the first decade of her history ■ 
besides those mentioned previously were Jonathan Jennings, in Charlestown ; 
the Yarborough family in Jeffersonville ; the Wood, Burge, Smith, Barnaby, 
Harman, ^^'arman, Akers, Giles, Carr and Herrod families in Wood township: 
the Adams and other families in Washington township ; the Slider, Warman 
and other families in Carr township ; the Hutchings and other families in Owen 
township; the Crist, Cams, Connel. Becket and other families in ^Monroe town- 
ship. With the ad\-ent of settlers still-houses began to appear, and from their 
number it seemed as if they were thought as necessary as mills. In Bethlehem 
township Joseph Jones, Jacob Giltner and George Sage distilled the juice of 
the corn. In Carr. Charles Goatman ; in Charlestown, Jonathan Jennings and 
others: in INIonroe. Zebulon Collins: in Owen, Mr. Levi, a Mr. Needham and 
Samuel Struseman : in Utica, Samuel Pratlier: in Washington, Jacob Bear, 
Fitch. Helterbridle. Samuel Montgomery and William Fisher: in fact the dis- 
tillation of whisky and brandy seemed to be among the first undertakings of 
the pioneers. Xearly every farmer had something to do with the manufacture 
of spirits, yet strange to say, there is no record of much drunkenness. Keeley 
cures were unknown, and the chief executive of the state saw nothing in the 
widespread manufacture of "John Barleycorn" to excite his wrath. Barrels 
of whisky with the heads kn(icked in were the usual thing at liberal public 
gatherings, but, as one writer says. "It was not such whisky as we get now." It 
is a matter of pride to the people of the county now that there is not a brewery 
nor distillery within our boundary. Januar}- i, igo6, there were one hundred 
and sixteen saloons in the county, drawing their heavy supplies of beverages 
from outside sources. The end of the first decade of Clark county history 
finds little of the land cultivated and the people still primitive and simple. The 
dangers which they faced in beast and savage foe remained, and the second 
decade was to be ushered in with a massacre as brutal as that of the valley of 
the \\')X)ming in 1778. 

In 1810 the population of Clark county was five thousand, six hundred 
seventy. 



CHAPTER V. 
THE SECOND DECADE— 1811-1820. 

With the increase in her population by the ad\-ent of new settlers, Clark 
county began to dwindle in area by the organization of new counties from her 
territory. Jefferson county was cut off and organized in 1810; Washington 
in 18 14: Floyd in 18 19, and Scott in 1820. One of the signs of a coming 
population was the opening up of new roads between the settlements. Perhaps 
the most useful as well as the earliest road in the county was the Jefi'ersonville 
and Charleston road, laid out in the year 1810. It passed through the Fry 
settlement and on to Charlestown b_\' way of Spring\-ille. Before the township 
of Utica was organized there were three roads leading from Charlestown to 
Jeffersonville, all of which passed through the township as it now is. They 
were designated as the W^estern, Middle and Eastern roads. The Fry settle- 
ment road was and is still known as the Middle road : the Eastern road ran 
over to Utica and thence down the river to Jeffersonville. It is now known as 
the Utica pike. That which led to Springville cut ofif a small slip of the north- 
west corner of the township. It has long been discontinued. 

The danger of the Falls gave the ferry at Utica the advantage over tlie 
Jeffersonville ferry. The latter place had long been considered dangerous b}' 
those who knew it best. Many boats with their cargoes had gone to the bot- 
tom on the Falls as the result of inexperience and lack of care. Between the 
years 1800 and 1825 the fen-j^ at Utica did an immense business. Emigrants 
were streaming into the interior counties like bees, and the white covered 
wagons were as familiar as steamboats are now. These emigrants took the 
Charlestown road, passed b)' way of New Washington on to the W'abash or 
beyond, through the dense forests which then covered the land. In 181 1 a 
ferry was established at Bethlehem which has continued to this day with va- 
rious degrees of success. 

In 181 2 Aaron Hoagland kept a ferry about one mile below Bethlehem. 
In 1815 there were ten ferries in Clark county. W'ith the establishment of 
ferries, roads were opened up and in 18 18 a road was built from Bethlehem 
to Madison. This was the first road in this township. It ran over the best 
and highest land between the two places, and at Bethlehem it descends to the 
town from the top of a bluff nearby, two hundred feet above the river. The 
approach and view of Bethlehem from this road presents an interesting pic- 
ture with the fertile valley spread out below and the majestic river with 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 63 

Steamboats and other water craft in the distance. It was not long before roads 
were built to Charlestown and to New \^'ashington. Charlestown being the 
early county seat there were roads leading into the town from all parts of the 
county. One road which led to Charlestown landing is in use yet. but not of 
much consequence. At the latter place existed a feny wliich was established 
about 1796 by a Peter McDonald. IniSij there were two roads leading 
from Charlestown to Salem, called the upper and lower Salem roads. A 
later road was built to the mouth of Bull creek, where a ferry had been kept 
from early times by the Pettitt family. The ferries at Jeffersonville had been 
running since 1802, when ]\Iarston G. Clark was granted a license. In 1807. 
Joseph Bowman was granted a ferry license. The ten ferries in existence in 
181 5 were owned by Marston G. Clark. William Clark, Joseph Bowman, 
Peter McDonald, John Pettitt, Richard Astor, Robert Patterson, X. Scriljner. 
James Noble \A'ood and \\'illiam Plaskett. 

The second decade of the century still found Clark county A^-ild, primitive 
and sparsely settled. Emigrants were attracted to the locality, and during this 
period settlements began to appear here and there and the small patches of 
cultivated land relieved the weary stretch of forest and cane brakes. The 
Yarborough family came to Jeffersonville in 1810. At this time the village 
had only a few log houses and -very little else to recommend it as a place of 
residence. In ^^'ood township Samuel Packwood emigrated from Virginia 
in 181 1, and Carr and Herrod in 1810, from Pennsylvania. Herrod had two 
sons, William and Henry. William became a miller, and for manv years 
owned a notable mill on Silver creek. Henrv was a politician and for several 
years was Clerk of the Clark County Circuit Court. In 181 3 came James 
McKinle^', a brother of John ]\IcKinley, mentioned before. In 1819 came 
William Packwood. a brother of Samuel, and at various times during this 
period came Charles Robertson, James and Jesse Baker, Mica Burns, Thomp- 
son Little, Amos Little, ^^'illiam Kelley, Michael Borders, Christopher Morris, 
A^'iliam Gibson, James Johnson. James Brown. John Bell. George Brock, 
Isaac Bagerly. Cyrus Bradford, George Goss, David Goss, John Goss. Mathew 
West and Thomas Harlowe. These emigrants were mostly from the south. 
The settlement in ^^'ood township was made within easj^ distance of Wood's 
blockhouse. The Indians often visited these new settlements in the county, 
and generally appeared friendly, but they were treacherous to the core, and the 
settlers were never safe so long as the savages were with them. The visitors 
loved whisky, and the owners of the still houses were friolish enough to sell 
to them. Their love for strong drink would prompt them to declare the most 
undying affection for the white man. On one occasion a gallon of whisky 
brought a man out of captivity, and to receive it the Indians brought tlieir 
prisoner to Clarksville from the far north. 

One diversion of the settlers was to shoot at a target, a sport which the 



64 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Indians were particularly fond of. and when the pale faces were beaten in the 
contest, which was often purposely permitted, the joy of the red skins was 
unbounded. This condition of affairs existed throughout the county until 
1812, and up to the time of Harrison's victory at Tippecanoe. It was not long 
after this that the Indian began to take up his march to find less civilized but 
more congenial homes and hunting grounds far to the west. With this ever 
present sword of Damocles removed from over their heads the pioneers 
breathed their first free air and went forth unarmed to their labors. 

In 1817 John Borden and Stephen Borden came to Wood township from 
Rhode Island, together with Henry Dow from Connecticut. 

Dow purchased land : so also did John Borden. Dow returned to his 
home in Connecticut. Borden having laid out the town of New Providence, 
naming it after Providence, Rhode Island, returned home also. In i8t8. 
leaving his children, two or three in number, with relatives in his old state, 
accompanied by his wife and Joseph Cook — a young man of influence and re- 
spectability, and by trade a blacksmith — he removed to this so-called land of 
promise. Dow came in 1819. bringing with him John Fowler, a son-in-law, 
and an unmarried daughter, also two sons unmaried, and HeniT, a son who 
was married — altogether about si.xteen men, women, and children. William, 
Brannan, a man of wealth and respectability, with a large family, came soon 
after Dow, from New York. Bannannel Shaw and family from Rhode Island, 
soon followed Brannan. Then came Thomas Bellows. His family was com- 
posed of his mother, then a widow ; two sisters. Lydia and Laura : a brother, 
David, and of course his wife and children. The company in which the Bel- 
lowses came was composed of Samuel Hallett and Silas Standish, with their 
families: Joseph Durfy and Peleg Lewis, without families, all from New 
London county, Connecticut. 

The Bordens took the lead in affairs at New Providence, John being the 
first storekeeper. He engaged in blacksmithing. farming and sheep raising, 
and kept an inn, and his wife continued the business from the time of her 
husband's death in 1824, until 185 1. 

The first school taught in Wood township was in 181 1 by Closes Wood, 
a brother of George. Samuel Packwood started the first tannery in Wood 
township in 1812. The first saw mill was erected in 1820 by Henry Dow, 
Sr. On the opposite side of the county Willis Brown established the first store 
at Bethlehem in 181 5. Abram Kimberlain established possibly the earliest 
tannery in the county near Knobbs Station. It was in operation in 1812. 

The establishment of mills and tanneries was continued eyen in the face 
of Indian troubles. After the battle of Tippecanoe the commercial and agri- 
cultural life of the county grew apace, and as conditions permitted new set- 
tlements were made and schools, churches, mills and tanneries followed as a 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 65 

matter of course. Distilleries continued to be pnititable until the government 
taxed the product, when they disappeared. 

In 1812 the village of Bethlehem was platted. W. C. Greenup was the 
surveyor, and the town was laid out with streets parallel to the river, and a 
reservation was made for a public square in the center. Much of the land upon 
which Bethlehem is built was owned by John Armstrong of Revolutionary 
fame. In the original plat there were one hundred and tw-enty-fottr lots. 

Jefifersonville in 1812 was a sleepy little town of possibly five hundred 
people. In this year the question of the removal of the county seat to Charles- 
town came up and was settled ; and the next year the first and original court- 
house was built at Charlestown. In September of 1812, the people of the 
county were thrown into a panic of fear by the Pigeon Roost Massacre (see 
Military Annals). Many people crossed the river to Kentucky for safety, but 
after a few weeks regained courage. Several block-houses w^ere built as a 
result of this scare, but it had little or no efifect on the new settlers who con- 
tinued to come in. In Washington towaiship several block-houses were built 
Jesse Henly erected one on wdiat is now the Charlestown and New Washing- 
ton road, two miles and a half south of New Washington village in 1812. The 
house stood near the mouth of Henly's cave from which a plentiful supply of 
water was furnished. After the excitement went down the block-house was 
abandoned. It has entirely disappeared. 

Mr. Pervine put up a fort on Fourteen-mile creek near his mill. It, too, 
has long since passed away. 

On Frederic Fisher's farm, one mile north of New Washington, a block- 
house was erected in 1812. There was one also in a little settlement called 
Hookertown, but which has entirely disappeared. 

Colonel Adams himself put up a private block-house. In it the family 
lived for a year or two, and then returned to their old but more comfortable, 
log cabin. 

The Indians seldom gave the white settlers in \\'ashington township any 
trouble, except a few petty thefts which they committed, and which, fortunate- 
ly, the settlers were always able to bear. In 181 1 the Adams family removed 
to Clark county from Terre Haute. 

General Harrison was engaged at that time in trying to conciliate the 
Indians on the frontier. It was on this account that the family mo\-ed to 
Washington township. In the spring of 1813, Col. Martin Adams enlisted 
as a ranger to fight the Indians on the borders, and made several campaigns. 
On the i8th of August, 1825, he married ]\Iiss Jane H. Davis. The Davises 
came from Kentucky and settled in Jefferson county, Indiana. The title of 
colonel he recei\-ed from his service with the Rangers. 

John Russell lived in Washington villige in 181 1. He was a Revolu- 
tionary soldier, and died many A-ears ago. 



66 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Henry and William Robinson came from Nelson county, Kentucky, in 
1814, in compan}- with father, mother. fi\'e brothers and three sisters. The 
former was born December 31. 1803: the latter February 9, 1806. The 
family settled on the road leading from Xew Washington to Bethlehem on 
their arrival. 

Jesse Henly was one of the wealthiest men in the township in 181 1. He 
bought his land in most instances from the government. At the time of his 
death he owned twent}--one hu.ndred acres. 

William Montgomery, a man who took much interest in all township 
questions, was the father of ten sons and three daughters. A large number 
of his descendants are now living in this county. 

The Foutses came from North Carolina : their descendants are scattered 
in many parts of the United States. 

In 181 1 the Willey family took up their residence on a farm near where 
Memphis is now located. Barzillai Willey. the father, became a Incal 
preacher and was engaged in the milling business for se\-eral years. He left 
a family of eleven children, all of whom, except one son. John Fletcher Willey, 
emigrated farther west. John Fletcher \\'illey is the head of the numerous 
Willey family in Clark county. 

In 1813 Jeff ersonville became the seat of Indiana government temporarily. 

Governor Posey did not like Corydon as a place of residence. On 
December 2']. 181 3, he sent a communication to the legislative council stating 
that he had gone to JefTersonville. where he could be near his physician, who 
lived in Louis\-ille. He added that if the Legislature had any business with 
him it could be sent on to the former city. This communication evidently ' 
did not please the Legislature, for on January 6, 1814. a preamble and reso- 
lution was adopted criticising Governor Posey for leaving the seat of govern- 
ment. The resolution in part reads : "Whereas, the expense of near fifty dol- 
lars a day doth arise to the people of the territory by reason of the Legislature 
being kept in session, all of which evil and inconvenience doth arise from 
the Governor leaving the seat of government and going to Jeffersonville." etc., 
it w-as resolved to adjourn sine die. that the people might not be put to the 
extraordinary expense of fifty dollars a day by the members remaining at 
Coiydon. 

Governor Posey did not get offended at the Legislature and resign. He 

remained in of^ce until November 7, 1816. Most of the time he lived in a 

"mansion" at JefTersonville. This old-fashioned house stood until about 1836. 

The above mentioned breed of legislator is no more. He has gone the 

wav of the cave-bear, the three-toed horse and the ichthyosaurus. 

In 1812 the first Presb3-terian church in the county was established in 
Charlestown. In 1814 Silver Creek township was organized. This township 
is the smallest in the countv and takes its name from Silver Creek, the 




GOVERNOR POSEY's RESIDENCE. 

From "Conquest of the Xorthwest." Copyriglit lS9n. Used by special 
sion of the publishers. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 



perniis- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 67 

in the cniint}'. In early days Siher Creek township was 
covered witli a magnificent growth of oak, liickory, beecli and poplar trees of 
immense size. Tliese forest trees furnished great sources of income to the 
early settlers, and ga\-e employment to many hands, and to tlie farmers during 
the winter season in cutting and hauling it to market. Much of this early 
timber was hauled to the creek and taken to the river on freshets. A great 
deal of the lumber from this timber was used in steamboat building, a rising 
industry at that time. 

In 1816 the County Commissioners met at Charlestown and proceeded 
to separate the northeastern part of the grant and that portion of territory 
which had been annexed to it into four townships, one of which was Washing- 
ton. This same year the town of Utica was laid out. August gth. marking 
the culmination of a long anticipated hope. In the original sun'ey there were 
two hundred and twenty lots, one hundred feet square. Lot number one was 
in the southwest corner, from which all the rest were numbered. Five lots 
were given for public purposes by those having the matter in charge — James 
Noble Wood. Samuel Bleight and John Miller. The shape of the town is 
that of a rectangle and the streets run parallel to the river. Front street is 
seventy feet wide: Walnut street is fort\'-three feet: Mercer and \\"arren 
thirty: and all others are sixtv feet in width. 

Doctor Bleight contracted witii a James Ferguson, of Louisville, in 

1816. to build one hundred log cabins with clapboard roofs at twenty-five dol- 
lars each. In 1817. when Samuel Morrison arrived in Utica, he found all of 
these cabins built and some of them occupied. The original plan of Jefiferson- 
ville, in which every other lot was lost for business purposes, was changed in 

1 81 7. An act of the Legislature in that year authorized the town board to 
replat all that part north of Market street, and J. K. Graham platted that part 
of the city as it is now laid out. New deeds of conveyance were given to all 
the property holders, who held property under the original deeds of 1802. 
The new plan had in lots numbered from one to two hundred and forty-six, 
and out lots numbered from two hundred and forty-se\'en to two hundred 
and fifty-three. 

Originally JNIulberry street was Front street : Pearl street was First ; 
Spring street was Second ; ^^'all street was Third, etc. This is the plan of 
that part of the original town at the present day with the exception of the 
names of the streets. Charlestown. the county seat, had meanwhile been 
pushing ahead and the industry and ambitions of her citizens received 
favorable comment from travelers. 

Mr. Palmer, the Englishman who journeyed through the Ohio valley in 
1817. has this to sav in his subsequent book of travels in the United States: 

"Charlestown, the seat of justice for Clark county, is situated in the center 
of a rich and thriving settlement, thirtv-two miles southwest from ]\Iadison. 



68 baird's history of clark co.^ ixd. 

two miles from the Ohio river, and fourteen from the Falls. This village, like 
many others in the ^\'estern countiy. has sprung up suddenly by the magical 
influence of American enterprise, excited into action by a concurrence of 
favorable circumstances." 

The following notice of the place in contained in Dana's Georgraphical 
Sketches on the Western Country, published in i8iq: 

"Charlestown, the county seat of Clark, is situated two miles from the 
Ohio, twenty miles south of -west from Madison, and fourteen miles above 
the Falls. It is one of the most flourishing and neatly built towns in the state; 
contains about one hundred and sixty houses, chiefly of bi'ick, a handsome 
court-house, and is inhabited by an industrious class of citizens. There are 
numerous plantations around this town, consisting of good land, and better 
cultivated, perhaps, than any in the state. This tract is within the grant 
made by the state of Virginia to the brave soldiers, etc., etc. Charlestown's 
first postmaster was Peter G. Taylor, of New York." 

Down to 1849 the mail came three times a week by way of Louisville, 
from Cincinnati. The steamboats brought the mail in most cases down the 
river. From the villages along the Ohio mail routes led off to the county seats 
and little post-offices in the townships. Mails were carried to all the villages 
of any importance in the county, on horseback, in a pair of saddle-bags. A 
mail-carrier was a person whom all persons delighted to see. Letters then, 
more than now, were precious articles. 

On February 26, 1819, the County Commissioners advertised for bids to 
build a jail at Charlestown. Daniel P. Faulkner erected tlie building, and 
all necessary out buildings. The jail was of logs. 

The first court-house was built on tiie northeast side of the present square 
about 1817, just between the building and the fence. 

In the spring of 1813 a party of Lidians came to within nine miles of 
Charlestown on a raid, and concealed themselves near the house of a Mr. 
Hofifman. on the banks of Silver creek. They fired upon and killed Hoffman 
and then shot his wife, inflicting a wound supposed to be fatal, but from which 
she finally recovered. They took his grandson, aged nine years, a prisoner, 
and kept him about nine years until the Federal Government was prevailed 
upon to take the matter of his return up and redeem him. During this time 
he had become almost savage and it was with some difficulty that he could 
be prevailed upon to leave the savage tribes and return home to his friends. At 
this time there were soldiers camped within a short distance of Hoffman's, 
but it being Sunday, they were visiting a family some distance away. From 
the number of horses stolen by these savages, and from other signs it was 
evident that they had visited several different parts of the county, but they 
were never caught, as their skill in retreating down rivulets and streams made 
this difficult to do. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 69 

This was the last of tlie Indian atrocities in Clark county, with a few 
minor exceptions of the abductions of children and the theft of horses and 
cattle. The braves who at earlier times roamed their hunting grounds with 
lordly mien, had now become thieving, begging vannints and their hegira 
to newer and wilder lands in the boundless ^^'est called forth no tears nor 
resolutions of regret from the settlers on the creeks and runs of Clark county. 

In Washington township there w-as no regularly laid out village at this 
time. Its isolated situation seemed to preclude any idea of future greatness. 
But there naturally sprang up a desire to have a township center, a place where 
people could vote, where ammunition and groceries could be bought, and 
where Christmas shooting-matches could be held. David Copple, Bala Johnson 
and Adam Keller, who owned land in the vicinity of New Washington, w'ere 
the first persons who made a successful attempt to found a village. New 
Washington is admirably situated. It was laid out in 1815 by the three 
persons above-mentioned. There were one hundred and' twenty-eight lots. 
each ninety by one hundred and fifty feet. Eight lots w-ere given for public 
purposes, and the proceeds of their sale turned into a fund for chtuxhes, 
schools and the grading of streets. They were located on the first square 
northeast of the center of the town — for it was a town of size which they 
had planned. In i8ig Johnson made an addition on the w'est side of nine 
lots of the same size as those sunxyed at first. Mr. Todd made an addition 
of thirty-three inlots and twelve outlots, in 1879, on the south side, the former 
ninety by one hundred feet. 

Adam Keller, who came from Wales, with his wife and a part of his 
family, was one of the first citizens of New A\'ashington. He afterwards 
moved to Shelby count}', Indiana, where he died. 

Bala Johnson came from Kentucky, farmed for a living, and. after a 
life of much fruitfulness, died near his ideal village. 

David Copple was a farmer. He came from one of the Carolinas. Ab- 
solom Frazier. another early citizen, a wheelwright and edge-tool-maker, was 
here before 1820. He erected a steam grist mill eighty odd years ago in the 
village, to which he afterwards attached a saw-mill. He was a man of con- 
siderable ability, and aided much in the impro^•ements of New ^^'ashington. 

In a few years after the village had been laid out it became a thriving 
place. This resulted mainly from its location on the great thoroughfares 
which led to Madison and Lexington, over which hundreds of emigrants 
passed yearly. 

In 1817. two years after New Washington was laid out, the town of 
New Providence was laid out in Wood township by Stephen, John and Asa 
Borden. In the center of the village is a public square, which lies at right 
angles with the ?^Iuddy fork of Silver creek. It is situated on the Monon 
Railroad about eighteen miles from New Albanv. In 1816 Bethlehem town- 



yO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IXU. 

ship was organized. It lays wholly outside the famous Clark grant in the 
extreme northeastern part of the county. Like Washington township it de- 
rived its name from a village which had b.een laid out within it before there 
was a separate organization and township lines were fixed definitely. That 
village was Bethlehem, platted in 1812, and situated on the Ohio river. The 
township is bounded on the north by Jefiferson county ; on the east by tlie 
Ohio ; on the south by the Ohio river, Owen and Washington townships. 

On February loth, 1817, Jeffersonville township was organized. At that 
time it included much more territory than it does at present. The first 
election was ordered for the second Monday of March of that year, at the 
house of Charles Fuller on Front street. James Lemon was appointed in- 
spector of the election, and three Justices of the Peace were elected. On 
Mav 1 2th of the same year the township was reduced in size by the formation 
of a new township as follows : 

Ordered; That all that part of said township I Jeffersonville) west of 
Silver creek, lying and being between the said creek and Greenville township, 
do constitute and form one new township, and that the same be called and 
known as New Albany township. 

The organization of new townships and the lading out of towns during 
this decade would argue prosperity and growth, but not so with the old town 
of Clarksville. John Palmer, in his Journal of Travels in the United States, 
recording his journeyings of 1817, said: 

Clarksville lies at the lower end of the Falls, and, although commenced 
as earlv as 1783, does not contain above forty houses, most of them old and 
decayed. It has a safe, capacious harbor for boats. 

In Doctor :\Ic]\Iurtrie's Sketches of Louisville, published in 1819. the fol- 
lowing not over-flattering notice is given of Clarksville : 

"Although this was one of the earliest settled places in the state of Indiana 
being established in 1783 by the Legislature of Virginia, as part of the Il- 
linois grant, yet it is at the present moment far behind them all in every pos- 
sible respect. A few log houses of one story comprise the list of its dwellings, 
and from their number and appearance I should suppose that they do not con- 
tain altogether one hundred inhabitants. It is, however, pleasantly situated at 
the foot of the Indiana Chute, and immediately opposite Shippingport. It is 
said to be very unhealthy, which is more than probable, from the number of 
marshes that are in the vicinity." 

This condition, however, did not prevail elsewhere in the county. Mc- 
Murtrie seemed to be soured on the territory across from Louisville, par- 
ticularly on the canal project as revived again in 18 18. 

A Mr. Palmer, who was in Jefifersonville in 1817, said: "Jefliersonville 
stands on the banks of the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville and a little above 
the Falls. It contains about one hundred and thirtv houses of brick, frame 



EAIRU ri HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. Jl 

and hewn logs. The bank of the river is high, which affords a fine view of 
Louisville, the Falls and the opposite hills. Just below the town is a fine eddy 
for boats. A post-office and a land-office for the sale of United States lands, 
are established and it promises to become a place of wealth, elegance and ex- 
tensive business. The most eligible boat channel is on the Indiana side of the 
Ohio." 

The year 1814 is noteworthy as the date of the commencement of the 
tunnel on Fourteen ]\Iile creek for the tunnel mill. John \\'ork owned 
a mill on the creek, but he conceixed the idea that instead of repairing the 
old one he would build a new mill. A tunnel was to be made through a spur 
of a hill, around which the creek ran, to act as a mill race, and therefore al- 
ways gave a good supply of water. Xature had fitted Work peculiarly for the 
work of his life. His natural mathematical and mechanical talents were 
great, and to these natural accomplishments he added an indomitable will and 
a tireless mind. 

Fourteen ilile makes a long curve in the form of a pear, leaving a body 
of land resembling a peninsula, which included, perhaps, twenty acres. The 
distance through at the narrowest point was a little over three hundred feet. 
But the obstacles were of mammoth proportions. The hill, for such it was. 
rose to one hundred feet from the bed of the creek. It was made up of 
solid rock. After mature deliberation and a few surveys, he began the work. 
From the old mill-site he began tuimeling, and also at the same time on the 
opposite side, or where the new mill was to stand. His implements were 
rude : his experience in blasting and making powder limited. The work began 
in 1 8 14 and lasted three years. During this time three men were constantly 
engaged. Six hundred and fifty pounds of powder were used, and the cost 
of the work is estimated at three thousand, three hundred dollars. The race 
was six feet deep and fi\-e wide, and was ninety-four feet below the summit. 

The work which he performed in driving the tunnel, and the calculations 
necessarv to its successful completion seem almost incredible. The two ends 
of the tunnel met accurately when the work was finished. The ilay of com- 
pletion was a gala day for the surrounding country. John Work invited all 
his customers to partake of his hospitalities. A great dinner was provided. 
A man who weighed over two hundred pounds rode through the tunnel on 
horseback. At each end was a barrel of prime whiskey, with the head knocked 
out. Speeches were made and a glorification had which to this day is 
remembered with man)- aft'ectionate regards. 

Henceforward this was called the Tunnel mill. .\t the end of the race 
an overshot wheel was put up. The two Ijuhrs ran by a never-failing water 
supply, with a fall of twenty-four feet. The mill is frame, and is fifty by 
thirty-five feet. The wheel is twenty feet in diameter, though twenty-six feet 
could be used, if necessary. There were originally two wheels. John Rose 



72 EAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. 

acted here as second engineer, and ^A'ood and Proctor as tool-sharpeners 
and gunsmiths. 

The first bank in Clark count}- was started in JetTersonville in 1817 by 
Beach and Bigelow. The currency which it issued was a great convenience 
to people of the town and surrounding country at that time. This institution 
continued in business until after the failure of the canal project. 

An important event in the second decade of Clark county's history was 
the project inaugurated in 1818 to build a canal around the Falls of the Ohio 
on the Indiana side of the river. The Jeffersonville Ohio Canal Company 
was incorporated in January, 1818, with a capital stock of one million dollars, 
and the articles of incorporation permitted the officials to raise one hundred 
thousand dollars by a lottery. The charter was to nui to 1899, but the canal 
was to be completed and in use by 1824. The maps of Jeffersonville at this 
time have the line of the canal marked plainly upon them. By May, 18 IQ, 
sun'eys had been made of the line of the proposed work and some contracts 
had been let for the excavation. Work was commenced and a ditch dug the 
entire length. The upper end of the canal was at the south end of Meigs 
avenue (Canal street then) and ran northwestwardly across Market street at 
the intersection of Walnut street. The remains of the old ox pond, a great 
skating place for the boys before the levee was built in the eighties, was one of 
the scars left by the canal seventy-odd years before. 

The route cut through the block under the present location of St. Paul's 
church, and left it at the mouth of the alley on Locust street, between Market 
street and Chestnut street. It ran from here to the intersection of Chestnut 
street and Wall street, and thence to Spring street. It crossed Spring street 
at No. 437 and 438, and ran thence to Court avenue, where it struck the street 
about one hundred feet east of Pearl street. From here the route was across 
Court avenue to the intersection of Kentucky avenue and sixth street : thence 
to Michigan avenue and Seventh street : thence to Ohio avenue and alx)ut 
one hundred and fifty feet south of Eighth street ; thence to Broadway, about 
one hundred feet north of Eighth street ; thence to Ninth street about half 
way between Broadway and Illinois avenue ; thence to Missouri avenue about 
one hundred feet south of Tenth street : thence diagonally through out lots 
21 and 22 of Clarksville, to Cane Run creek, striking the Ohio river at the 
upper end of General's Point. It was to empty into the whirlpool through 
the ravine about one mile below the Pennsylvania bridge. At a point about 
where the junction is located a lock was to be constructed and another set 
of locks was to be located at the lower end of the canal wdiere it emptied into 
the river. It was to be two and one-half miles long, one hundred feet wide 
at the top and fifty feet wide at the bottom. It was to have an average depth 
of forty-five feet and a fall of twenty-three feet. The upper one-fourth of 
the excavation was to be made in earth, but in the lower three-fourths ten or 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 73 

twelve feet of solid rock would have had to have been Ijlasted out. entailing 
an enormous expenditure of time and money. The great fall through two 
and one-half miles of the canal was to furnish unlimited power to drive ma- 
chinery for shops and factories along the line. It was the idea of the projec- 
tors that the ditch if started would soon wash itself out. and a rise in the 
river was expected to demonstrate the far sightedness of the engineers. A 
large log did travel almost tlie entire length of the ditch during high water, 
but as it came up from the lower end where the water backed up in the "canal" 
the scheme stood somewhat discredited. Unfortunately also, the water failed 
to wash out the ditch to the required depth, but left a la)-er of mud in it 
which had ne\-er been there before. 

Finances ran low, the proper backing could not be found and more pro- 
gressive people of Louisville and Philadelphia formed a compan\- to dig a 
canal on the Kentucky side of the river. The Jeffersonville canal project was 
fought with vigor and the scheme died a natural deatli. For many vears 
afterward the route of this canal could be easih- traced but the marks have 
all been obliterated at the present day. ^^'hile the idea of a canal was occupy- 
ing the mind of Jefferson\-ille. Bethlehem thought of roads, and in 1818 the 
road leading to ]\Iadison was established. 

The old cemetery at Charlestown. where so many of the men of promi- 
nence in our affairs sleep, was laid out in 1818. In the early part of the 
centur}" it was used by the public generally and was the most noted of any in 
that part of the county. Here Jonathan Jennings was buried, and here nearly 
every early family of the county is represented. 

In 1819 the first steamboat was built in Jeffersonville. Her name was 
the "United States," and she was owned by Hart and others. In a succeeding 
chapter, the boat building industn,' of Jeffersonville and Clark county will 
be treated separately and fully. 

In 1820 the first brick house was built in Charlestown which was some- 
what pretentious for those days. On June 26, 1819, Clark county was honored 
by a \"isit of the president. James Monroe, at Jeffersonville. James Flint, a 
traveler here at that time, wrote: "On the 26th (June) the President arrived. 
A tall pole with the striped flag was displayed on the bank of the river, a 
salute was fired and a large body of citizens awaited his coming on shore. To 
be introduced to the President was a wish almost universal, and he was sub- 
jected to a laborious shaking of hands with the multitude. A public dinner 
was given and this, too, was an object of ambition. 

"Grocers left their goods and mechanics their work-shops to be present at 
the gratifying repast. The first magistrate appears to be about sixty years 
of age. His deportment is dignified, and at the same time aft'able. His 
countenance is placid and cheerful. His chariot is not of iron, nor is he at- 
tended by horse-guards or drawn swords. His protection is the affection 
of a free and a represented people." 



74 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

In io20 Jefifersonville was remarked in Gilleland's Geography of the 
States and Territories west and south of the Alleghany mountains, appended 
to the Ohio and Mississippi Pilot, published at Pittsburg, as "the largest town 
in the State and irom the advantages of its situation, will prcAably co'.ilinue 
to be so." 

An incident A\hich occurred in Charlestown about iSjo. recalls a case 
of Indian brutality. Alathias Hester, one of the pioneers of Clark county, 
while in Kentucky in 1793. was employed in teaming between Louisville and 
Shelbvville. with a man named Leathennan. On one trip when they had 
passed "Benney Hughes' '" Station on the way to Shelbyville. they were hred 
upon by a part)' of Indians. Leatherman managed to escape, but Hester was 
shot with a rifle ball from a distance of four paces, the ball striking him 
above the left eye, breaking his skull. He fell from his horse, but started to 
escape by running. He was prostrated three times in running one hundred 
and seventy yards by the pain and being blinded by the blood, his last fall 
happening when his pursuers were so close behind him that he decided to 
feign death and submit to their torture. The first Indian struck him a glancing 
stroke on the head with his tomahawk and the second saluted him likewise. 
They scalped him and during the performance of this horrible act repeatedly 
speared him in the back as he lay upon the ground. After their butchery they 
took the horses and rode away. Hester, wonderful to say, recovered, and 
in the fall of 1799 he removed to the Illinois grant and took up his residence 
beyond Spring\-ille. at what is now Charlestown. 

The Indians were accustomed to stop at his house and ask for lodging, 
when returning north from trading at the French store at "Tullytown". On 
one night two Indians applied for and received quarters for the night, and 
as they had a jug of whiskey, it was not long before Hester was obliged to 
send his little son to a neighbor's house for help, meanwhile secreting one of 
their large butcher knives in a crack in the wall. After the arrival of the 
neighbor, who had asked to smoke with the tomahawk of one of the Indians, 
the savage became suspicious and when he missed his knife immediately 
wrenched the tomahawk from the neighbor's hand and assaulted Hester with 
it. The Indians were finally prevailed upon to desist by kind expressions and 
signs and peace prevailed in the Hester household. Such incidents as these 
did not create a great love for the Indians in the breast of the elder Hester. 

About 1820 a sale or gathering of some sort was held near Charlestown, 
and Hester, with most of the inhabitants of the town was in attendance. 
Some Indians were as usual in attendance ami one old buck approached 
Hester, and looking at the scalp wound on the top of his head solemnly re- 
marked, "^le thought me kill you." It was the wretch who had scalped him 
years before in Kentucky, and it is said that the victim of that operation be- 
came so violent towards the savage that it required the united persuasion of 
all of his friends to prevent his shooting him on the spot. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 75 

One of the most noted institutions in Clark CDUnty at this time was 
"The Jeffersonviile Springs". This resort was located beyond Eleventh street 
and to the north of Spring street, including about thirteen acres in the 
grounds. In 1819 Doctor McMurtrie, of Louisville, in his history of that city, 
speaks as follows of these wonderful springs : 

"About a mile from this town are several valuable springs, mineralized 
by sulphur and iron, where a large and commodious building has lately been 
erected by the proprietor, for the reception of those who seek relief either from 
physical indisposition, their own thoughts, or the disagreeable atmosphere of 
cities during the summer season. In a word, he is pi'eparing it for a fashion- 
able watering place, to which there is nothing objectionable but its proximity 
to Louisville ; its being so near requires neither equipage nor the expense of a 
journey to arrive there, things absolutly required to render every place of the 
kind perfectly a la mode. It is, however, one of the most powerful natural 
chalybeate waters I have ever seen or tasted, and will no doubt prove very 
serviceable in many complaints, particularly in that debility attended with 
profuse cold sweats, which are constantly experienced by the convalescent 
victim of a biliotts fever, so common to the inhabitants of this neighborhood." 

The land where this resort was located was owned by a Swiss, named 
John Fischli. He discovered the wonderful properties of the water in the 
springs and conceived the idea of making it a health and pleasure resort. He 
improved and cultivated the ground, laid out roads and walks, made a puzzle 
garden, etc. 

Fountains were arranged, bath-houses were erected, bowling alleys were 
established and all the attractions possible were made to catch the public. 
Cottages were built at various places in the grounds, where visitors and their 
families could spend the season and enjoy the brilliancy and attractiveness 
of the society which repaired to this mecca from all over the South. In the 
summer season it was the gayest place in this part of the wurld. The man- 
ager of the "Springs" in 1820 was one Gutsel and his reputation as an en- 
tertainer was wide spread. He had provided all sorts of amusement devices, 
and the gambling here became in after years very heavy. There were rooms 
for faro, poker and every other conceivable sort of game except bridge whist. 
All of these games were public and visitors were welcome to view or partici- 
pate as they chose. The great men of the South in those days and until 
1850 were wont to repair here for rest and pleasure. R. AI. Johnson, Yke 
President under Van Buren : Henry Clay, Thomas Marshall, Humjihrey 
Marshall, Ben Hardin, General Jackson and many other celebrities of the 
day besides the lesser lights, added to the gaity of the resort. 

In 1838 the owners built a big hotel at the foot of Broadway, near the 
river bank, and it was the finest hotel in Indiana or Kentucky when com- 
pleted. A good wharf was built and Broadway was graded out to the Springs. 



76 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

Carriages were always waiting to transport the seeker for healtli or pleasure 
to his goal, and many a dollar did the lucky owner of a rig gather in during 
a season. The end of the second decade of Clark county history found a 
healthy growth and substantial condition of affairs. 

The Indian question had been settled for all time. The outlaying parts 
of the county were being taken up and cultivated. The territory had become 
a sovereign state. The population in 1820 was eight thousand, seven hundred 
and nine. 



CHAPTER VI. 
THE THIRD DECADE— 1820 to 1830. 

The period of 1820 to 1830 was the first peaceful epoch in the history of 
the comity. The improvement of farms, the building of mills and the estab- 
lishment of new settlements in the remoter parts of the county, all bespoke 
a welcome period of freedom from Indian or other conflicts, and the people 
began to till their farms, to plant new orchards, to erect school-houses and 
churches, to build hamlets, and to engage, with some degree of ardor in the 
various peaceful pursuits of civilized life. A sense of security pei"\'aded the 
minds of the people. The hostile Indian tribes, throughout the state ha\'ing 
been overpowered, humbled and impoverished, no longer excited the fears of 
the settlers who dwelt in safety and security in their plain log cabin homes, 
and cultivated their small fields without the protection of armed sentinels. 
The numerous temporary blockhouses and stockades, which were no longer 
required as places of refuge for the pioneers, were either converted into 
dwelling houses, or suffered to fall into ruin, and the people turned their at- 
tention to the substantial development of their resources. 

In 1820 Jacob Giltner erected a saw-mill near Otto, and it was con- 
tinued by him and his sons until 1848. It later on passed into other hands, but 
under his management was a valuable factor in the development of the sur- 
rounding country. The streams of Bethlehem township are small and have 
either rapid or tortuous currents and there were very few- favorable mill sites. 
Peter Mikesell's horse mill, which stood near the old Antioch church, was 
erected in 1828, and for many years ground most of the grain of the county. 
It continued to run until about 1844. 

The mills of Owen township w-ere generally small afifairs, on account 
of the scattered settlements. When Leonard Troutman erected the first water 
mill in the township, on Bull creek, there was not enough custom work to keep 
him grinding all the time. From 1820, the year of its erection, until 1825. it 
ground most of the grains for the farmers in this region. After that date 
Jacob Bear put up a horse mill in the "Possum Trot" district. Here he carried 
on his trade for ten or more years. Previous to the abandonment of the horse- 
mill Mr. Bear had erected an overshot grist-mill on its mouth, one mile above 
Bull creek. This was about 1826 or 1827. He engaged in milling on this 
site for a number of years. As time went by and the Tunnel mill rose to be 
considered the best on the northern side of the county, mills in Owen town- 



78 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

ship were left to struggle with a small income. Trade was uncertain. Busi- 
ness was unprofitable, and this branch of industry soon went into non-exis- 
tence. It was useless to compete with John \\^ork, the founder of the famous 
Tunnel mill. 

In Carr township Lewman Griswold had an oversliot wheel on Muddy 
F"Grk, two and one-half miles below Bridgeport, as early as 1830. The 
Hughes-Palmer mill on the river bank in Clarksville was built in 1827, and 
remained in sennce until it was washed away by the great flood of 1832. In 
1908 the mill-stones lay where they fell seventy-six years before as good as 
when they \\-ere in use. 

Previous to the year 1820, George Smith and Nathaniel Bolton pub- 
lished the first newspaper in Clark county, at Jeffersonville. Its name is lost 
and a copy is not known to exist. The printing office for the paper was 
located on Front street, in the residence of the editors. In 1821 they removed 
to Indianapolis, where they established the first newspaper in that city. 

In the fall of 182 1 the first state prison was established in Jefifersonville 
at the corner of Ohio avenue and Market street. Capt. Seymour Westover 
was the first lessee, the prison at that time being leased by the state. The 
prison was then a primitive aft'air. built of logs at a cost of about three 
thousand dollars, the greater part of which had been subscribed Ijy Jefiferson- 
ville people. Previous to the opening of the prison, prisoners had been pun- 
ished at the whipping-post. The law was so changed that all persons who 
committed a crime for which they should receive not to exceed thirty-nine 
lashes on the bare back, should be sent to prison for a term not to exceed 
three years. \\n'iere formerly the puni.shment was one hundred stripes, a term 
not to exceed seven years was imposed. Captain Westover was a blacksmith 
and had a shop on West Market street. Upon his release of the lease, he went 
to Texas, in 1826, and was reported to have been killed with Crockett at the 
Alamo. The old prison had fifteen cells built in a row. They were made of 
logs ten inches square, dovetailed at the ends. The doors were four inches 
thick and covered with strap iron, and throughout the building there was 
little or no attention paid to sanitation or health. This institution, now 
called the Indiana State Reformatory, will be treated in a separate chapter 
later on. 

In 1823 an industr}^ was started at New Providence, which has been a 
valuable asset to the town ever since. At that time the tanning for the com- 
munity was done by Samuel Packwood, Sr., and his pit was a large poplar 
log trough. A regular tannery was established by John Borden, Sr., with 
Butler Dunbar as principal workman. It passed into the hands of James Mc- 
Kinley later on and has remained in this family ever since. That the good 
people of New Providence bad not lost sight of the necessity of spiritual train- 
ing for their children in their endeavor to develop their settlement is attested 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. yg 

by the opening of the first Sunday school in 1824. It was tauglit by Mrs. 
Sabra \Miite and Miss Laura W. Bellows. These and other minor events 
serve to illustrate the steady growth of the outlying districts of Clark countv. 
The chief event of the decade, howe\-er, was the visit of Lafayette May 11. 
1825. 

At various times Clark count}- has been honored by \-isits of civil and 
military heroes, but never has a more notable gathering of this kind taken 
place, and never a more spontaneous outpouring of the peo])le to welcome and 
honor a patriot, than that of May 11. 1825. when Major General Marie Jean 
Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis De Lafayette — soldier, statesman 
and patriot in the cause of liberty, the friend and comrade of Washington, 
visited this county, while making a tour of the United States at the invitation 
of a grateful nation. 

His official visit to Indiana soil was at Jefi'ersonville, and he was received 
with the same demonstrations of popular enthusiasm which made his progress 
through the twenty-four states of the Union resemble a continuous triumphal 
procession. 

His tour was under the supervision of the Federal Government, and 
preparations had been perfected for his reception by the Indiana State author- 
ities long before he arrived at Louisville. The Legislature had taken up the 
matter early in January, 1825. and the resolutions adopted at that time ex- 
press their sentiments in the following language : 

"The committee to whom was referred a joint resolution of the General 
Assembly, directing them to take into consideration the propriety of the Gen- 
eral Assembly's expressing their sentiments in reference to Major General La- 
fayette, respectfully report the following preamble and resolutions: 

"The Senate and the House of Representaties of the State of Indiana, 
in General Assembly convened, would be deficient in respect to the feelings of 
their constituents, and unmindful of their obligations to a distinguished bene- 
factor did they fail to join in the pean of national gratitude and unanimous 
welcome to Major General Lafayette on the occasion of his late arrival in 
the L'nited States. It is scarcely necessary for them to say that they unani- 
mously accord with the sentiments expressed towards their illustrious friend 
by the chief magistrate of the L^nion, and cordially add their sanction to the 
provision in his favor recently enacted bv Congress. The latter thev view 
as the smallest return for his pre-eminent services and sacrifices, the American 
people could make, or the guest of the nation receive. It is the dignity of a 
spectacle unparalleled in the history of man, which they particularly feel and 
admire. Ten millions of hearts spontaneouslv offering the homage of their 
gratitude to a private individual, unsupported by rank, or power, for services 
long past, of the purest and most exalted character: whilst they furnish con- 
soling evidence that republics are not ungrateful, also carry with them the de- 



8o BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

lightful conviction that the sons of America have not degenerated from their 
fathers of the Revolution. 

"In pausing to contemplate with appropriate feelings this sublime ex- 
ample of popular gratitude, united with respect for character and principles, 
the General Assembly learns with peculiar satisfaction that it is the intention 
of General LaFayette to visit the western section of the United States. The 
felicity denied by a mysterious providence to the father of his countrv has. it 
is lioped, been reserved by his adopted son. What the immortal Washington 
was permitted to see only through the dark vista of futurity, will be realized 
in the fullness of vision, by his associate in arms and glor)-. 

"The General Assembly hails with inexpressible pleasure the prospect of 
this auspicious visit. They cannot, they are aware, receive their benefactor in 
the costly abodes of magnificence and taste, nor vie with their sister states in 
the embellishments of a hospitality more brilliant than it is theirs to ofYer; but 
not more sincere. 

"But they can, and do, in common with the whole American people, 
welcome him to a home in their hearts. They feel persuaded that he will 
take a deep interest in this part of our country, which though not the actual 
theatre of his generous labors, has emphatically grown out of the glorious 
results of his Revolutionary services. On the west of the Alleghany moun- 
tains, our illustrious guest will behold extensive communities of freemen, 
which within the period of his own recollection, have been substituted for 
the trackless wilderness. Where, forty years ago, primeval barbarism held 
undisputed sway over man and nature ; civilization, liberty and law wield the 
mild scepter of equal rights ; it is here that our illustrious friend will find his 
name, his services, and we trust his principles, flourishing in perennial ver- 
dure. Here, too. may he enjoy the exulting prospect of seeing them, in the 
language of a favorite son of the West, "transmitted with unabated vigor 
down the tide of time, to the countless millions of posterity." 

In accordance with the preceding sentiments, the General Assembly 
adopted the following resolutions : 

"Resolved, That this General Assembly, in common with their fellow citi- 
zens of the state and Union, have the most heart-felt gratitude for the ser- 
vices of Major General LaFayette, and most cordially approve of eveiy testi- 
monial of kindness and affection he has received from the people and 
Government of the United States. 

"Resolved, That in the opinion of this General Assembly, it would afford 
the highest gratification to the citizens of Indiana, to receive a visit from 
their revered and beloved benefactor, the only sui-viving general of the 
American revolution ; and that the Governor of this state be requested, 
without delay, to transmit to General LaFayette this, with the preceding reso- 
lution and preamble, accompanied by an invitation to visit this state, at the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8l 

seat of Government, or such town on the Ohio river as tlie General may 
designate. 

"Rcsok'cd. That tlie Governor of the state, together with such ofKicers and 
citizens as may find it convenient to attend at the point selected by General 
LaFayette, do receive him with the honors due to the illustrious guest of the 
state and nation, and that the Governor draw on the contingent fund, for the 
payment of all e.xpenses incurred in executing these resolutions. 

"Resolved, That the Governor be requested to transmit a copy of the fore- 
going preamble and resolutions to the President of the United States, and to 
each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress". 

On the arrival of General LaFayette at Louisville, May loth. Colonel 
Farnham, one of the aids to the acting Governor, in conjunction with 
Messrs. Gwathmey, Samuel Merriwether, Beach and Burnett, waited upon 
him with the congratulations of the state. To which the General most 
afifectionately replied that a visit to Indiana, where he should have an opportu- 
nity in person to express his sensibility to her Executive, representation and 
citizens, for their very kind invitation and generous expression of regard, was 
among the fondest wishes of his heart, and appointed the following day on 
which to make his visit to the state, at Jefifersonville. 

The country from New Providence to Bethlehem turned out to welcome 
him. Never before had such a multitude thnmged the streets of the village of 
Jefifersonville. The state Legislature and officers, together with those of 
equal rank from neighboring states, assembled to honor the patriot. 

At II o'clock, a. m., on Thursday, the nth, the above named committee 
waited upon him on board the steamboat. General Pike, to which he was es- 
corted by the Committee on Arrangements and Marshals of Louis\-ille and 
Jefferson county. The General was greeted on the Indiana shore, by a salute 
of thrice twaity-four guns, discharged from three pieces of artillery, stationed 
on the river bank, at the base of three flag stafifs, each seventy feet in height, 
bearing flags with appropriate mottoes. 

He was received by Gen. Marston G. Clark, of Jefifersonville, and Gen. 
John Carr, of Charlestown, marshals of the day, and escorted by a detach- 
ment of three artillery companies, commanded by Captains Lemon, Melford 
and Booth. Captain Parker's infantry company of Charlestown, and other 
military organizations, to the pleasant mansion house of the late Governor 
Posey, on the west corner of Fnint and Fort streets overlooking the river 
and the city of Louisville beyond. 

On his arrival at the entrance to the Governor's house, the General was 
welcomed by his Excellency James B. Ray. to which the General returned 
the following answer : 

"While I shall ever keep the most gratified and grateful sense of the 
manner in which I have been invited bv the representatives of Indiana, it is 

6 



82 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

now to me an exquisite satisfaction to be, in the name of the people, so af- 
fectionately received by their chief magistrate, on the soil of this young state, 
and in its rapid progress to witness one of the most striking efifects of self- 
government and perfect freedom. 

"Your general remarks on the blessings which I have had to enjoy, in this 
continued series of popular welcomes, and delightful feelings : as they sympa- 
thize with my own inexpressible emotions, so the flattering personal observa- 
tions you have been pleased to add, claim my most lively acknowledgments, 
never more, sir, than when you honor me with a mention of my name, as being 
the filial disciple of Washington, and the fond admirer of Bolivar. 

"Be pleased to accept the tribute of my thanks to you sir. to the branches 
of the representations of Indiana, and my most devoted gratitude and good 
wishes for the people of this state." 

The General was then conducted to chambers provided with refresh- 
ments, and presented to a numerous company of ladies assembled to welcome 
him, and to several hundreds of citizens, including a few venerable relics of 
the "times that tried men's souls." 

The citizens at this reception, besides meeting the General, had the 
pleasure of being presented to Col. George Washington De LaFayette, his 
son, who accompanied his father as an aid. 

One incident occurred during the reception that served to relieve the pro- 
ceedings of any stiffness which might have appeared. Capt. John Parker, 
of Charlestown, had brought his militia company down to Jeffersonville to 
form part of the large military escort, and to gi\-e his men an opportunity to 
see the illustrious visitor. 

During the presentation he took several of his men up to be introduced. 
One strapping young militiaman stepped forward to shake the General's 
hand and politely raised his hat, when out fell several large crackers which 
he had thoughtfully provided for a lunch during the exciting duties which 
he might have been called up(in to perform. The General adroitly relieved 
him of his embarrassment and mortification by congratulating him on being 
a good soldier, in carrying his rations with him. 

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the General was conducted to dinner under 
a militai-y escort accompanied by a band of music. The table was hand- 
somely prepared under an arbor, about two hundred and twenty feet in length, 
well covered and ornamented throughcxit, with the verdure and foliage of 
the forests, among which roses and other flowers were tastefully interwoven 
by the ladies of Jeffersonville. This table was set in the woods just above the 
Governor's house, about one hundred feet above Fort street, and in con- 
structing the arbor or covering, as was usual in that day on such occasions, 
the branches of the surrounding beech trees were used. 

At the head of the table, a transparent painting was hung, on which was 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 83 

inscribed: "Indiana welcomes LaFayette, the Champion of Liljerty in Both 
Hemispheres!" over which was a flag, bearing the arms of the United States. 
At the foot of the table was a similar painting, with the following inscription : 
"Indiana in 76 a wilderness — in 1825, a civilized community! Thanks to La 
Fayette and the soldiers of the Revolution !" 

The company was honored by the presence of many distinguished gen- 
tlemen from Kentucky, Tennessee and other states, among whom Governor 
Carroll and suite; Hon. C. A. WicklifYe, Judges Barry and Bledsoe; Atty. Gen. 
Sharp, Colonel Anderson, the Hon. John Rowan, with the committee of ar- 
rangements of Louisville and Jefferson county. Major Wash, Mr. Neilson, etc. 

After dinner, the following toasts were drank with entire unanimitv of 
applause : 

1. Our countr}- and our country's friends — One gun. 

2. The memory of Washington. 

3. The Continental Congress of die thirteen United Colonies and their 
illustrious coadjutors. 

4. The Congress of 1824 — They have expressed to our benefactor, the 
unanimous sentiment of our hearts. 

5. The President of the L^nited States — A vigorous and fruitful scion 
from a Revolutionary stock. 

6. Major General LaFayette, united with \\'ashington in our hearts — 
We hail his affectionate visit w'ith a heart-cheering welcome — Three guns, 
drank standing'. 

The above was received with three times three heart-moving cheers. As 
soon as the emotion subsided General LaFayette returned his thanks in the 
most affectionate manner, to the state of Indiana and company present, for the 
honor conferred upon him, and beg'ged leave to offer the following sentiment : 

"Jeffersonville and Indiana — ]\Iay the rapid progress of this young state, 
a wonder among wonders, more and more e\'ince the blessings of republican 
freedom." 

General LaFayette, on being invited to propose a toast, gave "The mem- 
ory of General Greene". 

At six o'clock General LaFayette left the table, and was re-escorted to 
the General Pike, where the committee of arrangements from Kentucky, re- 
sumed the honor of their special attendance in which they were joined by the 
Governor of Indiana and suite, the Marshals and Indiana committee of ar- 
rangements, who accompanied him to Louisville, and enjoyed the g'ratifica- 
tion of being near his person until his departure on the next morning for 
Frankfort. 

Thus terminated a day that reflected luster on the annals of Indiana, and 
should be a subject of grateful recollection, not only to that generation, but 
to posterity. 



84 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

The simple fact of this visit, and the incidents connected witli it, are now 
unknown to most of the people of our locality, but if there be aught in the 
life and deeds of the Marquis De LaFayette in offering his life, his fortune 
and his sacred honor in the cause of principle in a foreign land, we should 
keep green the memory of his visit to our hospitable state, as a perpetual 
reminder of a high and patriotic character for emulation. 

Histoi-y relates that but for one man, in all probability Jeffersonville 
would have been the state capital after it was decided to ([uit Vincennes, 
where the original territorial government was established May 7, 1800. It 
was not, however, until July 29, 1805, that the first session of the General 
Assembly of the territory was called to meet at Vincennes. This was when 
Governor Harrison issued a proclamation to that effect. The first session of 
the third General Assembly met at Vincennes on November 12. 1810, and 
James Beggs, of Clark county, was made president of the body. Mr. Beggs 
and his relatives had large landed interests in the vicinity of where Charles- 
town now stands, and the removal of the county seat from Springville to 
Jeffersonville in 1802 had left a sore spot in the breast of Mr. Beggs, even 
after he became a member of the Legislature. Charles Beggs had laid out 
Charlestown, which was named for him in 1808, and James Beggs conceived 
the idea that with the county seat at Jeffersonville, the town would never 
thrive. With these thoughts foremost in his mind, he never lost an oppor- 
tunity to vote against anything' that would benefit Jeffersonville. The first 
session of the fourth General Assembly decided to remove the capital from 
Vincennes to some more centra! point, and it was agreed that the new loca- 
tion should be either Corydon or Jeffersonville, at the Falls of the Ohio. 

Cor>-don had been laid out by R. M. Heth in 1808, the same year as 
Charlestown. There was a spirited contest over the location and when the 
vote was taken it resulted in a tie. As presiding officer, Mr. Beggs had the 
deciding vote and he lost no time in joining the Corydon forces. The second 
session of the fourth General Assembly met at Corydon as a result of this 
vote cast by Mr. Beggs, but it is safe to say that had Mr. Beggs stood by 
his own county, Jeffersonville would have remained the state capital, after 
becoming so and would, in all likelihood, have been a much larger place at 
the present time than Louisville. 

Its location and the country between Jeffersonville and Charlestown, 
offers a magnificent site for a city. A splendid harbor, an excellent drainage 
condition, an absence of swampy or low grounds and a generally level surface 
would all have added to its attractiveness and possibly even now Charles- 
town would have been a part of the city, the residential suburb. But let us 
draw the veil. Jeffersonville had at the time a population of about six 
hundred inhabitants. In 1825 the first tavern was established in Carr town- 
ship. It was kept by John Slider and "Slider's Hotel" was a prominent 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 85 

Stopping place for travelers, between JetTersonville and Vincennes. It was 
located on the Vincennes road, in sight of Bennettsville. 

The original tavern was built of logs. As business increased, ^Ir. 
Slider made a frame addition to the log house, converting the only room 
above into six sleeping compartments. The style of public houses in those 
days was to have but one room in the upper story. Here all travelers were 
put, and among the promiscuous sleepers there was always some notorious 
rake, who delighted to disturb the tired and worn-out emigrant. Slider was 
here fifteen or twenty years. During that time all the marketers, teamsters, 
hog-drivers, manv of the public men and the public generallv. stepped with 
"Old John Slider." 

The settlement and advancement of that part of Clark county to the Udrth 
led to the erection of a new township, some time previous to 1830. 

The commissioners of Clark county in 1824 were John Owens, John M. 
Lemmon and Robert Robertson. From the surname of the first of these men 
the township derived its name. As nearly as can be ascertained Owen town- 
ship was organized a year or two after Owens vacated his office, which makes 
it about 1830. The minutes of the commissioners of the grant are obscure up 
to 1816. The old-fashioned paper has lost nearly all its retaining power, and 
dates and minutes of regular meetings are veiy difficult to decipher. Nothing 
is inde.xed. Town plats are stowed away carelessly, and nearly all original 
documents and legal papers are torn or disfigured. From these circumstances 
the exact year the township was placed under a separate organization cannot 
be positively fixed. 

Monroe is a township lying in the northwestern corner of Clark county. 
The first mention made in the records of this, the second largest township in 
the county, which has over thirty-five thousand acres, is under date of Janu- 
ary I, 1827, when Andrew McCombe and L Thomas were appointed fence- 
viewers. Previously, and in fact for a number of years afterwards, the 
boundaries were indefinite. The surface precluded strictly established lines. 
It was known that the upper side of the township bordered on the line between 
Scott and Clark counties, and that the south side was adjacent to Charlestown 
township. Beyond this there seemed to be no fixed boundaries. The west 
side was described as "extending to the county line." but even that line was 
imaginaiy. On the dividing line between Wood and Monroe there was no 
dispute. That question was settled in 1816, when the former township was 
organized. The reason why boundary lines were so indefinitely located was 
in the hilly surface, poor soil, few settlements, and general unimportance of 
the township. On its first organization it went by the name of Collins tozim- 
ship; and it was only in 1827 that its name was permanently settled. It was 
probably named in honor of President Monroe, who had only vacated his office 
a few years before; or, what is more likely, the township name was changed 



86 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

about the year 1826, but no mention of it was made in the records until a year 
after, when we find record of the two men above named as fence-viewers. 

In New Providence the first post-office was estabhshed in 1826. Tilly H. 
Brown was the first postmaster. He was a Presbyterian minister, and was 
succeeded by Samuel Hallett, a member of one of the oldest families in the 
county. 

In 1827 the first Presbyterian church was erected in Charlestown. Here 
also, in 1830, Doctor Baker founded a famous school. He was an Englishman 
by birth and held his school in the old Masonic hall. This seminary consisted 
of three large rooms, and had. sometimes during the fall terms, as many as 
three hundred students. 

The second school-house in ^^'ood township was established in New 
Providence in 1827. In the last two years of this decade two flourishing little 
villages of Clark county were laid out. 

Herculaneum was surveyed for William L. Pettitt in 1830, by John 
Beggs. It is situated on tract number fifty-seven of the Illinois grant, below 
the mouth of Bull creek. The streets run at right angles with the river. There 
are twenty-two lots, which number from the lower right hand corner. 

Germany was laid out by Jacob Bear, Sr., in 1829. It has nineteen lots 
and is crossed by two streets, Alain and Main Cross streets. Both these vil- 
lages are now of little consequence. Bull creek with its high bluffs passes close 
by, and almost makes one village out of two — if villag'es they can be called. 
The main business of the station is to fern- people across the river, as they 
come from New Market and Strieker's corner. 

These villages took their names from the German people who early made 
the narrow bottoms their home. Standing on the high banks of Bull creek 
and looking down in the valley which follows it, the places can hardly be called 
either neighborhoods or hamlets. They are just between the two, and will, ap- 
parently, stay where they are for a number of years to come. 

Among the notices of Jeff'ersonville for this period we find the following 
in Flint's "Condensed Geography and History of the Western States" : 

"Jeffersonville is situated just above the Falls of the Ohio. The town of 
Louisville on the opposite shore, and the beautiful and rich countiw beyond, 
together with the broad and rapid river, pouring whitened sheets and cascades 
from shore to shore, the display of steamboats, added to the high banks, the 
neat village, and the noble woods on the north bank, unite to render the scen- 
ery of this village uncommonly rich and diversified. It is a considerable and 
handsome village, with some houses that have a show of magnificence. It has 
a land-office, a post-office, a printing-office, and some of the public buildings. 
It was contemplated to canal the Falls on this side of the river, and a company 
with a large capital was incorporated by the Legislature. In 1819 the work 
was commenced, but has not been prosecuted with the success that was hoped. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 87 

The completion of the canal on the opposite side will probably merge this proj- 
ect, by rendering it useless. One of the principal chutes of the river in low- 
water, is near this shore ; and experienced pilots, appointed by the state, are 
always in readiness to conduct boats over the Falls. Clarksville is a small 
village just below this place". 

In 1829 there was not a church in the city: the ferry to Louisville was 
nothing but a skiff, and there was not a house on Spring- street. 

The population of Clark county in 1830 was 10,686. 



CHAPTER VII. 
THE FOURTH DECADE— 1830-1840. 

From the accounts of the various phases of hfe in Clark county during 
this decade, we learn that it was a period of prosperity. Townships and towns 
were laid out and the reports of travelers are bright with prophecies. In 
1833 both Charlestown and Jeffersonville received favorable notices in the 
State Gazetteer, as follows : 

"Charlestown. a post-town and seat of justice of Clark county, situated 
on a high table-land between the waters of Fourteen-mile creek and those 
of Silver creek, about two and a half miles from M'Donald's ferry, on the 
Ohio river, from which there is a direct road ari'd well improved to the town, 
thirteen miles from the Falls of the Ohio and one hundred and six miles south- 
east of Indianapolis. It is surrounded by a body of excellent fanning- land, 
in a high state of cultivation. Charlestown contains about eight hundred 
inhabitants, seven mercantile stores, one tavern, six lawyers, four physicians, 
three preachers of the gospel, and craftsmen of almost all descriptions. The 
public buildings are a court-house, a jail, an office for the Clerk and Recorder, 
and a market-house, all of brick : in addition to which the Episcopal Metho- 
dists, the Reformed Methodists, the Baptists, and the Presbyterians have meet- 
ing-houses, all of brick, and an extensive brick building has lately been 
erected for the purpose of a county seminary. In the immediate vicinity of the 
town a fiouring-mill and oil-mill have been recently erected, which are pro- 
pelled by steam power. The situation is healthy, and supplied with several 
springs of excellent water. There are in Charlestown ab(iut sixty-five brick 
dwelling-houses, and about one hundred of wood. There are also carding- 
machines, propelled by horse or ox-power. 

"JefTferson\-ille. a town on the Ohio river, in Clark county. It is a beau- 
tiful situation, on a high bank above the highest water-mark, and extends from 
the head of the Falls up the river, so as to include a deep eddy, where boats 
of the largest size can approach, at all stages of the water, within cable- 
length of the shore. From this town there is a delightful \\e\\- of Louisville 
and of the landing at the mouth of Beargrass. It also affords the most advan- 
tageous landing for boats descending the river and intending to pass the 
Falls through the Indiana chute. It is laid out on a large and liberal plan, and 
must, from its local advantages, become a place of great commercial imjior- 
tance. The state prison is located at this place; and there are in its immediate 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 89 

vicinity two steam mills, a ship-yard, an iron foundry; and in tlie town tliere 
are six mercantile stores, tiiree taverns, and a steam grist and saw mill, and 
numerous mechanics of all trades. * * * Its present population amounts 
to six hundred or seven hundred inhabitants, three of whom are physicans." 

The smaller towns of Bethlehem, New Washington and Utica were men- 
tioned also and given favorable notices, as follows : 

"Bethlehem, a pleasant village on the bank of the Ohio river, in the county 
of Clark, about fifteen miles northeast of Charlestown. It contains about three 
hundred inhabitants, amongst whom are mechanics of various kintls. 

''Utica. a pleasant, thri\-ing post-village in Clark cnunty. It is situated on 
the bank of the Ohio ri\-er, about eight miles south of Charlestown. It contains 
about two hundred inliabitants, three mercantile stores, and a wariety of 
mechanics. 

"^^'ashingt(lP. is a post-tmvn in Clark CDuntv, abr)Ut twelve miles nnrtlieast 
from Charlestown. It has about one hundred and fiftv inhabitants, two tav- 
erns, three mercantile stores, and several mechanics of various trades.'" 

In 1 83 1 the old hand ferry at JetTersonville was discontinued and the first 
steam ferryboat began to run. This l:)oat ran but a short while, its boiler ex- 
]3loding in 1832, killing seven nien. The company soon replaced this boat by 
another and better one, and continued the business. W'athan and Gilmore, who 
were the proprietors of the ferry at this time, sold out to Sliallcross, Strader 
& Thompson in 1838. The ferryboats at this time ran from the foot of 
Spring street directly across the river to a place called Keiger's landing, the 
island not ha\-ing attained its present size, offering no obstacle. 

The township of Utica was established November 7. 1831. the line adjoin- 
ing Jeft'ersonville being as follows: "Commencing on the Ohio river on the 
line (li^•iding Xos. 5 and 6: thence on a straight direction to the line of No. 
13. at the corners of Nos. 22 and 23: thence on the line dividing said Nos. 
22 and 2Ty, and on the line between Nos. 33 and 36, 49 and 50, and 67 and 68 
to Silver creek," etc. 

The ^.'illage of Hibernia sprang up in the early thirties, David Hostetler 
being one of the earliest settlers. The Charlestown and Bethlehem road crossed 
the Boyer's landing and Otisco road at the corner of his property. The north- 
east boundary of the grant passes through the village, and its principal street 
is on this line. 

Hostetler came here in 1828 and bought land of Daniel Kester from tract 
number one hundred and five. Thomas Applegate and William Pangborn 
were neighbors. W'illiam Pangborn was from New Jersey and emigrated to 
Indiana after serving throughout the Revolutionary war. After a few years 
others gathered here, and hence the place naturally took the form of a vil- 
lage. Hostetler soon opened a store, and was the first to carry on this branch 
of industry in the village. He was also the first postmaster, as the mails 



90 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

were carried to Bethlehem from Charlestown. His store was used many 
years as the voting-place for Owen township. John Roland, James Lee 
Strieker, and Isaac Crunini were storekeepers during the early experience of 
Hibernia. 

Hamburg, the oldest village in Silver Creek township, is located on Grant 
No. io8. It was laid (ait in 1837 by Aliram Littell and Thomas Cunningham, 
and had thirty-one lots of various sizes. The original plat resembles a tri- 
angle, and the ordinary size of the lots is sixty b)' one hundred and twenty 
feet. "Lot number three, on School street and in the forks of the same, is do- 
nated to the Christian congregation, or the Church of Jesus Christ, for a 
meeting-house, and for that use forever, never to be transferred. Lot num- 
ber four is donated for school purposes, and for that use forever, the same 
given by Absalom Littell." The proprietors also donated land for a market- 
house — a good idea, but never realized; they also gave land for school pur- 
poses, "and for that use forever". 

Mr. Littell. who was a Christian minister and who owned quite a 
large tract of land in this vicinity, a man of considerable foresight and re- 
markable energy, was the first to bring the idea of founding a town at this 
point to a successful termination. A combination of influences decided the 
matter. The old stage route between Jettersonville and Salem, established as 
early as 1830, had for a stopping place John A. Smith's, two miles above the 
present site of Hamburg. This line made three trips each way every week. 
Four horses were used, and the business done was considerable. 

These circumstances induced ^Ir. Littell to lay off the tiiwn. But pre- 
vious to 1837 the post-office had been established, with William Wells as first 
postmaster. His office was in a little log house on "Jeff street," as it was gen- 
erally called by the people. Sometime after he kept the office in a frame 
building on the southwest corner of the cross-roads. The year the town was 
laid out David Young served as postmaster. His place of doing busi- 
ness was in a small log house on Jeft' street. William Thompson came next, 
keeping the office in Well's old place. Then came John W. Jenkins, in the 
same building. Reuben Hart followed Jenkins in a frame house on the north- 
west corner of the cross-roads. 

Hamburg never attained much size or prominence, and its prospects to 
become metropolitan are remote. 

In 1837 all that part of Grant No. i not being in Jeft'ersonville, and 
belonging to the Jeft'ersonville Association, was platted by a Mr. Barnum, of 
Cincinnati. The association rejected all of that part of his map north from 
Court avenue and east of Spring- street, and employed Edmund F. Lee to 
replat it. It was replatted by Lee, lithographed by T. Campbell, of Louisville, 
and printed by C. R. Milne, of the same city, and erroneously called Milne's 
map. This plat consists of blocks, not lots, or squares numbered from one to 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 91 

154. and also of Coinmercial Square at the south end of Broadway : of Central 
Park, laying on both sides (jf Broadway, between Indiana avenue and Illinois 
a\'enue. and bounded on the north and south by Xorth and South Fourth 
streets. Rose Hill school occupied one part of Central Park, and Rader Park 
the other part. The Milne map also has Washington Scpiare on each side of 
Broadway, between North and South Eighth streets, and from alley to 
alley ; also Franklin Square, just above the Court House lot ; also Jeffer- 
son Square, bounded on the north by Vernon ( Sparks) avenue, nn the east 
by Canal (Meigs) street, on the south l^y Eleventh street, and on the west by 
\\'att street. 

This public square is now the northwest quarter of the United States 
quarter-master depot. Milne's map also calls for Market Square, which is 
bounded by New Market (Court avenue) street, Wall street, and the alley east 
of Kentucky avenue. It includes Park street, and Park, and the triangle where 
the engine house and the police station are now located. That part of Market 
Square lying east of Spring street is now divided up into Park street. Warder 
Park. Flynn avenue, and the Plaza. No other city in the state has a "Plaza." 
Shallcross Block, or Shipyard Block, lying east of Meigs avenue, to a point 
sixty feet east of Mechanic street, and from the river to the alley north of Mar- 
ket street is also a separate unnumbered part on Milne's map. The fact that the 
land adjacent to Jeffersonville was platted, was no sign that there had been a 
great influx of settlers. In 1840 there were only five hundred voters in the 
city. 

In 1839, Dr. Nathaniel Field, who then represented Clark county in the 
Legislature, introduced a resolution authorizing the incorporation of Jefferson- 
ville as a city, and an act in conformity to this resolution was passed. In April 
of this year an election was held and Isaac Heiskell was elected the first Mayor. 
The first Councilmen of the city were: First ward, L. B. Hall and James G. 
Read : Second ward. John D. Shryer and Samuel Alerriw^eather ; Third ward, 
A. \\'athen and J. B. McHolland ; Fourth ward, Nathaniel Field and James 
Slider; Fifth ward, Daniel Trotter and C. W. Magill. John Mitchell was the 
first Treasurer, and Thomas Wilson was the first Clerk. Jackson Hulse was 
the first Marshal. The population of the city at this time was five hundred and 
eighteen. 

Two events in the year 1832 are worthy of note. The great flood came 
that year, the greatest ever known up to that time. Havoc was wrou,ght along 
the river by the w'ashing away of property. One account of the damage done 
to this locality as related by a Louisville historian, is as follows: 

"In 1832 a new calamity came upon the city\ This was an unparalleled 
flood in the Ohio. It commenced on the loth of February and continued until 
the 2 1 St of that month, having risen to the extraordinary height of fifty-one 
feet above low-water mark. The destruction of property by this flood was im- 



92 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

niense. Nearl}- all the frame buildings near the river were either floated off or 
turned over and destroyed. An almost total cessation in business was the nec- 
essary consequence: even farmers from the neigliborhood were unable to get 
to the markets, the flood having so afTectetl the smaller streams as to render 
them impassable, 'idie description of the sufferings by this flood is appalling. 
This calamity, iiowever, great as it was. could have but a temporary effect on 
the progress of the city, as will be seen hereafter." 

The height of fifty-one feet given here does not tally with the official 
record. The water reached its greatest height on February 19th — forty-five 
and four-tenths feet. The Hughes-Palmer mill, in Clarksville, was swept 
away by this flood. 

Cholera was epidemic in 1S3-2. W'hWe jjeople were succumbing to the dis- 
ease everywhere. Clark county lost very few, if any. They died by scores in 
Louisville, but we were almost completely immune from it. At Salem there 
were sixtv deaths in one night. In 1833 the disease was veiw bad, but there 
was none in 1S34; in 1835, however, it was worse than ever before and there 
were many deaths. Besides the great flood of 1832. the county was subjected 
to a great drouth during the summer months. It remained the worst on record 
until that of 1854. In 1834. James Howard built his first steamboat in 
Teffersonville, the first of a vast fleet of water craft turned out from these yards 
since that time. In 1832 the first foundry was started by Robert C. Green, 
who came from Cincinnati. Charles C. Anderson, who had learned the foun- 
drv business with Mr. Green, in Cincinnati, started a small machine shop, 
which he operated successfully on a growing scale up to the time of his death. 
In this year also a project for a bridge across the river was inaugurated and 
James Guthrie. Samuel Gwathmey and Daniel McAllister, of Louisville, went 
to Indianapolis to recei\-e the incorporation of a company by the Indiana 
Legislature to aid in the building. One charter had already been granted by 
the Kentucky Legislature, but another one seemed necessary to \n\>h th.e 
scheme to completion. This project made apparent progress. 

The Kentucky charter was deemed sufficient and contracts for the con- 
struction of the bridge were let. The corner stone on the Kentucky side was 
laid September 7. 1836, with great solemnity and ceremony near the foot of 
Twelfth street, two squares above the present Pennsylvania bridge. On the 
Jeffersonville side the abutments were commenced also, but financial difficulty 
arose, the contractor failed to proceed with the work and the project finally 
fell through and forty years elapsed before it was broached again. 

The first fair in Clark county was held in 1836, in Charlestown. on 
Denny's lots, southeast of the court-house. Thomas J. Henly, John Denny, and 
John W. Long were instrumental in its success. Nothing was exhibited of 
special attraction, except Dr. James Taggart's Durham bull, the first in the 
county. Avery Long was their president, and Campbell Hay, treasurer. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 93' 

July 26, 1834, ex-Governor Jonathan Jennings died at liis home on the 
picturesque banks of Sinking Fork surrounded by his family and friends, and 
beloved by all. His body was taken to Charlestown for interment and laid in 
an unmarked grave. During the pioneer age schools were imperfectiv man- 
aged and even down to later days this is true in some parts of the countv. In 
Bethlehem township the school antedated the church. 

Before the Antioch church had been thought of. a school was carried on 
near where the church now stands. The house was sixteen by eig'hteen feet, 
and had a door which swung to the outside — a very rare thing, even in those 
backwoods days. Cyrus Crosby was the first teacher. After him came 
Thomas J. Glover: Dr. Solomon Davis, Rev. Benjamin Davis, a local Metho- 
dist preacher; and perhaps a few others. In 1832 Mr. Martin Stucker taught 
in a new hewed-log house. Then came Charles Smith, of New York state; 
Samuel C. Jones, of Kentucky, but at this time a citizen of the county, and 
who had been here as one of the very earliest teachers. Joel M. Smith came 
soon after Jones : he was a native of Xew York, but came with his father's 
family when a boy and settled near Charlestown. Thomas S. Simington 
taught in 1839 and 1840, and it was during his term that the old school-house 
burned down. Very soon thereafter another building was ]3ut up, in which 
George Matthews acted as teacher. After the new school law came into 
force a new district was created, and another building erected in a different 
place. 

Although the town of Bethlehem was on the mail route from Jefiferson- 
ville to Vevay, she had no postmaster. This route was begun about 1827, 
and was continued until 1840. George Monroe carried the mail o\-er the 
route in 1834-1838. William G. Armstrong was the first postmaster and he 
was succeeded in 1835, by Asa Abbott. 

Bennettsville. in Carr township, is the <inly place in that township which 
claims to be a village, and its population is not so seething that you would 
notice it. It was laid off in September, 1838, by H. O. Hedgecoxe, county 
surveyor, for Baily ]\Iann. The first name given to the newborn village was 
New Town. After several years the name was changed, Bennettsville being 
thought preferable to the name of Xew Town. Benedict Nugent, who was 
the first store-keeper in the village, probably had much to do indirectly with 
the changing of the name. The evidence is that Mr. Mann removed to some 
other locality, and that IMr. Nugent being the most prominent man in the 
place, the citizens, for some reasons peculiar to a pioneer people, almost un- 
awares gave it the name of Bennettsville, a prolongation of Mr. Nugent's 
lan 

The original plat does not give the width of the streets and avenues. In 
finding the direction which \\'asliington street takes with reference to section 
lines, subtract the variation five degrees and fifty minutes from field note 
north thirty degrees and forty-five minutes west. 



94 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Bennettsville is locatetl i.jh the railroad. It has few features which attract 
attention. 

Tlie village of Xew Market was laid out by Robert Henthorn in 1839. 
The streets are si.xty feet wide, avenues thirty feet, alleys ten feet. It is 
situated in the southern part of survey or tract numl)er one hundred and 
ninety-six on the west bank of Fourteen-mile creek. In 1850 Gabriel Phillippi 
made an addition of twenty-two lots on the southeast comer of the original 
plat. Round about the \'illag"e the country is rolling. In the northern part 
of the first plat the ground is broken and not well adapted for a thriving busi- 
ness place. The eastern half of the village juts out on the high banks of 
Fourteen-mile creek. Here the road leads up the liluffs as it follows up the 
dividing line between the tracts. 

For many years previous to 1839 New ]\Iarket was a rendezvous for 
market wagons, which made it a stopping point on their way to the towns on 
the Falls. People soon learned to bring their produce here — eggs, butter, 
poultry, calves and dressed hog.s — and to receive in e.xchange groceries and 
d\y goods. From this fact the village derived its name of New Market. The 
first man who engaged in buying and selling country produce, and who lived 
in New Market and sold all the articles common in country stores, was An- 
derson Ross. After him came W^esley Bottorff. Mr. Garner. J. W. Haymaker. 
Dr. Benson and Alexander Ruddell. Between 1840 and 1850 there were three 
stores in the town at the same time. There was an old-fashioned saloon here 
about 1845. which dealt out all kinds of drinks, from hard cider to Kentucky 
"Bourbon." A prosperous blacksmith and cooper shop about the same time 
gave the village an appearance of considerable business. In the place now 
there is but one store. 

The resort known as the Jeffersonville Springs was in the heyday of its 
existence at this time. Its patronage came from all points of the South and 
West. In 1838 the management built a large and handsome hotel at the foot 
of Broadway and the street out to the resort was graded and became a highway 
for the ecjuipage of fashion and wealth. 

Jefifersonville had never been satisfied with the manner in which the 
county seat had been taken away and removed to Charlestown. There had 
been no controversy upon the county seat question in the election of the Rep- 
resentatives to the Legislature, and they had acted wholly upon their own per- 
sonal feelings and wishes in the matter. The people of Jeffersonville bided 
their time to take back the county seat and get their revenge at the same time. 
In 1838 the county seat removal question was raised again, and both sides to 
the question prepared for a pitched battle. A Senator and two Representatives 
of the Legislature were to be elected and the candidates were chosen on that 
issue. 

The anti-removal candidates put in nomination for Senator were Ben- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., INU. 95 

jamin Ferguson, and for the Lower House Col. John S. Simonson and 
Thomas J. Henl}-. Those in favor of removal to JeiTersonville put forward 
William G. Armstrong for the Senate, and Dr. Nathaniel Field and Major 
Henr_\' Hurst for Representati\'es. This was a noted contest in the political 
history of Clark county as the nominees were all men of ability and of great 
personal popularity. The canvass was hot and the contest, as it always is on 
questions of county seat remo\-als, was bitter. The removalists, the JefYer- 
sonville part}', elected their candidates, but the victory was barren of fruits ; 
the Legislature refusing to the people of Clark county their wishes on that 
subject, and Charlestown still retained her hold upon the county seat. But 
the strength of the removal feeling had been tested and it showed that a 
majority of the people were in favor of it. They were defeated but not 
discouraged. After a lapse of forty years the fight was renewed. 

The Hon. James G. Howard gi\-es a measure of the period as follows : 
"At that time school-houses were not very plentiful. The only one that we 
had in Jeiifersnn\-ille was a little old unused clerk's office. They had the court- 
house here then, but the county seat was at Charlestown ; and the first school 
I went to when I came here was to that little clerk's office. The people did 
not have many opportunities for an education those days. Tliev were not 
generally well educated ; but there was a class of men here at that early day — 
quite a number of them, that with all the disadvantages that surrounded them 
w'ould compare favorably with any I have ever met. So far as the morals of 
the community at that time are concerned, I do not think the period between 
1830 and 1850 has ever been surpassed. It is astonishing that the intelligence, 
the judgment and stamina that constitute vigorous manhood shcjuld have 
been consolidated in men of those days of hardship and few advantages : and 
when I undertake to compare the present with the past, I think that the men 
of those days would compare most favorably with those of our present time. 
I believe that every man, so far as I can remember, was a church-going citizen. 
There was a stability of character pervading the community at that time that 
almost astonishes me when I think of it. And more especially was this true 
of the farmers: nearly every fanner was a church-going man." The 
population of Clark county in 1840 was fourteen thousand five hundred ninety- 
five. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
THE FIFTH DECADE— 1840 TO 1850. 

On January 23. 1841, Jeffersonville expanded once more. The Jefferson- 
ville Association, Dr. Nathaniel Field, agent, promoted the eastern division en- 
largement. This division extended from the river with the line of Port Fulton 
(which is the dividing line of C. and D. of tract No. 2, of the Illinois grant) 
to Eighth street, thence with Eighth street to within six hundred and sixty- 
five feet of Fulton street (which is the east line of Benson's addition) thence 
with this line to the Ohio river, comprising blocks one to sixteen, including 
Chestnut Grove cemetery. 

A flouring mill, tannery and foundry were started in Jeffersonville at this 
period. In 1847 Samuel H. Patterson and James Callahan erected a brick 
flouring mill on Spring street. This was the first steam flouring mill in the 
city and was run for two or three years when I\Ir. Patterson bought out the 
interest of his partner and soon after sold the business to John F. Howard, of 
Louisville. In 1841 James Lemaire started a tannery at the corner of Eleventh 
street and Broadway. He carried on this business until 1848, when he sold 
out to John A. Ingram and J. AI. Ross. 

The Anderson foundi-y which was carried on in a small shop near the 
ship yard, was moved, about 1844. to a location on Spring street. This firm, 
consisting of Charles C. Anderson, James Keigwin, Hamilton Robinson and 
Richard Goss, did business at this location for a number of years, but finally 
in i860 removed to their present plant on Watt street, between Maple and 
Court avenue. The necessity for a better wharf prompted the city council oi 
Jeffersonville to have the present wharf between Spring and Pearl streets 
graded down in 1843. Originally the ground stood some six or seven feet 
higher than the pavement on Front street and extended out nearly two hun- 
dred feet level. On this plat of ground was a row of large trees at the edge of 
the bluff, while just to the rear of them was an old graveyard which had been 
used by the garrison of Fort Steuben in 1790 for their burials. Haiwey 
McCampbell had the contract to grade down the earth and the city council 
had the bodies of the old soldiers there removed to the Mulberry street ceme- 
terv. At different times during this decade Clark county was tlie host for 
several of the national political leaders. July 5, 1842, Gen. William Henry 
Harrison visited Jeffersonville and Charlestown. At the latter place he made 
a speech describing the battle of Tippecanoe and refuting several charges 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., INU. 97 

which had lieen made as tcj his mismanagement of the troops in this laattle. 
While here he spoke in the most commendatory manner of a great many offi- 
cers who had fought at Tippecanoe, but never mentioned Bigger or Beggs. 
These olificers had performed vahant service, and during the whole campaign 
had done their duty in a brave and honorable manner. The General's neglect of 
recognition to these officers not only in his speeches but in his reports of the 
campaign and the battle was noticed. It was and is a matter of regret that 
these officers and the men who fought under them in this memorable action. 
did not receive the public recognition which was their just due. 

Richard IM. Johnson came, too. in the course of the fall, and delixered 
his speech to attentive listeners. He was received by a committee, and from 
here went to Salem, in W'ashington county. At the foot of the knobs he cut 
hickory canes for the committee, which were preserved as relics of much value. 
Thomas J. Henly delivered the reception speech in behalf of Clark county. In 
1844 James K. Polk visited Jeffersonville. He had been elected President, 
and had been brought across the river to Jeffersonville, to a reception given 
in the old Methodist church on Wall street. President Polk was on his way 
east and his escort wore scarlet coats. \\'hen the boat landed at the foot of 
Spring street, there was a great crowd to receive him, a band was playing, 
and cannon were booming. In the crowd was a raw-boned individual, named 
IMaybe, who was an ardent Polk man. Some one made a slighting remark 
about the scarlet coats and a fight ensued in which Maybe whipped about 
twenty men. Such encounters as this were common in those days, all men 
were plucky and were as willing to fight as to eat. 

In 1844 also Ben Hardin, of Kentucky, was the speaker at a great Henry 
Clay meeting held at the "Springs." About four thousand people were here 
to hear him, and the "Springs'" which were then in the glory of their popu- 
laritv, was crowded to the gates. In 1849 Gen. Zachary Taylor visited 
Jeffersonville and was received in the church on Market street, between 
Spring and Pearl. He was on his way to Washington to be inaugurated Pres- 
ident. Millard Fillmore spoke in Jeffersonville in 1850 from the small porch 
in front of the building on the southwest corner of Market and Spring- 
streets. 

In 1845 Charlestown and Clark county suffered the loss of one of its oldest 
and most prominent citizens. Gen. John Carr. In the Southern Indianian, 
a county paper published at Charlestown by William S. Ferrier, is the 
following account : 

"It becomes our painful duty in this week's paper to announce the death 
of Gen. John Carr, who died on the 20th instant (January 20, 1845) after 
a long and very painful illness. His death created a space which cannot soon 
be filled. General Carr was a man of no ordinary character. He had long 
occupied an elevated standing among his fellow men. He was born in Fayette 

7 



9^ BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

county, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of April, 1793, and hat! at the time of his 
death nearly completed his fifty-second year. He emigrated from that state 
with his father to the then territoiy of Indiana, in the spring- of 1806, having 
been a citizen of this county ever since — a period of thirty-nine years. During 
the summer of 181 1 he was engaged in several scouting parties on the frontier, 
and in watching and guarding against the approach of the Indians, who were 
then known to entertain hostile feelings toward the settlers. At this tune he 
was but eighteen years of age. In the fall of the same year he joined tlie 
Tippecanoe expedition, with Captain Bigger's company of riflemen, and 
was engaged in that memorable and bloody conflict, which occurred on the 
7th of November of that year. On the declaration of war in 1812 he was 
appointed a lieutenant of a company of United States rangers, authorized by 
an act of Congress and organized for the defense of the western frontiers. 
During the years of 181 2 and 1813 he was activeh' engaged in se\'eral im- 
portant and fatiguing campaigiis. which were attended with extreme hardship 
and peril. The Mississinewa and Illinois or Peoria campaigns were particularly 
distingtiished for their many pri\-ations, difficulties and hairbreadth escapes ; 
in all of which he participated. During much of his time the command of 
his company devolved upon him, in consequence of the absence of the captain. 
Though then but a youth he was equal to any emergency. 

After the war he filled successively several military offices. Aniimg these 
were brigadier and major-general of the Militia of Indiana. The latter 
office he held at the time of his death. General Carr was repeatedly honored 
with the confidence of his fellow-citizens in the election to several civil offices 
of trust and honor. He filled at various times the offices of Recorder, agent 
for the town of Indianapolis, Clerk of Clark County Circuit Court, to which 
he was re-elected, and Presidential Elector on the Jackson ticket in 1824. All 
these duties he discharged with honor to his country and himself. In 183 1 
he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first 
Congress of the United States, and continued to serve in this body for six 
consecutive years. In 1837 he retired, but was re-elected for the fourth time 
in 1839, and sen'ed two years more, making in all eight years" service in that 
body. His Congressional career w'as noted for industiw, efficiency and use- 
fulness. He originated the sale of lands in forty-acre lots, thus bringing 
within the reach of all the home that so many needed. He assisted in passing 
the pension act, by which so many of the old Revolutionary soldiers received 
pensions and afterward aided many of them in establishing their claims to 
this hard-earned bounty of their Government. In private, as 

well as in public life, he was distinguished for his nice sense of honor and the 
uprightness of his conduct. Of him it may be said in truth that he was one 
of God's noblest works, an honest man." Carr township was named for 
General Carr. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 99 

In 1843 there appeared in the heavens a great comet which ahnost rivaled 
the splendor of the sun itself. It became visible in America on March 6, 1843. 
As observed in this country the greatest length of the tail was about fifty de- 
grees, and its size and brilliancy may be imagined when we learn that it was 
visible at midday, near the sun. with the naked eye. It remained within vision 
about a month and caused the greatest excitement, as its appearance was co- 
incident w-ith the prophecv of \\'illiam Miller that the millenium would be in 

1843. 

\\'illiam Aliller was Ijnrn in Massachusetts in 1782 and held a captain's 
commission in the \\'ar of 1812. He held peculiar views concerning the 
second advent of the Saviour, and began to preach his doctrine in 1833. In 
1840 the first general conference of the Second Advent believers was held in 
Boston, and the work spread with rapidity from that time on. All the calcu- 
lations of the sect were to the effect that in the year, 1843 '^^'^^ to be the great 
da}' when the faithful were to be caught up in the air and enter into the 
realms of celestial bliss forevermore. In Clark county this sect had many 
followers. Mordecai and Christopher Cole in Charleston and Dr. Nathaniel 
Field, of Jeffersonville. were the leaders in the Millerite following in these 
localities. April 14. 1843. was the revealed date and as the great day ap- 
proached, many of the believers in Clark county, as well as elsewhere, were 
waiting in their white ascension robes to be caught up in the air, or were on 
the house-tops or in the grave yards watching. Many disposed of their 
worldly goods. For some days preceding this time, their secular business 
w-as, for the most part, suspended, and those who looked for the advent, gave 
themselves over to the work of preparation for that event, as they would 
have done if they had been on a bed of sickness expecting death. Notwith- 
standing the ridicule heaped upon them by the public, they continued to 
maintain their societies even after their great disappointment, and the Second 
Adventists still huve churches in the countv. 

Sellersburg was laid out in 1846, by Closes W. Sellers and John Hill. 
Sellersburg is very irregularly laid oft. None oi the forty-two lots have a 
riglit angle. It resembles an isosceles triangle pressed together from its base. 
One writer says, "Sellersburg resembles a linx twisted and squeezed together." 
Sellersburg together with Cementville and Speeds is a great shippinif point for 
cement, an industry which will l)e treated later on. 

New Market became a post-office about 1845. Mails were formerly 
carried through the eastern end of Oregon township on their way to Bethle- 
hem and Madison, from Charlestown. Poke Run was the only office for many 
years in the township. Dr. John Covert was postmaster here for fourteen 
years. The way of carrying mails was on horseback with a pair of saddle- 
bags: or in summer, a light \-eliicle was sometimes used, when a passenger 
might be picked up along the route. After the Ohio & Mississippi liranch 



lOO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

was built, Poke Run ceased to be a post-office. New Alarket liad grown suffi- 
ciently to gain the right of having an office within her limits. Accordingly 
the old route was abandoned and a new one established, which ran from 
Charlestown to New Washington via New Market. The first postmaster was 
John W. Haymaker. After him came 'Sisney Conner, D. M. Turner, and 
James A. Watson. 

The first post-office in Union township was established at Sylvan Grove, 
one-quarter of a mile south of Memphis, on the route which led from Charles- 
town to Bedford, in Lawrence county, Indiana. The office was established 
in 1847, with John Y. Wier as the first post-master, and who held the office 
for many years. Some time in i860 this route was abolished and the office 
taken to ^Memphis. The first postmaster in Memphis was J. F. ]\IcDeitz : then 
came U. S. Reynolds, A. P. Jackson, Daniel Guernsey, and John D. Coombs. 
Blue Lick was established about 1842 by the efforts of the Thompsons. Guern- 
seys, McDietzes, Kelleys and Hawses, with Thomas McDietz, Sr., as the 
postmaster. 

But few of the smaller post-offices established in this decade remain. 
The rural free delivery has wiped them out of existence, and has replaced 
them with a service far superior to what was given before. 

Lt Jeffersonville the state prison was changed from its old location to the 
present in 1845, and the wall and buildings at the corner of Ohio avenue and 
Market street were torn down, and the brick sold to various purchasers in Jef- 
fersonville. The old house at the southwest corner of Market and Locust 
streets was built from these old prison brick. The State Reformatory is in 
Clarksville, not Jeft'ersonville. The first warden of the prison south in its 
new location was William Lee. This institution from its log cells at Ohio 
avenue and Market street to its new location, and its change in management 
and principle, will be described in a separate chapter. In 1845 the historic 
old Governor's mansion at Fort and Front streets burned down. It was here 
that Governor Posey retired when he left Corydon, and it was here that 
General LaFayette was received in 1825. 

In 1847 the second great flood swept down the Ohio valley leaving waste 
and destmction in its path. It reached its highest December i8th. and rose 
to the height of forty and eight-tenths feet, only four and six-tenths feet below 
the record of February 19. 1832. 

The idea of building a canal around the Falls of the Ohio, which seems 
to have had a periodical recurrence in Jeft'ersonville, took on a tangible form 
again in 1848. On December 6th, of that year an act to incorporate the "In- 
diana Canal Company"' was passed by the Legislature and the following were 
named as incorporators : Athanasius Wathen, \\'illiam D. Beach, ^^'illiam G. 
Armstrong, Samuel H. Patterson. John D. Shryer, Thomas J. Howard, Sam- 
uel Merriwether. George F. Savitz, of Clark county; Shepparrl ^^'hitman. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. lOI 

James Brook. Randal Crawfcird. Jolin Bnjwn. Somerville E. Leonard, Henry 
H. Royse, John Austin, William A. Weir, of Floyd county : John Law. of 
Knox county; William Carpenter, of Vanderburgh county: Richard W. 
Thompson, of Vigo county: Abijah \\'. Pitcher and John W'oodburn, of 
Jefiferson county: George H. Dunn, of Dearborn county: James Morrison, 
of jMarion county : Jacob Burnet and Josiah Lawrence, of Cincinnati. Ohio : 
Benjamin Loder, of New York City : Erastus Corning, of Albany. Xew 
York, and Henry B. Stone, of Boston, Massachusetts. The capital stock was 
five hundred thousand dollars, but the directors had power to increase this 
amount by the sale of additional shares as they thought necessary. The tolls 
which, were to be charged were as follows : For steamboats, sea vessels, 
barges or keel boats, any sum not exceeding seventy cents per ton : for each 
flat boat, not exceeding twenty dollars : for each raft of timber, plank or other 
lumber, not exceeding twenty dollars, for each sixty feet in length and twenty 
feet in width. The state of Lndiana fnot the United States) was given the 
right to transport troops, munitions of war and provisions free of toll in 
time of war. 

On June i6, 1849, the directors met at JefTersonville and elected James 
C. Hall as president : Amos Lovering, secretar}\ and William D. Beach, 
treasurer. A\'illiam J. Ball was appointed chief engineer and he made a volu- 
minous report dated January i, 1850. He enumerated several schemes, the 
first of which is the opening of a navigable channel in the middle of the river : 
second, the digging of a canal from the head of the middle chute to the foot 
of the Kentucky chute : third, a canal near the Lidiana side to the head of big 
eddy, thence with locks through Goose Island ; fourth a canal through Goose 
and Rock Island, but with a dam across the river at the head of Goose Island 
instead of the canal from that point up to the head of the Falls ; fifth, a new 
canal on the Indiana side from Jeffersonville to just below the point of rocks, 
to be fed from the upper pool of the Ohio : sixth, a new canal to be built on 
the Indiana side from Jefifersonville to "Falling Run," canal to be fed from 
the upper pool of the river; seventh, a new canal built on a high level, to be 
fed by a navigable feeder from Columbus. Indiana, to Jeffersonville. eighty 
miles in length. The plan adopted was a canal from one hundred feet to two 
hundred feet wide, extending from above the drift of the Falls to the whirlpool, 
at which point the locks were to be located. From this lower end the natural 
channel was to be improved. 

The length of this proposed canal was one and three-fourths miles, the 
lockage twent}' and twelve one hundredths feet, and the total cost was to be 
six hundred and eighty-eight thousand thirty-three dollars and sixty-five cents. 
The project never got beyond the paper period, and the idea of transporting 
boats around the F"alls was allowed to sink into innocuous desuetude until 
another genius conceived the new idea of building a railroad from the head 
to the foot of the rapids and hauling steamboats around on cars. 



I02 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 

The Mexican war peiiod in Clark county like other counties throughout 
the state was one of excitement, particularly so to this county because the 
regiments all came to the southern part (jf the state to embark on their 
journey. Fort Clark, called Camp Joe Holt in the \\'ar of the Rebellion, 
was the scene of rendezvous of the Fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and 
as they embarked on steamboat here the war was brought very near to home. 
In the chapters of the military annals of Clark county, appear accounts of 
these events. 

Following the ^lexican war the gold fever occupied the minds of the 
more adventurous and some few left to try their fortunes in the far West. 

Cholera appeared again in 1849, but with far less mortality than in 1S35. 
A not very bright description of the sanitary and health conditions of Jeffer- 
sonville is given in Doctor Drake's treatise published in 1850. 

"It stands about a mile above the Falls of the Ohio, on a terrace, the 
south or river side of which is forty feet above low water, and about four 
hundred and twenty feet above the sea. This terrace, like most others along 
the Ohio, declines from near the river and is liable to inundation, so that in 
high floods the town becomes inundated. Both above and below it there are 
small streams entering the Ohio, which are the channels by which these over- 
flows are effected. To the north and northeast, near the town, there are 
ponds skirted with marsh, one of which has lately been drained. The surface, 
like that of the plain on which Louisville stands, on the opposite side of the 
river, is argillaceous, and retains the water which rains or flows upon it. It 
will be obsen-ed that all the insalubrious surface lies to the summer leeward 
of the town, but the flats and stagnant waters near the mouth of Beargrass 
creek, on the opposite side of the Ohio, are directly to the windward of this 
town, with only the river intervening. Jelfersonville is also to the leeward 
of the Falls, and exposed therefore to any insalubrious gases which may be 
liberated by the agitation of the waters. Two miles north of the town a 
watershed, between the Ohio river and Silver creek, commences and runs to 
Charlestown, thirteen miles north. At its commencement this terrace is sixty 
feet above the level of the town, and its rise afterward is about ten feet per 
mile. Doctor Stewart, to whom I am indebted for several of the facts in this 
article, informs me that autumnal intermittents and remittents are decidedly 
prevalent in Jeft'ersonville and its vicinity. The penitentiary in the state of 
Indiana, stands in the western part of Jeffersonville (not so — in Clarksville). 
Doctor Collom, its physician, informs me that the convicts are every year in- 
vaded by autumnal fever, but in a degree rather less than the inhabitants of the 
town." This condition, we are happy to say has been obliterated and Jefiferson- 
ville together with the rest of Clark county has a good health record. 

On April 23, 1839. John Fleming surveyed the west half of C of Grant 
No. 2, of the Illinois grant, and the plat was certified to on May 17, 1848. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. IO3 

This addition to Jeffersonville lay between Fulton street and the west line of 
the eastern division, and from the Ohio river to Eighth street. It was called 
Benson's addition and was divided into blocks numbered from one to twelve. 
In Benson's addition Fleming gave names to all the alleys, as follows : 
Wagoner, Cherry, Virgin, Cypress, Sassafras and Wood. 

In lx3th Charlestown and Jefifersonville schools of no small merit were 
established in the latter part of the decade. In Charlestown the Rev. H. H. 
Cambern, in 1849, bought up the old Masonic hall, or rather the original 
seminary, made additions and erected boarding houses, and opened a female 
seminary for the first time in Charlestown. Rev. George J. Reed was the 
first teacher. In this school all the higher branches were taught, the ladies 
leaving, in many instances with a diploma. Cambern's seminary lasted for 
fifteen or twenty years. The Rev. Mr. Reed was succeeded by John F. Lind- 
ley, of Frederickstown, Ohio. He was succeeded by Zebulon B. Sturgiis 
about 1859. Sturgus had previously been teaching in a frame building on 
upper Thompson street in what was known as the Charlestown boys' school. 
Here Sturgus made considerable reputation, his students coming from differ- 
ent states along the Ohio river. But in course of time changes were made. 
Untoward circumstances threw the old teacher out of his position. Students 
gathered here from all sections, and the faithful old teacher had the pleasure 
of seeing- in after years some of them quite distinguished lawyers, statesmen 
and philanthropists. Henry Crawford, one of the prominent lawyers of 
Chicago, and Senator Booth, of California, received much of their early edu- 
cation from ■Mr. Sturgus. The old teacher was a strict disciplinarian. To- 
bacco-chewers and swearers were not allowed among his students. It is re- 
lated that when the first locomotive passed over the Ohio & Mississippi 
Railroad, he whipped all the scholars for imitating the engine. Sturgus is no 
more: the old schools are gone, and the present generation is reaping their 
golden grain. 

In Jeffersonville a 'Mr. Hibben established a seminary on the north side 
of jMarket street, just below Pearl street about 1850. This school was a high 
class institution and had quite a reputation, receiving scholars from a distance 
and for that day .giving them an education above the average. In Professor 
Wylie's history of Indiana University in Bloomington, appears the following: 
"He (Hibben) completed his sophomore year at Jefferson College, Pennsyl- 
vania, and was graduated at Transylvania University September i, 1848, 
from which university he received the degree of A. M. He then began his 
career as a teacher in Jeft'ersonville, Indiana." This school lasted until in the 
fifties and was known as the Jeffersonville Seminary. In 1850 the population 
of Clark county was fifteen thousand eight hundred twenty-eight. 



CHAPTER IX. 
SIXTH DECADE— 1S51-1860. 

This pericd in Clark county was marked by no events of importance to 
history. The quiet pursuits of peace gave employn;ent to the minds and 
energies of the people, and the pohtical tension which was beginning to be 
drawn everj^where throughout the country gave a prominence to national 
affairs which dwarfed local issues. 

Townships, towns and villages were laid oft, a fact which testifies to the 
progress of the county which otherwise would not be evident. Broom Hill in 
Carr township was begun in 185 1 by Thomas Littell, who lived in this im- 
mediate neighborhood. Here he began the making of brooms, and from this 
circumstance the village derived its name. But Littell was not the first 
settler in this locality by any means, though he built the first house in the 
village and opened the first store. Littell's house stood on the north side of 
the railroad. Previous to Littell, about the year 1809, one Michael Bums, 
of Connecticut, settled here and built a cabin on the site of Broom Hill, on 
the south side of the railroad. Austin Rowe was a storekeeper after Littel. 

Broom Hill has had many small manufactories. William Leighton. in 
the former part of its history, put up a shingle macl.ine. He also erected a 
grist-mill and afterwards attached to it a stave factory. At one time a 
thriving portable saw-mill was run by the Bussey brothers. It lasted for a 
few years only. After the Bussey brothers, W^illiam McKinley and ]\Iichael 
Bums erected a saw-mill. The business done at this mill was considerable. 

Blacksmith shops, shoemaker shops, and the various trades have been 
carried on in the village, though never on a very extended scale. Broom Hill 
is noted as once being the seat of extensive railroad supplies. During the first 
few years of the railroad the village furnished more wood than any other 
station on the road. 

Bridgeport, much like Broom Hill, came into existence about the time 
the railroad was built. The section hands created a demand for many of 
the coarser wares, and hence, as a result, Samuel Pkimmer, of this section, 
began to sell various things, such as shovels, picks, spades, drills and crow- 
bars, to the men employed by the railroad. Mr. Plummer died before the road 
was completed, and the store fell into the hands of his brother, Charles. Soon 
after it was finished James Warman erected a warehouse on the north side 
of the track. Here were stored various grains, the house serving as a kind of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. IO5 

"depot for supplies" for the people round about. Wesley W'arman was a 
storekeeper here about this time. 

The village of Henry\-ille is situated in the center of Alonroe township. 
Many yeai-s before the place was laid out there was an old Indian trail running 
through the village, much as the Pennsyh-ania railroad now runs. It is 
located on Wolf run and Miller's fork of Silver creek, the former a tributary 
stream of Silver creek, which derived its name from the great rendezvous it 
furnished wolves forty years before Henryville was platted. The village lies 
in a beautiful valley, with hills on the east side, and in sight of the famous 
mounds. A little further east, on a high hill, is where the red man of forest 
manufactured his darts, implements of war, and himting utensils. Formerly 
the village was known by the name of Morristown, which name it retained 
for three yems. It was laid out in 1850, and in 1853 was- named Henryville, 
in honor of Col. Henry Ferguson. The Pennsvlvania Railrfiad passes 
through the village, going almost due north, and leaves the place in a very 
irregular shape. 

Joseph Biggs was the first storekeeper in Henry\'ille. He kept his 
stock in a little frame house on the west side of the railroad. A Mr. Over- 
man came ne.xt, but stayed only for a short time. He kept in a little frame 
house on the east side of the railroad. Henry Bussey and David Fish followed. 

The post-ofiice was established immediately after the railroad was built. 
The first postmaster was Mr. Overman, second, Harvey Bussey: third, Mr. 
Lewis; fourth, John Bolan, who acted in this capacity two years. 

Memphis is the only village regularly laid rmt in Union township. It 
was platted by Thompson McDeitz in 1852. The lots are at right angles 
with Main street. There ha\'e been several additions made, the most impor- 
tant of which is J. F. Willey's. of very awkward shape, made so because of 
the location of the land. Generally the town is shaped ungainly. The railroad 
passes through the principal street, while the business houses are on either 
side. Memphis is wholly in tract number two hundred and three, of the 
Illinois grant. Neither of the founders of the village ever lived here perma- 
nently. McDeitz was a resident of Blue Lick, and Colonel Willey of L-tica 
township. Tract numbei^ two hundred and three was originally owned 
by heirs in Virginia. 

Previous to 1852 the citizens of what is now Oregon were included in 
the township of Charlestown. People residing in the northeastern part of 
the latter township found it inconvenient to attend elections at the county 
seat, or even nearer home. The old, original place of voting was constant!}' 
losing much of its regular business, and other towns and villages were gaining 
what she lost. So the residents naturally desired to be struck off from the 
old township, and to have a separate organization of their own. These and 
many more influential people finally induced a petition to be circulated for 



I06 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

signers, and to be presented to the honorable board of County Commissioners, 
praying for a new township organization. The petition was written by Dr. 
John Covert, a chstinguished resident of Xew Market, and mainly through 
his efforts the plan succeeded. \Mthin the same year. 1852. the County Com- 
missioners granted the request, and hence the present township of Oregon. 
It was struck oft" the northeastern side of Charlestown, and is four tracts wide 
from northeast to southwest and ten from northwest to southeast, making in 
all forty five-hundred-acre tracts, if the}' were wholly in Clark county. But 
the county line between Scott and Clark counties cuts off the northeastern 
corner of the township, and throws three or four tracts into the county of 
Scott. From this fact the tract which would naturally belong to Oregon ex- 
tending further in a northeasterly direction than any of those in other town- 
ships, the name was derived. The Territory of Oregon was then the most 
distant body of land lying in the northwest which belonged to the United 
States : since there seemed to be a striking coincidence between the two sec- 
tions, it was mutually agreed that the new township should be named after 
the new territory. , 

The site of Otisco was formerly owned by Thomas Cowling : but after 
his death his son, Samuel, inherited the property. They were of English 
extraction, and came here about 1830, when the upper part of the township 
was a dense forest. Immediately after the railroad was built, which was in 
1854, the village w-as laid out. 

Carr township lies in the western half of the county. It was organized 
in 1854. being struck off' almost entirely from the eastern side of W'ood. It 
has an area of nearly twenty-seven scjuare miles, or over seventeen thousa^nd 
acres, one third of Avhich is knobs. It is bounded on the north by ^^^ood, 
Monroe, and Union townships ; on the east by Union and Silver Creek town- 
ships: on the south by Floyd county: and cm the west by W'ood townshii). 
The boundaries are very irregular on tlie north and east sides. They are set 
forth in language something like the following : 

Beginning on the line which divides Clark from Floyd county, and on 
the line which divides sections nineteen and twenty, and from thence running 
north until it strikes the southwest corner of section thirty-two : thence east 
and thence north to where tracts numbers two hundred and fifty, two hun- 
dred and thirty-four, and two hundred and thirtv-five corner: thence south, 
with variations, until it strikes the Muddy fork of Silver creek ; thence witli 
that stream, with its meanderings. to the south side of tract number one hun- 
dred and sixty-six ; thence west, with variations, to the county line of Floyd, 
near St. Joseph's Hill, and thence with the dividing line between Clark and 
Floyd counties to the place of beginning. 

This township is composed mostly of sections, though there are four or 
five of the Grant tracts lying along the eastern side of the township. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. I07 

Petersburg, one of the little villages of Silver Creek township, was laid 
out about the year 1854, by Lewis Bottorff. The survey was made by Danie! 
H. McDaniels. Owing to some irregularity in the Recorder's office the plat 
was never recorded. There were eighteen lots fifty by two hundred feet, and 
the village was named in honor of Peter McKossky, a Russian who lived near 
by on the Muddy fork. 

Union township, covering an area of nearly thirteen thousand acres, oc- 
cupies the central portion of the county, and according to the census of 1900 
has a population of nine hundred and sixteen. It was organized in September, 
1858. mainly through the efforts of Col. John Carr. It is the newest of all 
the townships of the county, and takes its name from the fact that it was 
made up from a union of parts of other townships. Monroe bounds it on the 
north, except a narrow strip on the east side, where the township of Charles- 
town forms also the eastern boundary ; the townships of Carr and Charles- 
town bound it on the south ; Monroe and Carr form the western boundaiy. 
The township as it now is was erected out of Monroe. Charlestown and Carr 
townships. The extreme northern end of Silver Creek township and the 
extreme southern corner of Union unite in the middle of Silver creek, near 
the southwest corner of tract number one hundred and sixty-six ; also the 
extreme portions of Carr and Charlestown townships — the only instance of 
the kind in the county. 

In the late forties the town of Jeft'ersonville became interested in the 
construction of a rairoad. The Jefferson ville Railroad Company was in- 
corporated by an act approved January 20. 1846. which empowered the com- 
pany to build a road from Jeft'ersonville to Columbus, and also to use the 
tracks of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. The company organized 
under the name of the Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company, on the 17th of 
March, 1848, with James Keigwin. Samuel Merriwether, William G. Arm- 
strong, A. Walker, Woods Maybury, Benjamin Irwin, J. B. Abbott. J. D. 
Shryer, \\'. A. Richardson. W. D. Beech, and Samuel McCampbell as direc- 
tors, and William G. Armstrong, president : Samuel McCampbell, secretaiy, 
and J. G. Read, treasurer, as its officers. Th^ name of the corporation was 
changed to the Jeffersonville Railroad Company in 1849. and in the fall of 
1852 the road was completed. 

The two roads were consolidated subsequent to 1862 as the Jeft'ersonville, 
Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company. This consolidation was a prac- 
tical absorption of the older by the younger road, as the officers and directors 
of the Jeffersonville Railroad Company were retained in office. This rail- 
road now exists under the name of the Pennsylvania, having been absorbed 
by that company in 1873. 

In September. 1853. the Fort Wayne & Southern Railroad was first dis- 
cussed in the Jeff'ersonville council. This discussion finally culminated in 



I08 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

April. 1855, in the purchase of two hundred thousand dollars" worth of stock- 
in the company. The route of this road after it entered the county about 
where the Pennsylvania now crosses Silver creek was up Front street in 
Clarksville and Jefifersonville to the foot of Pearl street, where the terminal 
was to be located. The efforts of such men as A\'illiam G. Armstrong. James 
Keigwin, Samuel Merriwether, J. D. Shryer, Woods Maybury and James G. 
Read did much to advance the interests of Jeffersonville, although the heritage 
of the Fort Wayne & Southern investment is nothing to create much pleasure 
in the breasts of the present tax-payers of the city. 

The peritxlical recurrence of the scheme to get steamboats over the Falls 
appeared again in 1852. The movement began with the organization of a 
companv which intended to take steamboats out of the water at Jeffersonville 
and transport them by rail around the Falls, depositing them again upon the 
bosom of the stream below the Falls. This company was chartered May 11, 
1852, and was called the "Ohio Falls Marine Railroad Company." The 
seal of the company depicts the ease with which this feat was to be performed. 
The boat resting gracefully upon the cars "en train" is shown with smoke 
pouring out of her chimneys, and from the steam issuing from her escape 
pipes her engines are evidently still at work. Among the citizens of Jeffer- 
sonville who subscribed money for the scheme were Sidney S. Lyon, L. D. 
Clemmons, John P. Cox. B. F. Marsh. Joseph Lank, ^^'arren How, George 
L. Swartz and David H. Lane. They each subscribed for forty shares. This 
ship railroad was to be "wholly in Clark county," and was "to begin at a place 
in the town of Jeft'ersonville a short distance from the Jeffersonville ferry 
landing, as at present established, and to terminate at a place called Whirl- 
pool, as estimated to be one and three-fourths miles below the Jeft'ersonville 
landing, the length of said road being as near as m?y be, a mile and three- 
fourths." Although sun-eys were made and plans drawn the road was ne\er 
built and the project still hangs unplucked by the promoter. 

The conditions of the transportation facilities on our railroads and ferries, 
as w^ell as the attractions of Jeffersonville, are told by a traveler who arrived 
in 1858. His account ends as follows: 

"After no less than four accidents to our train on the Ohio & Mississippi 
Railway, happily involving no other evil consecpiences than the smashing of 
the company's engine and two or three cars, the sacrifice of many valuable 
hours, and the loss of an amount of patience difficult to estimate, though once 
possessed by all the passengers, myself included, we arrived at the miserable 
village, though called a city, of Jeft'ersonville. in Indiana, nearly opposite to 
Louisville, in Kentucky, on the River Ohio. The train was due at an early 
hour in the afternoon, but did not reach Jeffersonville until half past nine in 
the evening, long before which time the steam ferry-boat had ceased to ply, 
and the captain of which refused to re-light the fires of his engines to carr>- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. lOg 

the passengers across. We saw the lights of the large city gleaming tempting- 
ly across the stream, but. there being no means of conveyance, we were all 
reluctantly compelled to betake ourselves to the best inn at Jeffersonville — 
and bad, very bad, was the best. We had had nothing to eat or to drink all 
day, in consequence of the accident to uur train having befallen us in an out- 
of-the-way place and in the very heart of the wilderness; and such of us as 
were not teetotalers looked forward to a comfortable supper and glass of 
wine or toddy, after our fatigue and disappointments. But, on asking for 
supper and wine at the hotel, we were told by mine host that we were in a 
temperance state, and that nothing in the way of drink would be served except 
milk, tea. coffee and lemonade. A thoughtful friend at Cincinnati had given 
us on starting a bottle of Bourbon whiskey twenty years old ; and we told 
mine host that if he would provide us with glasses, hot water, sugar and a 
corkscrew, we should enjoy his meat, find our owri drink, and set Fate at 
defiance." 

Happily, we of later years are not compelled to be victims of such con- 
ditions, and the fact that the traveler was tired, hungry and disappointed upon 
his arrival, and possibly recovering from his above mentioned drink when he 
drote this description, may account for the beautiful tribute which he has 
paid Jeffersonville. The city, however, seemed to be considered important 
enough to notice even earlier than this. In 1852 General Scott visited Jelter- 
sonville to deliver a speech against Franklin Pierce. Pierce had served under 
Scott in the Mexican war and had risen to the rank of brigadier-general. 
The presence of Mexican war veterans in Clark county prompted the visit of 
the old general but it availed him nothing, and Pierce was elected to the 
Presidency. 

In 1852 the public school system was inaugurated in Jeffersonville. The 
new constitution made education compulsory and free in the state. Two new 
school-houses were built at this time, both of which have disappeared. The 
first was on Mulberr\- street about opposite the end of Chestnut street, and 
was called the Alulberrj^ street school. The other stood on the northwest 
corner of Maple and ^^'att streets and was called the "Blue" school-house. 
They were two-stor\' brick structures and served admirably for the purposes 
for which they were constructed, yet they stand in great contrast to the 
newest addition to the schools of the city of Jeffersonville. The first school 
trustee of Jeffersonville was Jonas G. Howard, still an active factor in the 
politics and business life of the county. The establishment of the public 
school system in Indiana provided good schools, but there still seemed to be 
an opening for private institutions. In 1852 the Methodist church purchased 
the Springs property, where formerly the beauty and society of the South 
were wont to disport itself, and where gambling and conviviality were 
the pastimes of gentlemen. The "Palaces of Sin" were torn down or con- 



no BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

verted into school buildings, and quite a number of young ladies were enrolled 
as students in the new "Seminary." It prospered but a short while. Soon 
after the lapse of gaity at "The Springs," the hotel which stood at the foot 
of Broadway, burned (1857). 

The establishment of a branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana in 
Jef¥ersonville in 1855 inaugurated the banking system in Clark county. It 
remains today, under the name of the Citizens National Bank, the oldest 
bank in the county. 

In 1855 the question of lighting the city of Jeffersonville with gas was 
discussed in the Council, and in 1859 a company was chartered for that pur- 
pose. Mains were laid and within a year the streets were lighted and the 
residences were piped for the safer and more desirable illuinination. 

In Utica the first addition to the town was made in 1854 by James H. 
Oliver. It was on the northwest corner of tlie town. 

In Bethlehem a great fire in 1856 burned down one entire block, in- 
cluding some of the oldest and largest houses in the town. 

In Sellersburg the first post-office was established in 1852. In 1856. the 
Clark County Fair which had been held regularly in the vicinity of Charles- 
town, was held at Jefifersonville, but remained here but a few A'ears, when it 
was taken back to Charlestown. 

In the year 1853 the proceedings of the Common Council of the city 
of Jeffersonville show that the town of Port Fulton was annexed to Jeffer- 
sonville, but the action was premature as the annexation was never consuin- 
mated. The solons of Jeffersonville were e\'identh- wide awake at this 
period, for in January, 1855, the Council took up the question of the removal 
of the county seat from Charlestown. In February of this year Judge Read 
reported to the Council that he had been to Indianapolis to push the matter, 
and in January. 1856, a committee of three was appointed to advance the 
idea — four hundred dollars being appropriated for their expenses. As the 
countv seat remained at Charlestown for twenty years after this attempt, it is 
evident that the project was salted away for future use. 

In 1854 Clark county was visited by a great drouth, lasting from July 
to October. The crops were ruined, springs went dry, and the river reached 
an unprecedented low stage. The temperature during this period hovered 
about one hundred degrees for one hundred days. The following year the 
river reached an exceedingh' low stage, and as there was no dam on the Falls 
the upper harbor extending past Madison suffered greatly. There was an 
earlv winter that year and during the latter part of November the river froze 
over, and on account of the shallow places froze to the bottom, .\bout De- 
cember 20th there was a period of mild weather and the owners of steam- 
boats, supposing that navigation could be resumed, started out with their 
crafts. There was a sudden cold snap and between Fourteen Mile creek and 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. Ill 

Twelve Mile Island five large steamers loaded with freight and passengers 
were caught in the ice and held fast. 

The only new industry started in tlie city of Jeffersonville during this 
decade was a woolen mill. This mill was a large two-story brick building near 
the river bank just below Mechanic street. It was built by Samuel H. Pat- 
terson. This mill he placed in the hands of J. ^^ . L. Mattock, who had 
formerly managed a mill of like kind in Danville. Indiana. In 1863 the mill 
was sold to Moses G. Anderson, who ran it some two years. In 1865 it was 
bought by J. L. Bradley, Dillard Ricketts and S. H. Patterson, who conducted 
it under the firm name of Bradley & Company. During the following j-ear and 
a half the firm lost considerable money, and closed up the mill, selling the 
machinery to various persons. This building stood vacant for many years 
and was torn down in the eighties. 

In i860 occurred the trouble between the citizens of Jefifersonville and 
the convicts of the Prison South. The warden of the prison had contracted 
to furnish brick for the Louisville water works, then building, and the con- 
victs were marched through the city streets to the brick works above the city. 
The fact that these men were taken through the streets chained together, and 
that they competed with free labor aroused the people to the injustice of the 
practice and a mob was formed to compel its discontinuance. The convicts 
were driven back to the prison, and since that time have never performed 
any labor outside the walls. 

Politically the people of Clark county were comparatively quiet during 
the early fifties, but the election of 1854 stirred up feeling which engendered 
much bitterness. The \A'higs and the Democrats had fought their political 
battles before this, and had then forgotten their dififerences, but this cam- 
paign produced a new feeling. ^Members of both the Whig- and Democratic 
parties formed the People's party and in their meeting at Charlestown they 
promulgated their beliefs, among which was "temperance." Within this 
part}- was organized a secret organization, which went by the name of "Know 
Nothing." It was created for the purposes of waging a political war against 
the Roman Catholics and foreigners. At the time of the election riots oc- 
curred in the city of Jeffersonville when these citizens were assaulted to pre- 
vent their voting. No serious injuries resulted and the feeling in Clark 
countv subsided. However, the movement which wr^s nation-wide, appeared 
in Louisville the next year, 1855, and the memorable "Bloodv Monday" 
resulted 

While the political atmosphere of the county became agitated in '54- 
and during the last year or two of the decade, the social and commercial con- 
ditions presented a calm and unruffled surface. The people both in the 
country and in towns were a quiet, contented and industrious class. In the 
rural districts the fanners were far more contented and possibly had more 



112 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

reason to be so than at later periods. Previous to 1850, tlie county was 
covered with a tiiick forest, and tlie land was owned by settlers who. besides 
farming- a small part of their forty or fifty acre tract, made considerable profit 
out of the manufacture of staves, hoops and barrels. There were few, if 
any, large farms at this time, and the division of the land into small parcels, 
each with its cabin or more ostentatious residence upon it, made a neighbor- 
hood of eveiy farm, and no one was isolated or without near neighbors. The 
cooperage plants and the shipping of the output as well as the hoop-poles gave 
occupation to a very large population outside of the cities and towns. It is a 
matter of fact as well as astonishment to know that the rural population of 
Clark county at that time was greater than at the present day. The timber 
disappearing, the population followed, either moving to the city of Jefifer- 
sonville or the various towns situated northwardly. The small farms became 
a part of larger ones, and where twenty or thirty families had lived and 
flourished, the present day presents extensive tracts of pasture, or cultivated 
fields of an extent unknown in those cla3^s. 

The larger rural population made the country far more attractive than it 
is in some localities at present, and the simpler habits and customs of the 
people made for contentment, and the desire for wealth which has spoiled 
the simple happiness of many of the present day farmers had not become 
as marked then as later on. 

The farmers raised their crops and marketed them : were independent 
and happy. The spring, summer and fall gave occupation to all and the 
winter evenings wei^e more given to reading and study than at the present 
day. As a rule they were a religious. God-fearing people. The farmer who 
did not attend church was the exception. Political, religious and general in- 
formation was the rule, and although papers and magazines were far less 
plentiful than at present, these mediums were perused with interest and the 
topics of the day were studied and understood. The Christian Advocate, 
The Louisville Journal, edited by George D. Prentice, and the Louisville 
Democrat, edited by Harney, together with the Cincinnati Enquirer, were the 
journals subscribed for. The country churches were the centers of neighbor- 
hood activities, and the visit of a preacher always resulted in an all-day gather- 
ing. It has been said that almost every neighborhood had men so familiar 
with the Bible that if the bonk had been destroyed they might have repro- 
duced it from memor}-. A social and friendly spirit seemed to per\-ade each 
countryside, and the simple religion of the pioneers remained to brighten and 
lighten the lives of those who chose to live in the free air and cheerful light of 
heaven. Xearly every family had prayers in the evening and a chapter read 
from a well-thumbed Bible became a part of the devotions. The Bible was the 
one book which was familiar to almost every country man. To this familiarity 
with the Book may be attributed the high tone which marked the character 
of the men of the day. 



BAIRn S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. II3 

Previous to 1850 it was impossible to procure and keep harvest hands 
unless whiskey was sen-ed in the field, but this habit disappeared and with 
it the incident features which had helped to lower the standard of morality. 
Industry, prosperity and success marked the lives of the men who tilled the 
soil. The religious phase of their lives had none of the deadening influences 
which marked Puritan England in the sixteenth century, nor did as violent 
a reaction follow. The countrj- dances and social gatherings were not 
affected by Puritanical views of such things. The intercourse between the 
people of Jeffersonville and Charlestown was most cordial. The road leading 
to Jefifersonville from the county seat was a ven,- busy highway, and although 
there was neither railroad, electric line, or telephone, the incidents and events 
in one locality were subjects of interest elsewhere almost as c|uickly as at 
present. A 'bus running between Charlestown and Jeffersonville over the 
old Charlestown road brought the city and town in close touch. 

The exciting questions which arose during the last year of the decade 
concerned the issues in national affairs, and but few months of the new 
decade had passed until the storm of war broke upon the nation, and Clark 
county, like the remainder of the loyal state of Indiana, entered with heart 
and soul in the duty of upholding the government founded by their fore- 
fathers in 1776. In the year i860 the population of Clark county was twenty 
thousand five hundred and two. 

8 



CHAPTER X. 

THE SEVENTH DECADE 1861-187O. 

The seventh decade of the histoiy of Clark county was the most momen- 
tous of all. The War of the Rebellion had deluged the land with blood for 
more than half of this period, and although Clark county never became the 
scene of actual combat, yet no city in the Union, large or small, had more of 
the outward and visible signs of war than did Jeffersonville. Beyond the river 
la}' the Southland, whose legions surged to and from the border, while from 
the North came untold blue-clad thousands to preserve the Union established 
by our fathers. Jeffersonville being one of the principle gateways to the South, 
became the scene of martial display and military activities, which made every 
other business here sink into insignificance. Troops of all arms of the service, 
either arriving, camping here, leaving, or in hospitals, gave an importance to 
the city, the adjacent country, and the lines of transportation leading out of 
it that has never been known either before or since. The county itself presented 
a scene of activity in bearing its burden of the weight of war, and the raising 
of troops together with the man}^ other activities' co-ordinate with it kept the 
people alive to the condition of affairs both national and local. The farmer, 
the mechanic, the professional man and the tradesman, those who found it im- 
possible to volunteer, still followed their vocations, but War was the dom- 
inating question, JFar was the principal theme, and fPflr was the chief basis 
of business. In other chapters of this volume will be found recorded the 
events of interest connected with Clark county, and the War of the Rebellion, 
under the title of "Military Annals." Of disloyal organizations there were for- 
tunately feAV within the borders of Clark county, but these few let no oppor- 
tunity slip to advance the rebel cause or to gain friends for the Southern Con- 
federacy, Their meetings were secret, as were their activities, but they made 
themselves felt at times and their machinations added spice to the times, if not 
to the honor of a loyal county. 

In the early sixties the city of Jefifersonville established her first gas plant 
and the streets were lighted. The Patterson wharf was built and a new fern- 
company was started. This company, however, consolidated soon afterward 
with the older company. 

The Car Works was established in 1864. The First National Bank was 
established in 1865. The Charlestown and Utica pike was opene<l in 1866. 
The first steam mill in Wood township was built in 1868. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 115 

In 1864 one hundred and fift)' thousand dollars were appropriated by 
Congress to build the United States Quartermaster Depot at Jeffersonville. 
There being no provision for the purchase of the ground, the citizens of the 
city took the matter up and a committee headed by S. B. Diffenderfer, 
finally found means to get the location. This was under the administration 
of Levi Sparks as Mayor of the city, and the city after paying eleven thousand 
dollars for the ground donated it to the United States for the purpose of erect- 
ing a peiTnanent depot. The buildings were begun soon after and the perma- 
nent location of the quartermaster depot was assured for Jeffersonville. 

Up to the year i860 there had never been a legal hanging in Clark county, 
but this year the Sheriff executed a man sentenced by the Clark Circuit Court. 
There has only been one other legal hanging since. 

In 1865 Congress, by act, authorized the Louisville, Nashville & Jeffer- 
sonville Railroad Companies, who were stockholders in the Louisville Bridge 
Company to construct a railway- bridge across the Ohio at the head of the 
Falls. The erection of the superstructure was begun in May. 1868, and on 
Febmary i, 1870, the spans were connected. The first train passed over on 
February 12, 1870. This bridge cost two million three thousand six hundred 
ninety-six dollars and twenty-seven cents. In the various accidents during- the 
construction of this work there were fifty-six men killed and eighty wounded. 

The winter of 1866-1867 was a veiy severe one. The cold was intense, 
and the river so low that it froze up early in the winter. The coal supply gave 
out, and the people suffered for want of fuel. What little there was on hand 
went to 60 cents per bushel. Previous to this period there were two ferry 
lines, one of which had a landing at the foot of Clay street, Louisville, and 
after fighting for some months they consolidated, but part of the agreement 
was that a boat should continue to land at Clay street. The fuel famine became 
so serious that Phil Tompert, who was then Mayor of Louisville, was appealed 
to by the people to ask the boats to stop running, a channel having been cut 
between Louisville and Jeffersonville, so that the coal they were consuming 
could be distributed among the suff'erers. There was practically no trouble in 
getting the boat landing at Clay street to stop, as it was not paying, and from 
that day to this it has never made a trip. There was threatened litigation. 
but this never amounted to anything, and the present ferry company gained 
its monopoly of the business thrtiugh the demand for coal stopping the other 
boat. 

In 1870 the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, the main line of which runs 
between Cincinnati and St. Louis, built what is noAV the Watson connection. 
At that time some good coaches were used on the Watson line, but they have 
become slightly worn since then. This road now operates under the title. Bal- 
timore & Ohio Southwestern. 

In the vear 1870 the mill known as the Gathright Mill was built just 



Il6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

below the Pennsylvania bridge. This mill was operated by a turbine water- 
wheel, except during high water, and was successfully operated for many years. 
It burned about 1906. 

The end of this decade finds Clark county back to a normal condition after 
the war. The population of the county in 1870 was twenty-four thousand 
seven hundred seventy. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE EIGHTH DECADE 187I-1880. 

An epoch of commercial, political and religious activities was that of the 
seventies. The temperance question, the county seat removal, the glass works 
and car works questions, the panics and strikes, and a general condition of 
material improvement marked this decade as war had marked the preceding 
one. The various departments and offices of the United States quartemiaster 
were still scattered over the city of Jeffersonville, but work was soon com- 
menced upon the new buildings which were to contain all of the offices and 
storehouses under one roof. In 1870 was launched the steamer, James How- 
ard, at the Howard ship yards in Jeffersonville. She was the largest inland 
river steamer ever built on western waters. 

The village of Marysville, containing- about one hundred inhabitants, was 
laid out by W. W. Tevis. civil engineer, in 1871, for Patrick H. Jewett. It 
is located on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, between Otisco 
and Nabbs. It is on both sides of the railroad and has forty lots. The village 
is located on the south side of tract number two hundred forty-eight, about 
midway from the north and south line. Marysville was named after Miss 
Maiy Kimberlain, the wife of A. Q. Abbott, of Oregon township. During 
the years which have elapsed since the village was regularly platted, very little 
has been done in the way of improvement. 

On January 31, 1871, the city of Jeffersonville ceded all jurisdiction over 
the four blocks purchased by the United States Government for a quarter- 
master's depot, to the United States Government. At meetings held in several 
places in the county immediately following the Chicago fire, substantial do- 
nations were made for the benefit of the sufferers. 

On the 6th of July, 1871, the city council passed an ordinance providing 
for a steam fire department, to consist of one engineer, two drivers, and four 
hosemen for each engine and hose-cart. In September of the same year a com- 
mittee was appointed to buy the necessary engine, hose-cart, hose, etc. An 
Amoskeag engine was bought at a cost of four thousand five hundred dollars ; 
hose cart, five hundred fifty dollars ; one thousand feet of hose and three 
horses, six hundred dollars, and harness, eighty-four dollars and twenty-five 
cents, making a total cost of seven thousand two hundred twenty-four dollars 
and twenty-five cents. Previous to this the department consisted of a hand 
engine and fires were often the occasion of a fight or a frolic. 



Il8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

On September 22, 1872, Horace Greeley, nominee of the Democrats and 
Libera! Republicans for the Presidency, visited Jefifersonville and spoke to an 
immense crowd on Spring street. His speech was delivered from the small 
iron balcony in front of the second floor of the old hotel at Spring and ]\Iarket 
streets. In this year also occurred a great disaster to the city of Jefifersonville 
in the burning of the shops of the Ohio Falls Car and Locomotive Company. 
The company had just made extensive improvements, but everything was 
swept out of existence. Fortunately a heavy insurance was carried and the 
building of the present magnificent system of fire-proof and isolated structures 
was begun. The improvements were still incomplete when the panic of 1873 
came and the long period of financial depression which followed completely 
paralyzed the car building business. 

In December, 1872, the office of the County Treasurer at Charlestown 
was robbed, and although the amount of actual county funds stolen finally 
turned out to be small, the robbery caused great excitement. A gang of toughs 
had terrorized Charlestown for several years, and the robbery was of their 
doing. They were captured, how'ever, soon afterward. 

In both Charlestown and Jeffersonville fairs were held this year to raise 
fimds to be used for the relief of the poor who were sufifering as a result of 
the panic. Mosart Hall was the scene of the fair in Jefifersonville. This 
building, at the southwest comer of Spring and Court streets, sensed for many 
years for gatherings of this kind, and held the unique position of being the 
only available hall of its size in the city, during a period when such fairs and 
social gatherings were far more frequent than at the present day. 

During the winter of 1872 smallpox was epidemic throughout the county, 
and reached such a stage that the council of Jeffersonville ordered that red 
flags be displayed before each house containing a case. The papers of the time 
tell of Sam Hedge being ill with the disease, and of how he had decorated 
the whole front of his house with myriads of red flags to warn away eveiybody. 

Building a new school-house at Utica was a wanm subject in 1873, in 
that township. However, after extended debate and much feeling, but no 
casualties the building was ordered built. 

In this year on October 8th all the female convicts at the prison were sent 
to Indianapolis. Previous to this the Prison South received female as well as 
male prisoners as no special provision had been made by the state up to that 
time for their separate incarceration. Previous to this, in Februaiy, 1873, the 
citizens of Jeffersonville had held a meeting and adopted a most inexplicable 
resolution. They worked and used even,' influence to get the prison removed 
from Jeffersonville to iXIichigan City, but fortunately failed. 

A new company was incorporated this year to constract a bridge across 
the river from the foot of Clay street in Louisville. Among the incorporators 
were Barrett, Dennis Long, W. Ray, Doctor Green, T. Bradley and others. 
The following subscribed stock: 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 1 19 

Chesapeake & Ohio $200,000.00 

Ohio & Alississippi 200,000.00 

City of Jeffersonville 100,000,00 

City of Louisville 100,000.00 

The fact that Jeffersonville siibscrihed as much as Louisville shows either 
a financial healthfulness or a desire to be so that was commendable. That she 
was abreast of Louisville in some ways was evidenced by the existence of three 
banks, all in a flourishing state of prosperity. The Citizens' National Bank, 
the First National Bank and i\Ir. Barnaby's Faro bank. 

In 1873 the village of Bethlehem made application for incorporation. It 
had been laid out in 1812, and since that time had seen varying changes of 
fortune. 

In 1873 began the agitation against the liquor traffic. The movement 
began as did the one in 1907 and 1908, and gathered momentum as it ad- 
vanced. In the year 1874 the actual warfare against the saloon and the whis- 
key business in general was begun by the women of Jeffersonville. 

Dr. Sallie C. Jackson was president of the woman's society which was 
battling against the rum demon. ]\Irs. \\'inesburg, of the Presbyterian church, 
was elected vice-president, and Mrs. ]\Iartha Cook, treasurer. These women, 
numbering sometimes a hundred, would meet at the Methodist church, and 
after prayers, would march out in column of twos to the various saloons in 
the city. 

Their first meetings were held in the saloons of Alonzo Fonts and the 
Falls City hotel, where they were treated with great discourtesy. At the 
saloon in the Strauss Hotel, on the corner of Front and Spring streets, meetings 
were held, but whatever results may have come at that time have wholly dis- 
appeared as this place still dispenses old Tambo over the bar in satisfactory 
quantities. 

At John Sittle's emporium the ladies were attacked by the proprietor's 
wife with tubs of water. Although drenched to the skin, they stood their 
ground and one i_^f the party of crusaders, glorying in her condition, cried out 
in her ecstacy, "Bless God, I am a Baptist!" 

These eff'orts culminated in the formation of the ^^'omap.'s Christian Tem- 
perance L'nion in Jeft'ersonville, and the reputation of the crusaders of this 
city went abroad in the land. A paper of the day has this item concerning the 
effects of their efforts: 

"The ladies of the Temperance L'r.ion of this city have been now about 
four weeks engaged in active work against the liquor traftic. All the druggists 
but one in the city have signed the pledge to sell liquor only upon the prescrip- 
tion of a regular physician. All the physicians but two have signed pledges 
to use iquor in their practice only in cases of emergency. Pledges not to sign 



120 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

applications for a renewal of license have been widely circulated among the 
voters and have met with such favor that it is believed that a renewal of license 
could not now be obtained in any ward in the city. There has been such an 
awakening on the subject of temperance as was scarcely if ever known Ijefore. 
The traffic has been reduced at least sixty per cent." 

During the time of the crusaders the women held one hundred fifty-two 
street prayer meetings, besides visiting saloons, offering pledges and praying 
and talking to saloon-keepers. 

In 1874 another fine school-house, the Rose Hill school in Jeffersonville, 
was finished. The question concerning the removal of the county seat from 
Charlestown to Jeffersonville resulted in one of the bitterest political fights 
ever known in Clark county. The fight which was made in 1838 and won by 
the removalists. the Jeffersonville party, resulted in nothing as the Legislature 
refused the people of the county their wishes on that subject. 

During the sixty-six years, while Charlestown had been the county seat, 
Jeft'ersonville had passed her in population, and had acquired an envy of her 
only great possession. After a lapse of forty years from the first attempt 
the fight was renewed. 

Jeffersonville township, including the city of Jeffersonville. now had near- 
Iv one-half of the whole population of the county, and it seemed just that the 
majority should rule. As early as March. 1874. the papers of the time con- 
tain accounts of meetings held to discuss this subject. At this time one meet- 
ing was held at Charlestown, and a united effort was decided on to prevent the 
removal. Discussion became bitter, letters, circulars and newspaper articles 
appeared. About Januar}- i. 1876, the City Council of Jeffersonville, headed 
by its then recently elected Mayor, the Hon. Luther F. Warder, decided 
to inaugurate a determined effort to regain the long lost county seat. The 
ground was donated for the site of the court-house and thirty thousand dol- 
lars was voted, raised and deposited with the County Treasurer as a donation 
to the county to build a court-house in case removal was made. The people 
of Charlestown met the movement at the beginning and foug'ht it with vigor 
and determination. The people in the upper end of the county joined them. 
The contest ran into bitter personal animosities and hostility between the two 
sections of the county. Animosities were engendered that perhaps will never 
he healed, and the newspapers of the time present some rich and racy reading. 
Political affinities were destroyed and the removal question dominated every 
other and all other questions of public interest. The Board of County Com- 
missioners met at Charlestown court-house on the first Monday in March. 1876, 
and the petitions for removal, containing a clear majority of all the voters in 
the county were presented, but every eft'ort Avas made to defeat them. It was 
charged that a large portion of the signatures were fictitious, but the anti- 
removalists were met at every point. The case was pressed through the Com- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 121 

missioners' court and then appealed to the Circuit Court. A change of venue 
was tal<en to Floyd county and a special judge was agreed upon. Judge Per- 
kins, of Indianapolis, was sent to tr\' the case. At length the anti-removalists 
had reached the end of their resources and were compelled to submit to the 
inevitable. On September 23. 1878, the order was made to remove the county 
records to Jeffersonville. and during the month of October they were brought 
to the new county seat and placed in the new and commodious court-house, 
which had been built to receive them. After a lapse of sixty-seven vears. Jef- 
fersonville again became the county seat of Clark county, and it is hardly 
probable that the removal cjuestion will ever arise again. 

The affairs at the Prison. South, occupied a great deal of attention in 
1874, on account of the frec^uent escapes of a genius namer Rodifer. who was 
serving- time there. An investigation of conditions at the prison was made 
soon after, and the report of the investigating committee was to relieve Shuler, 
the warden, for gross mismanagement. 

In 1875 a great revival of religion swept over the county. 

In May, 1875, the first notices of the new glass works began to appear in 
the papers, and it was stated, "Work will be started if twenty thousand dollars 
worth of stock can be subscribed. On November i, 1876, work was started 
on the plant. The company was chartered under the name of the Ford Plate 
Glass Company, with a capital stock of one hundred twenty-five thousand dol- 
lars. The city donated five hundred feet of ground on ^Market street, east, 
extending to the river front, to secure the location of this industrv in Jeffer- 
sonville. John F. Read was chosen president of the company. In February, 
1880, the name was changed to the Jeft'ersonville Plate Glass Companv, the 
incorporators Iseing at this time. John F. Read, S. Goldbach, Felix Lewis, Ed- 
ward Howard, James Burke, Edward Ford, ^^'arren Horr, Joshua Cook, 
Frederick Herron, Abraham Frye, Jonas G. Howard. S. Goldbach was elected 
president. H. T. Sage, secretary and treasurer and E. L. Ford, superintendent. 
After the reorganization nf the company one hundred feet front was added. 
Two hundred men were employed and the business was confined to the man- 
ufacture of plate glass. This industry was a valuable addition to the city of 
Jeffersonville, and as it was one of the first glass works in the United States, 
its output was easily disposed of. An article of that time described the plant 
as follows : 

"So great is the demand for plate glass that the works in Jeffersonville 
are driven to their fullest capacity, and find it difficult to fill their orders. 
They have two large furnaces, each with a capacity for eight crucibles holding 
fifteen hundred pounds of melted glass. One furnace is opened in the morn- 
ing, the other in the afternoon, and sixteen large plates are rolled each day. 
As soon as possible after pouring, the plates are removed from the iron bed 
on which thev are made and transferred to the annealing ovens, where thev 



122 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

are allowed to graduall}' cool. They then pass through the various stages of 
grinding, polishing and cleaning, and are ready to be packed. The entire 
process requires the greatest care and accuracy, owing tn tlie brittle character 
of the article, and breakages are not infrequent. 

"The talile on which the molten mass is poured is eleven by twenty-two feet 
and glass can be made of nearly this size, the largest being one hundred ten 
by two hundred thirty inches. The time required to melt the metal in the 
crucibles, and allow it to cool sufficiently to pour, is twenty-four hours."' 

In the year 1881 the sales of the company amounted tn two hundred fifty 
thousand dollars. The finished plate glass was worth at that time about one 
hundred dollars and sixty cents per square foot. 

The year 1876 being an election year as well as the centennial year, the 
usual enthusiastic demonstrations during th.e compaigni took place, and the 
torch-light processions of this and the succeeding campaigns of 1880 and 1884 
were evidence of the great interest which the masses took in the issues of the 
day. 

On April 24, 1876, the great steamer, the Robert E. Lee, was launched at 
Howard's ship yard. It was an occasion which drew great crowds, not only 
because of the name of the boat, but on account of her size. The shipyards at 
this time were in the most prosperous period of their existence, but the 
founder and head of this industry, Capt. James Howard, was drowned on 
October 14th by his buggy backing oft" of the feriy boat. 

An amusing incident occurred during the early part of 1876. A baby 
was found on a doorstep in Jeft'ersonville with a note attached, giving the in- 
formation that its father was a councilman. Col. James Keigwin, always a 
great joker, discussed the matter at a council meeting, and together with Capt. 
William Northcutt and William S. Goldbach, other members, furnished 
amusement to the people of the city for some time. 

In Jeft'ersonville the Orphans' Home was founded this year, and the work 
of raising a building fund was begun. This 3^ear also the town of ^\'atson 
was laid out. J. B. Speed was the moving spirit in the new village. In 1871 
the cement mill had been erected in this vicinity and it was this fact which 
brought the village into existence. In 1872 the post-office here was established. 

Following the election of Mr. Hayes to the Presidency, after the hot cam- 
paign of the fall, came the violent dissatisfaction of those who voted the other 
way, and Clark county added her mite to the cause by holding meetings at 
several points to protest. At New Washington the Democrats and Repub- 
licans clashed and engaged in a rough and tumble fight, but no casualties 
resulted. 

The panic and strikes in 1877 affected the industries of Clark county 
materiallv. The threats of members of the mob in Louisville, that they intend- 
ed coming to Jeffersonville to seize the stores and amis at the quartermaster's 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND 



123 



depot, was tlie occasion of much concern, and the Jetifersonville Rifles, the local 
militia company, was held under arms for quite a while. Cannon from the 
Government building were kept in readiness, but the mob never came. 

In 1877 the question of water works for Jeffersonville was agitated, and 
in the latter part of the year a company was organized, called the Jeffersonville 
Water Works Company. Dennis Long, of Louisville, was president ; John 
C. Howard, John Read, D. S. Barmore and other were interested, but the 
company failed to make good. 

The visit of President Hayes to Jeft'ersonville and his enthusiastic recep- 
tion, September 17, 1877, was evidence that the people of Clark county had 
forgotten the animosities created by the campaign and in the election squabble. 

On September 23, 1878, the final order was given for the removal of the 
records from Charlestown to the new court-house at Jeffersonville. 

The town of New \\'ashington was increased in size in 1879 by the ad- 
dition of thirty-three in-lots. and twelve out-lots. On Thursday, September 
18, 1879. the ]\Iost \\'orshipful Grand blaster of the Masons of Indiana, 
Calvin W. Prather, of Jeffersonville, laid the cornerstone of the Jeffersonville 
Orphans' Home with great ceremony. 

As a whole the decade of 1870-1880 was one in which Clark county 
showed material advancement in many ways. Her industrial, her social and 
her religious life had each their revivals, and the year 1880 opened with a 
people happy, prosperous and ambitious. The population of the city of Jeffer- 
sonville in 1880 was ten thousand six hundred sixty-six; that of Clark county 
was twenty-eight thousand six htmdred ten. 



CHAPTER XTI. 

THE NINTH DECADE. 1881-189O. 

Outside of the commercial activity, whicli marked tliis decade and tlic 
floods which threatened to ruin the city, nothing of great importance occurred. 
In 1 88 1 the block bounded by Court avenue, and between Spring street and 
Wall street was divided by a thirty-foot street known as Park street. The 
part laying between Park street and Court avenue was laid out as a park and 
improved with walks, trees and shrubs and christened "Warder Park," in 
honor of the mayor, the Hon. Luther F. Warder. 

In 188 1 Sweeney's foundry was moved to its present location. It was 
originally established in 1869 by Michael A. Sweeney and Chris. Baker, who 
opened a small shop on Pearl street, near Court avenue. Mr. Baker retired 
from the firm in 1870, Mr. Sweeney continuing the business alone. In 1872 
he moved to Court avenue, and in March, 1876, admitted James Sweeney as 
a partner. The business was continued here until March, 188 1, when the 
firm purchased nine acres of ground from Guthrie, Marlin & Company, of 
Louisville, and as soon as buildings could be erected, moved their works to 
the place they now occupy. They have a river frontage of nine hundred 
sixty-five feet, and since their purchase of this property have made extensive 
improvements. For a number of years they have engaged in boat-building, 
and have launched cjuite a number of handsome steamers in late years. The 
principal work of this firm, however, is engine building, although all kinds 
of machinery is constructed. This firm still remains one of the important 
industries in Clark county. The most important incident, or rather series of 
incidents, which collectively made one great calamity in the eighties, were the 
floods of 1883 and 1884.' 

In the year 1883 the river reached such a stage that a large part of Jef- 
fersonville was flooded and great damage done, but in 1884, when on Feb- 
ruary 15th, the river reached the unprecedented stage of 46.7 feet, the 
city of Jeflfersonville suft^ered a blow to her hopes — her industries and her 
business which took years to repair. The water on this date covered Port 
Fulton up to the Utica pike, as far down at Jefterson street, out to High 
street, down to Division street, out to Chestnut street, down Chestnut street, 
out Penn street, down Court avenue, out Fulton street, thence to Ninth 
street and Walnut, thence east to Walnut and Watt streets, thence to Tenth 
street and Locust, thence to Eleventh and Wall, to Thirteenth and Walnut, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I25 

to Locust and Fourteenth, thence southwardly to Sparks avenue, east to 
Spring street, thence to Spring and Broadway, thence west to the city hue, 
between Eleventh and Sparks avenue. The water reached the point where 
Eighth street crosses the west line of Jeffersonville, thence to Missouri 
avenue and Seventh street, thence to Seventh and Broadway, thence to Sixth 
and Indiana avenue, thence to Court avenue, east of Indiana avenue, tlience 
to Fourth street, east of Indiana a\'enue, thence to Ohio avenue and Fourth 
street, thence to Third and Ohio avenue, thence to Market and Fort street, 
thence with Fort street to the alley, between Market and Front streets, thence 
to Clark street, tlience to Mulberry and Market streets, and Ihence to the 
river front. 

The city of Jeffersonville contained two hundred fourteen blocks, of 
which ninety-three were wholly submerged, forty-three partly submerged, and 
seventy-eight were dry. Some of the measurements taken at that time by 
Victor W. Lyon, C. E., show the following depths of water Februarv 15, 
1884: 

Spring and Front streets 3.14 feet 

Pearl and Market streets 1.42 feet 

Pearl and Chestnut streets 4.51 feet 

Pearl and Maple streets 6.82 feet 

Pearl and Court avenue 8.12 feet 

Michigan avenue and Court avenue 8.86 feet 

Fifth street and Ohio avenue 9.05 feet 

Sixth street and Ohio avenue 2.95 feet 

Seventh street and Ohio avenue 9.19 feet 

Eighth street and Ohio avenue 9.31 feet 

Eighth street and Michigan avenue 11.42 feet 

Ninth street and Spring street 8. 1 1 feet 

Eleventh street and Spring street 7.89 feet 

Front street and Locust street 5.18 feet 

Market street and Locust street 6.21 feet 

Chestnut street and Locust street 6.30 feet 

Walnut street and Maple street 6.58 feet 

Walnut street and Court street 4.98 feet 

Walnut street and Seventh street 6.66 feet 

Walnut street and Eighth street 8.54 feet 

Walnut street and Market street 10.00 feet 

Locust street and Ninth street 11.88 feet 

Ekin avenue and Indiana avenue i3-70 feet 

Ekin avenue and Illinois avenue 12.31 feet 

Eleventh street and Illinois avenue 16.18 feet 

Missouri avenue and Tenth street I4-I5 feet 



126 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. , 

Missouri avenue and Eleventh street 13-74 feet 

Missouri avenue and west line of city 16.53 f^^t 

Indiana avenue and Ninth street 11.98 feet 

Maple street and Watt street 5.07 feet 

Wall street and Ninth street i3-6i feet 

Market street and Division street 7.00 feet 

Chestnut street and Graham street 1.50 feet 

This flood caused great suffering in Jefifersonville and along the whole 
length of the river, but relief in abundance was received from all over the 
country. Soon afterward the levee was built under Government supervision 
and with a Government appropriation. Jeffersonville stands now well pro- 
tected against the recurrence of such a disaster and during the great flood of 
1907, the highest since 1884, Jeffersonville ^\■as the dryest town or city along 
the whole Ohio valle}'. 

In the eighties also the oil and gas fever struck Clark county and a 
company was formed in Jeffersonville to open wells. J. V. Reed was presi- 
dent. Willis Goodwin, secretary and J. H. McCampbell, treasurer. Stock was 
greedily bought and six or seven wells were sunk near Jeffersonville. The 
one in Ferguson's woods struck a good flow of gas and the stockholders, in 
their elation, held a celebration at the well and the whole city turned out. 
The gas was lighted and night was turned into day. The stockholders refused 
to sell their holdings to less fortunate friends, but their dream was short lived, 
as the gas soon gave out. Luther F. Warder formed another company to 
sink wells but they met with no better success. 

The political campaigns of '84 and "88 were the most enthusiastic since 
the Civil war. Cleveland and Hendricks marching clubs vied with the Blain 
and Logan clubs and the county presented about an equal number of marchers 
in the many torch-light processions which marked the campaign in this 
locality. The campaign of 1888, between Cleveland and Harrison, was 
equally as strenuous and the Clark county citizens maintained their reputation 
for keeping things warm until the night of the election. 

In 1884 one of the most philanthropic acts in the history of the county 
was performed by Prof. William W. Borden, of Borden, in erecting and 
starting the Borden Institute, a school which he maintained for a number 
of vears, and which has furnished good educations to hundreds of young men 
and women of Wood township. 

In Jeffersonville the water works system was completed in 1S88 and ac- 
cepted. The population of Clark county in 1890 was thirty thousand two hun- 
dred fiftv-nine. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE TENTH DECADE 189I-I9OO. 

On March 27, 1890, the city of JeffersonviUe and the southern part of 
the county was visited by the most destructive cyclone in the history of the 
city. About seven o'clock p. m. it broke with all its fury, demolishing build- 
ings and sweeping away property, but fortunately killing no one. In Louis- 
ville, however, scores of people were killed and the destruction of property 
was tremendous. In JeffersonviUe many buildings w^ere unroofed, many 
were partly clown, and many were so badly damaged that they had to be 
pulled down. About two hundred houses were ruined in the city alone, and 
at the time the damage was estimated at five hundred thousand dollars. The 
force of the w-ind was terrific, large timbers being blown across the river from 
wrecked buildings in Louisville, A skift' in the river was blown out of the 
water and into a house on Front street. 

In 1891 the Car Works and other industries of Clark county were en- 
joying a period of great prosperity. At that time the Car A\'orks was em- 
ploying two thousand men, and this year turned out five thousand and eight 
cars, valued at two million nine hundred thousand dollars, or one car for 
every thirt-five minutes. The sixty-three acres of the plant, with its five 
miles of track, was one of the busiest places around the Falls, the saw mill 
alone turning out ten million feet of lumber per year. 

The Big- Four bridge, which had been in course of conftruction for sev- 
eral years, had reached that stage where the spans were being placed on the 
piers. In December, 1892, during a heavy gale, the large center span fell 
and shortly afterward the span on the Kentucky side followed. The collapse 
of the center span carried a score of men to death, but the fall of the second 
span resulted in no casualties. Three vears previously several lives were lost 
by accidents in the caissons, but the Phoenix Bridge Company repaired the 
damage and the bridge was finished and opened for traffic in September, 
1895.^ ^ • 

In the fall of 1895 the twenty-ninth annual reunion of the Grand Army 
of the Republic was held at Louisville, and Jeft'ersonville prepared to help 
entertain the old soldiers. Enough lunch stands and sleeping quarters were 
prepared to care for five thousand visitors, but the sandwiches went uneaten, 
the coffee undrunk and the cots undisturbed by sleepers. Half the population 
expected to make money during the festivities and half the population were 



128 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

disappointed. The owner of one impromptue lunch stand had ordered five 
hundred pies per day and he disposed of one pie. One genius erected five 
thousands seats on the river bank to seat the crow^ds during the display of 
fire works one night and he had one customer. The reunion was not a season 
of happiness so far as Jeffersonville was concerned. 

In this decade another addition was made to Jeffersonville, called In- 
gram's addition. It consisted of blocks one to four and lays in Grant No. 8. 

From 1890 to 1900 the transportation of Jeffersonville citizens was on 
a celebrated system of mule cars. This line of cars, which ran the whole 
length to Market street, was the butt of all jokers, but it was a great conve- 
nience to many and paved the way for the present system of electric cars, 
which has added so materially to the attractiveness of the city. 

In 1893, a bill, presented to the Legislature by Willis Barnes, of 
Charlestown, was passed appropriating five hundred dollars for a monument 
to Gov. Jonathan Jennings. Jennings' remains had laid in the old cemetery 
south of Charlestown since June 27, 1834, but they were moved to the new 
cemeter}' in 1894, and the monument erected to mark his final resting place. 

In September, 1891, a great fair was held in Charlestown. The exhibits 
being of great interest, were viewed by thousands of visitors. 

From 1892 to 1893 Clark county had the first company of the National 
Guard since 1877. The officers of this company were: Captain, L. C. Baird; 
first lieutenants, C. H. Kelly, W. W. Crooker and H. H. Thacker; second 
lieutenants, W. W. Crooker and H. E. Barrett. The company was called into 
active service during the strike and riots of 1893 and upon their return from 
Sullivan county were received by a great crowd of friends. 

In 1898 the Spanish war found Clark county without a company for the 
first call, but this was caused by the call being filled by militia regiments. 
The second call was responded to by a splendid company recruited from 
nearly all parts of the county. Their service in the One Hundred Sixty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry will be found in the chapters on the military his- 
tory of Clark county. Their return from foreign service May 3, 1899, was 
the occasion of a great demonstration. 

In October, 1899, was held a carnival of flowers on the occasion of the 
meeting of the Southern Indiana Press Association in Jeffersonville. The 
display of beautifully decorated carriages was a delight to the many visitors 
here at that time. 

On September 4, 1899, a great labor day celebration was held in Jef- 
fersonville. 

In October, 1899, the corner stone of the school-house in Howard Park 
was laid with appropriate ceremonies. 

On December 10, 1899, Father Andran, the beloved priest of St. Augus- 
tine's Roman Catholic church, died. His death removed the friend and coun- 



■R5!^. 





■ I'-f mjii 



CLARK COL'XTY CUL'RT HOLSE. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 129 

seller of many and a wonderfnily snccessfnl worker from the Christian church. 

In this decade Jeffersonville and Clark county enjoyed all the advantages 
which belonged to other places similarly situated with the exception of street 
car and interurban service, but the next decade produced a service second to 
none. 

In 1896 Jeffersonville spent nearly ten thousand dollars on street im- 
provement. 

In 1897 the city was one of the best lighted cities in the country, having 
sixty arc lights on the streets. 

The population of Clark county in 1900 was thirty-one thousand eight 
hundred and thirty-five. 

9 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE ELEVENTH DECADE I9OI-I9IO. 

This last decade of Clark county history is the centennial decade, not 
only of the county, but of Jeffersonville and of Charlestown. 

On February 3, 1801, William Henry Harrison, the first Territorial 
Governor, created Clark county by gubernatorial proclamation. The centen- 
nial of this date was marked by no celebration, but the celebration of the cen- 
tennial of the founding of Jeffersonville, June 23. 1902. was an event of 
county wide interest. A great parade of societies, exhibits, b.nnds and citizens 
was a feature of the day, followed by exercises at the court-house, where Col. 
James Keig\vin, Hon. Jonas G. Howard, and Hon. Frank Burke delivered 
speeches. 

To the ladies of the Daughters of the American Revolution belong all 
the credit for this centennial. The parade in the morning was divided into 
divisions and were commanded by Jeffersonville soldiers. Col. John Ingram, 
a veteran of the Mexican war, commanded one division. Col. James Keigwin. 
Capt. John Hoffman. Col. Isaac Brinkworth, and Capt. C. \\\ Coward, vet- 
erans of the War of the Rebellion, commanded other divisions; while Maj. D. 
C. Peyton, Capt. L. C. Baird, and Capt. James W. Fortune, of the Spanish 
war, commanded others. In the evening a concert by a military band was 
given on Front street, and this was followed by a display of fire works from 
a barge anchored in the river. 

On September 19, 1903, the corner stone of the new Jeffersonville Car- 
negie Library was laid by the most worshipful grand lodge of Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons of Indiana, with imposing ceremonies. Fifteen thousand dol- 
lars had been provided by Mr. Carnegie for the building of this structure, and 
one thousand five hundred dollars per year had been pledged for its support. 
At the ceremonies. Grand Master William E. English, of Indianapolis, pre- 
sided, and Brother E. L. Powell, of Louisville, made the principal address. 

The following is a list of articles deposited in the comer stone : 

City directory of 1903. 

One copy of Daily Courier Journal, dated September 19, 1903. 
One copy of Daily Herald, September 19. 1903. 
' One copy of Daily Evening Star, September 19, 1903. 
One copy of Daih" Evening News, September 19, 1903. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



131 



One copy of Weekly Clark County Republican, September 19, 1903. 

Copy of Masonic directory, 1902. 

Roster of officers and members of Clark Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons, September 19. 1903. 

Roster of officers and meml)ers of Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons, Lidianapolis, 1903. 

Roster of officers and members of the Forty-ninth Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry in war of 1861-5, furnished by (and in his own writing) Col. James 
Keigwin, its commanding officer. 

Roster of officers and members of Company E, One Hundred SixtA^-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in war of 1898-99, by Capt. Lewis C. Baird. 

List of city officers for 1903. 

List of county officers for 1903. 

List of township officers for 1903. 

Roster of post-office officials, carriers, etc., 1903. 

List of officers of new library (Carnegie's), 1903, and copy of resolu- 
tions on death of Miss Hannah Znlauf. one of the original founders. 

List of officers of Walnut Ridge cemetery. 

List of officers of First Presbyterian church, 1903, with history of the 
organization of the church and photograph of the Rev. John S. Howk, pastor. 

List of officers of Wall Street Methodist Episcopal church, 1903, and 
photograph of Rev. Charles E. Asbur}', pastor. 

List of officers and rector of St. Paul's Episcopal church, 1903. 

List of officers and members of the Methodist Episcopal church. South 
(Morton Chapel), and its history from the organization, by Rev. J. B. Butler, 
pastor. 

List of officers of First Christian church. 

List of officers of First Baptist church. 

List of officers of Ad\'ent Christian church. 

List of members of Bar of Clark county. 

Invitation to exercises of dedication. 

Program of exercises of dedication. 

Almanac of 1903. 

Proclamation of Mayor for half-holiday. 

Municipal reports of city. 1898, Alfred H. Bamber. 

The Delineator, a magazine of fashion, 1903. 

Buttericks's fashion patterns, October, 1903. 

Roster of teachers of city schools, 1903, and photograph of Alexander 
C. Goodwin, superintendent. 

Nickel of coinage of 1903. by Thomas B. Bohon. 

Confederate bill of denomination of ten dollars, dated February 17, 1864. 

History of Jeffersonville township public library, by Mis« Eva Luke. 



13- BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Copy of contract and specifications for new library building, by Clark 
and Loomis. architects. 

Photograph of Arthur Loomis, architect. 

Photograph of Mrs. Carrie Loomis. 

Roster of A. A. S. R. for 1902, Valley of Indianapolis, by Thomas W. 
Perrj'. 

Roster of Murat Temple, 1902, A. A. R. Shrine, bv T. W. Perry. 

Photograph of Hon. James K. Marsh, Judge of the Circuit Court. 

Photograph of Thomas W. Perry, secretary of school board. 

Photograph of W. A. Davis, president of school board. 

Photograph of Simeon S. Johnson, past grand master Masons of Lidiana. 

Card of Timmonds and Stancell, makers of deposit box. 

Li December, 1903, St. Augustine's Roman Catholic church was burned 
with a loss of about thirty-five thousand dollars. The congregation imme- 
diately took steps to rebuild and on Sunday, October 2, 1905, it was dedicated 
by Bishop Francis Silas Chatard. 

In February, 1904, occurred the death of a distinguished educator of 
Indiana, Prof. A. C. Goodwin, the superintendent of the JefTersonville public 
schools. 

On May i, 1904, the last mule car was seen in Jeffersonville ; the line 
was discontinued for a short time, and a new electric equipment was installed. 
This line extended up Market street to Jackson street. Port Fulton, and down 
Market street to Ohio avenue. There was also a line on Spring street from 
Front to Court avenue, up Court avenue, to Meigs avenue, and out Meigs to 
the government depot. 

On July 12, 1904, the City Council of Jeffersonvlile granted a franchise 
to build an approach to the Big Four bridge from Court avenue, and on Sep- 
tember 13, 1905, the first car was taken over the bridge. 

In August, 1904, the re-dedication of the old Bethel meeting house, three 
miles south of Charlestown, took place in the presence of a large concourse of 
Methodists. Bishop Walden, of Cincinnati, presided. 

In May, 1903, the state of Indiana acquired two thousand acres of land 
near Henryville and established a state forestry' reservation. This tract of 
land was acquired to show that seven hundred thousand teres of so-called 
worthless knob land in Southern Indiana could be made of value. Here also 
were to be raised seedling trees to distribute all over Indiana to make the state 
again an extensive and commercial hardwood producer, and thereby retain 
many of the wood working concerns which would have to eventually leave the 
state unless a new supply of timber could be grown. It was also established 
to teach forestry. On the summit of the knob in this tract six hundred feet 
above the plains of northern Clark county and one thousand twenty-six feet 
above sea level one can look down on the most promising farm lands of the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. I33 

state. This undertaking on the part of the state promises to be of great 
value and has already borne fruits. 

On August 25, 1904, Jeffersonville lost one of her oldest and best known 
citizens in the death of Col. James Keigwin. late of the Forty-ninth Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry. Always proud of Jeffersonville and Clark county he 
belonged to that class of men who made a community better by living in it. 
He was a gallant soldier and in his day was widely known and connected with 
most of the enterprises of the city. 

In August, 1904, the Jeffersonville and New Albany Chautauqua Assem- 
bly was held at Glenwood Park. As the president and seven out of eleven 
directors were Jeftersonville men it may fairly be called a Jeffersonville enter- 
prise. This meeting was held at Glenwood Park on the bank of Silver creek 
and a program of entertainment for eleven days was offered. This Chautau- 
qua has been held every year since and it affords clean, wholesome and intelli- 
gent entertainment at a very reasonable cost. 

In September, 1904, the new Spring Hill school was opened in Jeffer- 
sonville. This school is a modern, handsome, commodious and convenient 
building, and marks an epoch in school building in Clark county. The stand- 
ard of excellence set here is to be surpassed by the erection of a new high 
school at a near date. Two of the old original schools of Jeffersonville were 
torn down about this time. The old Mulberry street school, at the lower end 
of Chestnut street, was torn down in the fall of 1904, and the old Blue school 
on Watt and Maple, was demolished later. 

September 12, 1905, the first electric car was run over the Big Four 
bridge, thus opening the whole of Southern Indiana to Louisville. The trip 
across the bridge was the occasion of a great demonstration by the officials of 
the three cities. 

In December, 1906, Judge C. P. Ferguson's death removed from the bar 
of Clark county a distinguished jurist. A friend and companion of many of 
the early leaders both in law and politics, and a student of men and measures, 
he rose to the front of the profession in Clark county. 

In 1906 Charlestown celebrated her centennial with appropriate cere- 
monies. This old county seat town, and one of the most attractive towns in 
Southern Indiana retains the quiet refinement and characteristic sedateness 
which befits its age. A more picturesque place than Charlestown does not exist, 
and with the historic memories of her past and the many points of interest in 
her near vicinity there is no reason why the little town on Falling Run could 
not be made a summer resort of great popularity. Fern Grove, on the river 
at the mouth of Fourteen Mile creek, is but two miles away and here a con- 
tinual stream of excursionists are found all through the summer. Other attrac- 
tions near Charlestown are : 

Buffalo Lick, lithia springs half mile. 



134 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

White sulphur wells, one mile. 

Tunnel ]\Iill, over a century old, old-style water mill, still running, two 
miles. 

Stockwell cave, two miles. 

Delaware Indian cave, adjoins town. 

Halcyon Hill, overlooking town. 

Cave of the Silver Find, three miles. 

Remains of Mound Builders" Fort, near Ohio river, two miles. 

Fourteen Mile creek, fine fishing, one mile. 

Alonument and tomb of Jonathan Jennings, first Governor of Indiana. 

Quaint architecture dating from 1806 to the War of 1812. 

On July 3T, 1905, the old Utica "bus" made its last trip from Jefferson- 
ville to Utica, and on August ist the first rural free delivery of the mail in 
Clark county was inaugurated on the route formerly covered by the "bus." 

In the year 1907 the city of Jefifersonville made three improvements, 
the Seventh street sewer, Maple street sewer and Spring street improvement. 
W. O. Sweeney was the contractor in each case. The following shows the 
interesting figures connected with each, the total cost of all improvements 
amounting to forty thousand two hundred and sixty-six dollars and eighty-one 
cents : 

Seventh street sewer: Material, vitrified tile; length, one thousand seven 
hundred and ninety feet ; cost, two thousand seven hundred and fifty-six dol- 
lars and forty cents; contract approved November 5, 1907; final assessment 
approved February i, 1908; covers sixty-nine property descriptions, effects 
forty-four property owners ; city share, two dollars and twenty-seven cents. 

Maple street sewer: Material, vitrified tile; length, two thousand fifty- 
five feet ; cost, two thousand one hundred and forty-four dollars and fifteen 
cents; contract approved August 29, 1907; final assessment approved January 
10, 1908; covers one hundred two property descriptions, affects sixty-five 
property owners; city share, one hundred sixteen dollars and fifty-six cents. 

Spring street, from Court to Fourteenth: Material, vitrified brick; 
length, six thousand four hundred thirty-seven and twenty-six hundredths feet; 
total cost, thirty-two thousand three hundred sixty-six dollirs and twenty-six 
cents; cost per lineal foot, two dollars seventy-eight cents; contract approved 
April 29, 1907 : final assessment January 15, 1908 ; cover two hundred seventy- 
five property descriptions, affects one hundred eighteen property owners. 

Apjjrtipriations of twehe thousand dollars for purchasing the turnpike 
running from Jefifersonville to Charlestown, and fourteen thousand two hun- 
dred fifty for Inlying the toll road between Jeffersonville and Utica and to a 
point a few miles beyond there, where it intersects the first named highway 
for an outlet to Charlestown, was matle by ihc County Council of Clark cciunty 
in April, 1907. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



135 



The appropriation is practically a loan, and eventually Jeffersonville, 
Utica and Charlestown townships will pay it back. 

On February 10, igo8, a limited car service was established between 
Louisville and Seymour, Indiana. These cars ran every two hours, and the 
running time between Jeffersonville and Seymour was one hour and thirty- 
nine minutes. 

In November, 1907. the famous Chalyljeate Springs, which once made 
famous the "Springs'" in Jeft'ersonville in the forties and fifties, were destroyed 
by the Big Four Railroad in making improvements. 

July 18, 1907, the corner stone of the new county poor asylum was laid 
by the grand master of Masons of Indiana, Calvin W. Prather, acting grand 
master presiding. This ceremon}- was under the auspices of Blazing Star 
Lodge, No. 226, Free and Accepted Masons. The building when completed 
cost twenty-tive thousand dollars, and is one of the finest in the state of 
Indiana. 

August 25, 1907, the first car from Scottsburg, on the Indianapolis & 
Louisville Traction Company lines, arrived in Jeffersonville. 

One of the important dates of late years was that of 1907. The river 
had reached a high but not dangerous stage. The residents of the lower end 
of Jeft'ersonville had been alarmed at reports of the weakness of the Pennsyl- 
vania fill at the junction, and at the ringing of the fire bell, when a break 
seemed imminent, pandemonium broke loose. Wagons, carts, buggies, wheel- 
barrows and ever)- other available vehicle was pressed into ser\'ice to haul house- 
hold and other goods to high ground. It was the record breaking evacuation, 
notwithstanding the fact that the water would have reached few of the houses 
should the fill have broken. When the river had subsided the town of Clarks- 
ville, together with the Pennsylvania Railroad, reinforced the dike and Jeffer- 
sonville is today the safest and dryest river town from Pittsburg to Cairo. 

In the centennial decade Charlestown began the improvement of her 
streets with granitoid sidewalks, and besides adding to the beauty, attractive- 
ness and convenience of the town, it has added to the value of real estate. 
The spirit of municipal progress which gave Charlestown improved streets, 
a fine creamery, an electric lighting plant, good telephones, cement and wall 
plaster factory, and electric cars, will manifest in other lines, and the coming 
generation may expect to see the most Ijeautiful residential suburb around 
the Three Falls cities. Her old attraction will always remain, and to the 
lovers of rural beauty and historical association she will always remain one 
of the choicest spots on Indiana soil. 

Borden in like manner is growing in prominence on account of its in- 
dustries and improvements, but particularly from its strawberry shipments. 
This town has become one of the principal berry shipping points in the West, 
no less than twenty thousand gallons being shipped to Chicago annually. 



136 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

The shipment of fruits and berries to other cities is growing and this trade 
will soon be one of far-reaching importance to this section of the state. 

Improvement seems to be the order of the day throughout Clark county, 
and Jeffersonville has within the last year taken great strides towards 
rejuvenating herself and advertising her advantages in every quarter. With 
the resumption of business at the car works and the returning confidence of 
the people in the stability of business in other lines Clark county and her 
various towns have indeed a bright future before them. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE MILITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY. 
1 786- 1 844. 

The earliest history of Clark county is military. The settlement at Clarks- 
ville had as its nucleus a stockade called Fort Clark, and within easy distance 
of its protecting walls were clustered the cabins of the settlers. However, the 
growing hostility of the Northwestern Indian tribes, collectively known as 
the \\'abash Indians, and the grave political situation which had arisen 
among the people south of the Ohio river, because of the failure of the Union 
to protect the frontiers, and open the Mississippi river to commerce led the 
Go\-ernment to establish and garrison the fort just above the rapids of the Ohio. 
The Indian situation was about as bad as it could be, and reports of murder 
and robbery were almost daily. The trapper or hunter who \entured back 
into the dense forests and canebrakes was compelled to match the cunning of 
the savage or pay the penalty with his life. The settler could at no time feel 
safe from the murderous attacks of a foe whom our English cousins had armed 
and incited to deeds of the most revolting crueltv. 

Gov. Patrick Henry, of Virginia, was well informed as to conditions, and 
on "Slay 16, 1786, presented the subject so strongly to Congress that action was 
soon taken, and on June 30, 1786, the Executive of Virginia was notified that 
the United States had ordered their commandant on the Ohio to detach two 
companies to the rapids of the Ohio, with request that the militia of that dis- 
trict be required to co-operate with them in defense of the frontier. In- 
structions were sent to Colonel Harmar as to the disposition of his forces, 
under date of June 27, 1786. These were received by him at Fort Pitt, July 
13. 1786, by the hand of Major North. Colonel Harmar replied in part as 
follows : "That in obedience to instructions, he should detach two companies 
to the rapids of the Ohio, to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of 
the Indians." He thereupon proposed to detach Finney's and Ziegler's com- 
panies from Fort Finney, at the mouth of the ]\Iiami, to the rapids, and close 
the post at the Miami, there being no trouble below the Muskingum. 

Fort Finney had been built in the fall of 1785, but the ground near the 
mouth of the Miami was very low and the trouble occasioned by floods was 
so great that it was never used again. 

Colonel Harmar again reports to Secretary Knox, under date of August 



138 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

4, 1786, in which he states that, "Agreeable to order of Congress, he had de- 
tached two companies to the rapids of the Ohio." This seems to fix con- 
ckisively the birth of the new fort, the ist of August. 1786. 

The site chosen for the new work was on the north bank of the river, and 
near the head of the rapids, in what is now the lower end of Jeffersonville. 
It was named in honor of Major Walter Finney, as was the work closed at 
the mouth of the Miami. Fort Steuben was a small work about thirty miles 
below Fort Mcintosh on the Ohio. This was abandoned in June. 1787, and 
soon after Fort Finney at Jeffersonville was re-named Fort Steui)en, in 
honor of that Revolutionary hero of Prussian birth. 

The location selected by Major Finney was at the lower end of what 
later on became the original town of Jefiferson\-ille, on a piiint abuut forty feet 
below what is now the foot of Fort street, and on a level piece of land lying 
between Front street and the river. It commanded a view up the river for 
some distance, as well as a view of the Falls, and it was here that the first or- 
ganized body of white men made their habitation in Jeffersonville. Beyond 
the fact that it was in the year 1786, neither the war department nor other 
sources can give us any information. The first commander was Major Walter 
Finney, 1786 to 1787, and his company with that of Captain Zeigler the first 
garrison. Following Major Finney came Major Wyllys, who was afterward 
killed in action with the Indians on the Miami river October 22, 1790. 

It became an important garrison and remained under the command of 
Capt. John Armstrong, U. S. A., until 1790, he having been ordered here 
from Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg). In shape the fort appears to have been a 
square afifair of both wood and earthwork. A deep trench was cut from the 
south side of the work to the river, and this was covered with logs and earth, 
making a tunnel through which water could be brought and by which escape 
could be made, if necessary. During the few years of Fort Steuben's exist- 
ence as a garrisoned fort the little village around it was the scene of more 
than one military display. Up to 1786 the head and center of military action 
seems to have been mostly on the Kentucky side of the river, but it shifted 
to Fort Steuben when that garrison was established and remained here until 
1791. 

In the year 1787 Colonel Harmar was at Fort Steuben, accompanied by 
Lieutenants Beatty and Pratt, and about June ist, of this same year. Captain 
Strong and his company from Fort Harmar arrived to reinforce the garrison. 
The presence of Colonel Harmar can be accounted for by the fact that he was 
the commanding officer of the First U. S. Regiment, of which organization 
the garrison of Fort Steuben was a part. On June loth Lieutenant Denny, 
Captain Smith and his company. Ensign Sedam with part of Captain Mercer's 
company. Lieutenant Peters and Doctor Elliott arrived, and on July 2d, 
Strong's, Mercer's and Smith's companies crossed the Ohio to the Virginia 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I39 

side and niarclied down to encamp below the Falls. The next day Captains 
Finney and Zeigler, with their companies, left the fort and joined the others 
in camp. These troops, together with Captain Ferguson's battery of artillery 
from Fort Alclntosh, formed the body of a peaceful expedition from Fort 
Steuben to Post Vincennes, under command of Colonel Harmar and Major 
Hamtramck, and it was upon their return to Fort Steuben on October 28, 1787, 
that Harmar received his commission as a brigadier-general. Soon after this 
all of these, with the exception of Major Wylly's with Finney's and Mercer's 
companies, who remained to garrison the fort, left for Fort Harmar. 

The depredations of the Indians became so bold north of the Ohio that 
settlement was hazardous in the extreme, and to give better protection to that 
tract known as Clark's grant and its vicinity. General Harmar sent reinforce- 
ments back to the garrison of Fort Steuben in 1788. 

On August 26, 1789, about two hundred mounted troops, under Col. John 
Hardin, left the Falls to attack the Indian towns on the Wabash, and returned 
on September 28th, of the same year, without the loss of a man. 

A day of martial display, no doubt, was that of January 8,. 1790. when 
Gov. Arthur St. Clair and Winthrop Sargeant, secretary of the territory, ar- 
rived on their way to the Illinois country. This official party seems to have 
made Fort Steuben their headquarters, for the Governor's letters to Major 
Hamtramck, the commanding officer of Post Vincennes, are dated from here. 
The Governor and his party remained at Fort Steuben until January 27, 1790, 
and while here made the following appointments : 

"William Clark, of Clarksville, Justice of the Peace and Captain of the 
Militia, in the Town and Vicinity." 

"John Owens, Lieutenant of ^Militia." 

It was in this same year that the Governor, being vested with power by 
President Washington, called for one thousand militia from Virginia and five 
hundred from Pennsylvania. Kentucky (which was still a part of Virginia) 
sent one hundred and twenty-fi\e men from Lincoln county and fifty men from 
Jefferson county to Fort Steuben. These troops assembled here on September 
I2th. and soon after left for Vincennes for action against the red men. 

On June 14, 1791, Brig. -Gen. Charles Scott arrived at Fort Steuben at 
the head of eight hundred mounted and armed men, having finished a suc- 
cessful expedition against the Wabash tribes. He deli\-ered to Captain Ash- 
ton, of the First U. S. Infantry commanding the fort, forty-one prisoners of 
war. This was the largest body of mounted troops in this vicinity during this 
period, and even at the present day it would be no inconsequential force. 
Their approach to Fort Steuben was either by way of that trail that led 
westwardly from the fort past the whirlpool to the Vincennes trail, or by the 
upper trail, leading back through the virgin forest a short distance above the 
fort, and afterward named Spring street. Their triumphal return from a sue- 



140 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

cessful campaign against a savage foe so feared by all, with forty-one braves as 
prisoners of war, was no doubt an improsing entry, and brought a feeling of 
satisfaction and safety to the minds of those who lived in almost daily dread 
of capture, murder or torture. On August 21st of this same year Brig.-Gen. 
James Wilkinson arrived at Fort Steuben with five hundred and twenty-five 
men, having made an expedition similar to that of General Scott, and equally 
as successful. These troops, although small in number, and armed with old 
flint-lock muskets, were a formidalile body for those days, and their march to 
the old fort must have been a great event in the little hamlet so unused to 
scenes such as these. 

In May, 1791, the garrison was reduced to sixty-one men. The seat of 
trouble having moved northward and other forts having been established 
closer to the northern boundary, the old fort was soon after discontinued as 
a garrisoned post. The last mention of a garrison is that Captain Ashton, of 
the First U. S. Infantry, was in command, and then we find that on July 15, 
1791, "the whole of the First U. S. Regiment" arrived at Fort Washington 
to participate in an expedition which established several forts to the north- 
ward. This evidently was the last garrison of regular troops, for the fort is 
never mentioned as such again, although the month after this (August 21st) 
was the date of the arrival of Wilkinson's expedition. 

Travelers have mentioned the fort after this date as being still in ex- 
istence, i. e., Francis Baily, an English traveler in Louisville in 1797. writes: 
"The Ohio here is nearly a mile wide and is bounded by an open champaign 
country, where there is a fort kept up for the protection of the infant colony 
and called Fort Steuben." But its garrison was no doubt part of the militia 
of the territory, as this organization was a ver^' effective body at that time. 
The commanding officers of Fort Steuben were Major Walter Finney, who 
constructed it, but who remained only a year: I\Iaj. David Wyllys, Capt. 
John Armstrong, and then for a short while Capt. Joseph Ashton. 

Capt. John Armstrong, although an officer in the regular establishment, 
returned to Clark county and settled here after a long and honorable career 
in both the military and civil service of his country. He is buried on a 
farm opposite the Grassy Flats, in Clark county, and a monument marks his 
last resting place, inscribed as follows : 

"Sacred to the memory of Col. John Armstrong, who was born April 20, 
1755, and died February 4, 1816. He entered the Army of the United States 
at the commencement of the Revolutionary war and served liis country seven- 
teen years as a soldier and an officer. During his services in the army he was 
in thirty-seven skirmishes and four general actions, among which were the 
battles of Trenton, Stony Point, Monmouth, and the Siege of Yorktown. 

"The deceased came to the western coimtry with the first troops sent 
thither and was in Harmar's and St. Clair's campaign, and commanded 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I4I 

the garrison (Fort Steuben) at the Falls of the Ohio for several years, making 
frequent excursions against the Indians. At an early day he selected for a 
farm the tract of land where his remains are interred, and formed a settlement 
on it of several families in the year 1796." 

The family still remains in JelTersonville. one of the oldest pioneer fam- 
ilies, and his great-grandson. Capt. Frank Spear Armstrong, a native and a 
citizen of Clark county, and a graduate of West Point, is at present an officer 
in the regular army on his second long period of foreign service in the Philip- 
pines with his regiment, the Ninth Cavalry. 

The soldiers of the garrison of Fort Steuben who died while stationed 
there were given burial in a little plot of level ground that extended out in 
front of the present ferry office. They lay here undisturbed by the march of 
civilizaton for many years. In 1843. when Haiwey ]\IcCampbell was en- 
gaged in grading down the bank to make a wharf which would meet the re- 
quirements of a growing town, and which would afford access to the river, it 
became necessary to dig away the whole of this sacred spot. In accordance 
with the dictates of decency and respect. Dr. Samuel Merriwether, a member 
of the City Council, ofifered a resolution on October 12, 1843, to remove the 
bodies to the old ]\Iulberry street cemetery, and the work was ordered done. 
The grave is now marked by an oak tree planted by the ladies of the Daugh- 
ters of the American Revolution. 

Old Fort Steuben, with its earthworks and its tunnel, its garrison and 
its equipment, its quarters and its supplies, disappeared many years ago, 
and not the slightest trace of its location remains, nor can a single relic of its 
existence be found. The scene of the usual routine of a garrisoned fort, it 
more than once furnished the characters for stirring acts, and was often the 
center of excitement when expeditions were leaving, or of great demonstra- 
tions upon their triumphal return. Even the plot of ground upon which it was 
erected has been swept away by the turbulent floods of the river, and only an 
occasional account serves to remind us that at Front and Fort streets veterans 
of the Revolution guarded the lives and property of the dwellers in the little 
village around them, or boldly forced their way northward through the forests 
to drive back the savages and claim the territory for their own race and flag. 

From the abandonment of Fort Steuben by the United States troops, 
in 1 79 1, until the battle of Tippecanoe, the record of the militia in and around 
Jeffersonville is meagre, the appointment of officers being about the only 
beacons by which we know of the existence of such a body. The old militia 
law of July 25, 1788, was the authority by which all the military organiza- 
tions in the state were governed. This law required all citizens between the 
ages of sixteen and fifty to be enrolled in the militia. They were divided 
into two classes, the senior and junior. The senior class was composed of 
all who had held commissions in the U. S. army or were graduates of mil- 



142 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

itary schools. The law required every man to provide himself with "musket 
and bayonet or rifle, cartridge box and pouch or powder horn, and bullet 
pouch, with forty rounds of cartridges, or one pound of powder and four 
pounds of lead, priming wire and brush, and six flints." The companies 
usually consisted of sixty-four men rank and file, one captain, one lieutenant, 
one ensign, four sergeants, four corporals, one drummer and one fifer. Eight 
companies formed one battalion and two battalions one regiment. 

Clark county was the fifth county to organize her militia under the new 
law of December, 1800. Governor Harrison turned his attention to militarv af- 
fairs February 6, 1801, by the appointment of his staff, and the first aid-de- 
camp commissioned was Henry Hurst. On September 20. 1803, the militia of 
the county was organized and IMarston G. Clark was commissioned lieutenant- 
colonel commanding. Joseph Bartholomew was appointed major and five 
companies were organized with the following officers First company, captain, 
John Owens : lieutenant, William Plaskett ; ensign, David Owens. Second 
company, captain, George W^ood; lieutenant, Isaac Shelby; ensign, Barzillai 
Baker. Third company, captain, \\'illiam Goodwin: lieutenant. Robert Burge; 
ensign, William Stacy. Fourth company, captain. William Smith; lieutenant, 
\^'illiam Prather; ensign, John Morris. Fifth company, captain, Davis Floyd; 
lieutenant, John Jackson ; ensign, Rezin Redman. 

On September 22, 1804, John Berry and Matthew Rider were com- 
missioned lieutenants, and Josiah Ekin an ensign in the First Regiment of 
Clark county. On May 25, 1805. James Bland was appointed captain and 
Thomas Bland, ensign, to succeed John Owens and David Owens, resigned. 
In this same year a new company was organized with William Herrod as 
captain, George Newland as lieutenant, and Joel. Cortlly, as ensign. In De- 
cember, 1805, Lieut. Col. Marston G. Clark removed from the county, and 
Maj. Joseph Bartholomew succeeded him. 

On January 10, 1806, Lieut. William Prather was promoted to the cap- 
taincy made vacant by the death of William Smith, and John \\'ork, Jr., was 
appointed a lieutenant vice Rider, resigned. On this same day Davis Floyd 
was promoted major. 

On August 16, 1806. the first troop of horse in Clark county, and the 
second in the state, was organized in Jeft'ersonville with Charles Beggs as 
captain. Aamn Prather. first lieutenant: James Lemon, second lieutenant, and 
Peter Bloom, cornet. 

On this same dav John Owens was made major of the second Ijattalion. 
On November i8tli. Ensign Rezin Redman was commissioned captain, vice 
Goodwin, resigned, and Robert Robertson was promoted captain, vice \\'ood. 
resigned, and Josiah Aiken was promoted captain, vice, Owens, promoted. 
John Anderson was appointed captain; John McCoy was appointed lieutenant: 
Eli Robertson was appointed lieutenant : Jacob Fonts was appointed lieutenant. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. I43 

Absalom Hart was appointed ensign : Thomas Chappel! was appointed ensign ; 
Joseph Bowman was appointed ensign, and David Fonts was appointed en- 
sign, all on November i8, 1806. 

On April 18, 1807. John Johnson and Enoch Boon w-ere commissioned 
captains ; John Smith and Paul French, lieutenants, and James Hickman and 
Robert Denbow, ensigns. On July 8, John Shields was appointed captain : 
^^'illiam Smith, lieutenant, and Fielding Qromwell. ensign. On August 22, 
Gresham Lee was made captain ; Joseph Howard lieutenant, and John Griffin 
ensign. On November 3, 1807. several promotions were made on account of 
resignations, and a new company was 'mustered into the service with ^^'illiam 
Herrod as captain. George Newland as lieutenant and Joel Combs, as ensign. 

On March 25. 1808. the names of Lieutenants George Roberts and James 
Hickman appears in the promotions, and William Pennington and John 
Hickman in the appointments. On July 6. 1808. the commission of Maj. Davis 
Floyd was revoked. No cause can be found for this action in the records 
but as he had been associated with Aaron Burr in his treasonable acts, this 
was undoubtedly the real cause. Burr"s forces lay at Jeft'ersonville during 
the winter of 1807 and 1808. and his secret scheming, carried on while seem- 
ingly working in the interests of a canal around the Falls of the Ohid on the 
Lidiana side, was a matter of very great concern to the territorial authorities. 
Charles L. Byrns was appointed captain, vice Johnston, resigned, and Robert 
Denbo and Elijah Hurst were appointed lieutenants. John Parkinson and 
Robert Rusk were appointed ensigns. 

On October 22. 1808. Capt. ^^'illiam Prather received his majority, vice 
Davis Floyd, relieved, and Samuel Latton was appointed cornet in the Jeffer- 
sonville troop of horse. On March 7, 1809, Major Owens and INIajor Bar- 
tholomew recommended the following commissions : Robert Evans to be cap- 
tain ; Jacob Fonts to be captain ; John Norris to be captain : John Thompson 
to be captain : Peter Covert to be lieutenant : \\'illiam Kelly to be lieutenant : 
John Crockett to be ensign ; John McNaught to be ensign ; John McClintock, 
Jr., to be ensign. On November 29, 1809, Rezin Redman received his ma- 
jority, and Samuel Smock was appointed captain ; John Blenard, lieutenant : 
Squire Hall, lieutenant and Andrew Gelvick lieutenant. On October 10. 1810, 
a new Clark county company was organized with James RIcFarland as 
captain. Booth Thomas, lieutenant, and James Gaddass, ensign. 

The various companies were called together on certain days, called 
"muster days." for drill and instruction, but these days became times of such 
drinking and carousing that on December 10, 181 o, the Legislature passed a' 
law which forbade officers treating their men with "ardent spirits" and pro- 
hibited the sale of such within two miles of the muster place, except in 
licensed inns. 

On April 5, 181 1. the following appointments were made: William 



144 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Patrick, captain ; John McCoy, captain ; William Montgomery, captain ; James 
Bigger, captain ; John Jenkins, lieutenant ; John Herrod, lieutenant ; Henry 
Socles, lieutenant; John Chuns, lieutenant; Thomas Jacobs, ensign; Joseph 
Carr, ensign ; Joseph Bowers, ensign ; Joseph Stillwell, ensign. Walter Taylor 
was commissioned captain ; George Twilley, lieutenant, and Joseph Stroud, 
ensign. The last mention of county regiments was made when Robert Rob- 
ertson was commissioned as colonel of the Clark county regiment April 13, 
1812. 

The year 181 1 was made memorable to the people of Clark county, by 
the battle of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, had formed 
a confederacy of Indian tribes, and their strength and depredations had be- 
come such that an aggressive policy was decided on by Governor Harrison. 
A considerable number of troops were assembled and a march on the Prophet's 
town was decided on while Tecumseh was in the South. The part that Clark 
countv took in this memorable campaign is one that reflects the highest credit 
on the soldiers who went from here. The following is a list of officers from 
Clark county, who served through the expedition : 

Major Henry Hurst, A. D. C. 
Brigade Inspector Marston G. Clark. 
Lieut. Col. Joseph Bartholomew (wounded). 
Major Rezin Redman. 
Surgeon's ]Mate Andrew P. Hay. 
Adjutant Davis Floyd. 
Capt. John Xorris (wounded). 
/Capt. James Bigger. 
Capt. Charles Beggs. 
Lieut. John Herrod. 
Lieut. John T. Chunn. 
Lieut. John Thompson. 
Ensign Joseph Carr. 
Ensign Joseph Stillwell. 
Cornet Mordecai Sweeney. 

The expedition consisted of about eleven hundred men and officers, or- 
ganized as follows: Nine companies of U. S. Infantry (Fourth Regiment); 
Six companies of Indiana militia ; three companies of Indiana mounted rifle- 
men ; two companies of Indiana dragoons ; one company of Indiana riflemen ; 
two companies of Kentucky mounted riflemen ; one company of scouts; a total 
of twenty-four companies, of which Indiana had thirteen companies of 
militia. Of this force two hundred and seventy men were mounted. Col. 
John P. Boyd brought his regiment, the Fourth L". S. Infantry, from Pitts- 
burg to the Falls and marched from there to Vincennes. Captain Geiger's 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I45 

company from Jefferson county, Kentucky, passed through Jeffersonville 
Septemher iith on their way to X'incennes. Clark county furnished three 
fuU companies, besides the officers on staff duty. Captain Norris's company 
of infantry was a drafted company. It was raised Ijetween Charlestown, 
Jeffersonville and Utica, and was sworn in at Springville. Captain Bigger's 
company was raised in Charlestown and vicinity and was sworn in at Charles- 
town. Captain Beggs's company was mounted. They were raised in Jeffer- 
sonville and vicinity and were sworn in at Jeffersonville. That these com- 
panies were in the thick of action their casualties show. Norris's company 
had three killed and one wounded ; Bigger's company had two killed and 
three wounded and Beggs's company had one killed. 

Shawnee Indians were chief among the tribes in the confederacy, both 
Tecumseh and Elkswatawa (The Prophet) being Shawnees. There were 
besides the Shawnees at the battle, Wyandottes, Kickapoos, Ottawas, Chip- 
pewas, Pottawatomies, Sacs and Miamis. This campaign had the effect of 
increasing the interest in the militia, and aroused the people to a keener sense 
of their danger from the Indians. The part played by Clark countv officers 
was not small. 

Alarston G. Clark was one of the first settlers in Jeffersonville. He was 
a Virginian by birth, and a cousin of Gen. George Rogers Clark. He held 
many offices in Clark county and was brigade inspector on the staff of General 
Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe. As a soldier, he was said to have been 
insensible to fear, often leading men in the pursuit of Indians who had 
committed depredations. He served as Indian agent under President Jackson 
and was appointed messenger to carry the electoral vote of Indiana to 
Washington in 1840. He is buried at Salem, Indiana. He was one of two 
officers who were sent forward by General Harrison to select the camping 
ground the night before the battle. The general said of him in his report to 
the Secretary of War eleven days after the battle : "Brigade Major Clark 
was very sen-iceably employed." 

]\Iaj. \\'illiam Henry Hurst was an aid-de-camp on the staff of 
General Harrison and Dr. Samuel JNIerriwether was acting as surgeon, al- 
though not appearing on the official rolls as such at Washington. General 
Harrison, in a letter, said: "My two aids-de-camp. Majors Hurst and Taylor 
afforded me essential aid as well in the action as throughout the campaign." 
The admiration of the general for these two aids-de-camp caused him to have 
them act as his personal escort when he rode through the streets of Washing- 
ton to the capitol to be inaugurated President of the United States. Hurst 
and JNIerriwether resided in Jeffersonville for many years afterward, examples 
of honor, integrity and civic virtue which we of later years could emulate with 
benefit to ourselves and the city. 

Governor Harrison in his report of the battle, says : "Col. Joseph Bar- 
10 



146 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

tholomew, a very valuable officer, commanded, under Colonel Boyd, the 
militia infantry. He was wounded early in the action and his service lost to 
me." He was one of the foremost citizens of the county for many years and 
received many marks of honor and esteem at the hands of the citizens of the 
county. Harrison said of one of Clark county company, "Xorris's companv also 
behaved well." 

Davis Floyd, the adjutant, has the proud distinction of being the best 
advertised man in his day and locality. Nothing seemed to dishearten him 
for he always bobs up serenely after any difficulty, and usually takes the most 
prominent position in whatever is going on. A prominent militiaman, he was 
an important officer at Tippecanoe. He represented Clark county in the 
Legislature in 1805. He kept a tavern and operated a ferry in Clarks grant. 
He was appointed Recorder of Clark county in 1801 and Sheriff in 1802 by 
General Harrison. He became involved in Aaron Burr's conspiracy and was 
sentenced to three hours in jail. He served as secretary of the Springville 
Anti-Slavery convention. In the Legislature he was elected Clerk of the 
House, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1816. 

General Harrison was severely criticised by many of his political enemies 
after the battle of Tippecanoe, who claimed that it was an unnecessary cam- 
paign, and that even when he had reached the vicinity of the Lidian town he 
allowed the enemy to select his camping ground. The general visited Jeffer- 
sonville and Charlestown in 1835 and at the latter place, in answer to a re- 
quest for a speech on "Tippecanoe," said: "When I left Vincennes for the 
Indian countr\' on the Tippecanoe, it was under positive instructions from the 
War Department not to attack them if they showed a willingness to comply 
with the demands of the General Government. As to the Indians selecting 
my encampment, there is not a particle of truth in that statement. Gen. 
Marston G. Clark and Col. Davis Floyd were detailed to select the ground." 

In those days a keen eye for the peculiarities of the red brother was quite 
necessary, and precautionary measures were still kept up in the outlying dis- 
tricts. The militia garrison, which from meagre accounts, seems to have 
been kept in old Fort Steuben for several years after its abandonment by the 
U. S. troops, was not the only defense available. As late as 1807 a letter by 
Waller Taylor (afterwards A. D. C. on General Harrison's staff) written to 
Governor Harrison, January 12th, in speaking about Burr's mysterious doings 
in Jeffersonville and the excitement occasioned by his presence, says: "There 
are stationed at this place about two hundred militia, who examine all boats 
that descend the river." 

On the bank of the Ohio, at Whirlpool Point, was a stockade which was 
used as an outpost for Fort Steuben. Another outpost of Fort Steuben was 
about where the "junction" is situated. It was a place for the soldiers to meet 
on their rounds, and here the settlers used to come for safetv when fear of the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. I47 

Indians drove them from their cabins and clearings. This point was called 
the "Corner Post" for many years after. The last settler murdered by the 
Indians in the first decade of the centun- was a trapper named Springer. He 
had traps set on Springer's Gut (now in New Albany) and was surprised and 
slain by Wyandottes and Pawpaws, while running them. 

The Indian phase of the War of 1812, which was no small thing to the 
western settlers, was of more moment to them than a consideration of danger 
from purely British sources. To l)e sure, the atrocities of the savages, to a 
great extent, were instigated by the British to the north, but from British 
troops themselves, no real danger was ever anticipated. The Pigeon Roost 
massacre, September 3, 1812, was the last trouble ever experienced in this 
vicinity, but it had the effect of awakening the settlers to the danger of unpre- 
paredness and resulted in the establishment of a line of some fifteen or twenty 
stockades, beginning at the one called the "Corner Post" and extending by 
Charlestown back to the Ohio at the east of the town. 

The Pigeon Roost massacre was not an Indian raid as has been so often 
stated. The Indians passed through the little hamlet which was the nucleus 
of Vienna and never harmed a soul, while there. There had been bad blood 
between the Collins family and the Indians for some time. The Collins boys 
had stolen a fawn from the Indians and refused to give it up, and from this 
cause and possibl}' some other, the whole trouble originated. Those other 
than Collinses were killed only because they lived in that neighborhood. 
Neither before nor after the massacre were other white people harmed, show- 
ing conclusiveh' that it was only a local fight and giving no cause for alarm 
to other settlers. 

The Indians, who were Delawares and Shawnees, are said to have crossed 
White river at Sparksville. They crossed three or four at a time and after 
all had crossed formed together and directed their way to the spot now hal- 
lowed in the memory of the early victims. During the afternoon of the same 
day they reached their destination, and Jeremiah Payne, who lived near 
Vienna, was warned of danger when his cows came bellowing home with ar- 
rows stuck in their sides. Taking his wife and only son to the fort at 
Vienna, the father started on foot to warn his brother, Elias, but when he 
arrived at the cabin he found the dead and mutilated bodies of the wife and 
seven children. Elias and his brother-in-law, Isaac Coffman, were in the 
woods at the time hunting bee trees. They were surprised by ten or twelve 
Indians and Coffman was instantly killed and scalped. Payne was pursued 
over two miles before he was overtaken and mortally wounded. Mrs. Richard 
Collins and her seven children soon fell victims to the redskins' thirst for 
blood, and Mrs. Henr}' Collins, although pregnant, was murdered and scalped 
and the child taken from the womb and scalped, and then laid across her 
breast. The incentive to such a diabolical deed was the five dollar British 



148 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

reward offered for each scalp. The fiends later massacred the mother, wife 
and only child of John Morris, and the escape of other settlers was almost 
miraculous. 

A part of Clark county militia under Alaj. John McCoy and Captain 
Devault pursued the Indians and killed one. In June, 1813 some Clark county 
militia, under Col. Joseph Bartholomew, went on an expedition to punish In- 
dians who were hostile, and returned without any casualties. 

At the close of the War of 18 12 the militia of Clark county, as in the 
rest of the state, was in excellent condition. The Second Regiment was 
originally the Clark county Regiment, and as such it was under the com- 
mand of Col, Robert Robertson. It was one of the most complete regiments 
in the service and included many special organizations, one of which was the 
only artillery company mentioned in the territorial records. 

Colonel Robertson resigned in 181 1 and Maj. Joseph Bartholomew was 
commissioned to succeed him October 21st, of that year. Colonel Barthol- 
omew sei~ved until March 30, 1814, when Joel Combs was commissioned 
colonel. Rezin Redman was lieutenant-colnnel, and was commissioned as 
such June 10, 1813, 

In 1814, the Ninth Regiment, which was composed of companies in 
Clark county, was commanded by Col. John Depau, with headquarters in 
Jeffersonville, and the records report it as being one of the best organized in 
the state. 

With the passing of the Indian the subjects considered by the Legislature 
concerning the militia seem to have materially changed. In 181 5, an act was 
passed restricting the militia age to eighteen to forty-five and specified the 
uniform for the officers, Alajor and Brigadier Generals should "wear a 
French militaiy hat, blue cloth coat turned up with buff or scarlet, with gold 
epaulettes, white small clothes, also boots and spurs." Cluster days were 
Saturdays in April and September. The interest and energy which had for- 
merly been directed against the Indians was now turned to clothes, and the 
citizen soldiery was neglected and allowed to become a dormant and practically 
useless body. 

For about two years after the battle of Tippecanoe, the territorial Gov- 
ernment maintained several companies of rangers to protect the people of the 
state from the depredations of marauding bands of Indians. One of these 
companies was composed of Clark county men, and was commanded by Capt, 
James Bigger, of Tippecanoe sen-ice, and he had as first lieutenant, 
John Carr, and as second lieutenant, James Curry, 

In the month of June, 1813, an expedition composed of about one hun- 
dred and thirty-seven mounted men under the command of Col. Joseph 
Bartholomew, moved from Valonio toward the Delaware towns on the west 
fork of the White river, with the intention of surprising and punishing some 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. I49 

hostile Indians, who were supposed to be hirking about those viUages. All 
or a larger part of Captain Bigger"s company was in this expedition, and 
thev destroyed a great deal of corn found in the half-burned and deserted 
villaees alona: the ri\er. Colonel Bartholomew said of this : "We conceived 
it was more necessary to do this as the corn would, if not destro3'ed, enable 
considerable bodies of the enemy to fall upon and harass our frontier." 

On July I, 1813, Col. William Russell of the Seventh United States 
Regiment, at the head of a force amounting to five hundred and seventy-three 
men, set out on an expedition against the Indian villages, which were sit- 
uated at and about the mouth of the Mississinewa river. As Colonel Bar- 
tholomew and several companies of rangers were in this force, evidently 
Bigger's company was among them. They found no Indians and the rangers 
returned home. The service of these companies of rangers was most valuable 
and should be given the same prominence in history that the Tippecanoe 
campaign received, for their service was equally as hazardous and equally 
as valuable to the settlers who lived in the remoter parts of the territory. 

We hear little of the militia of Clark county from this time on. That 
the organization of state troops was kept up there can be no doubt, but 
their duties were nil, and the only milestone we have to guide us through 
this period are the mention of events where the militia turned out to do escort 
duty to some prominent visitor or for some gala occasion. In May, 1825, sev- 
eral companies of militia were under arms, and acted as the escort to General 
LaFayette when his official visit to Indiana was paid at Jefifersonville. Cap- 
tain Parker's company from Charlestown was one of these, and the cracker 
story of one of his men has been passed down as classical. From the fact 
that cannon were used in saluting our illustrious visitor, we might infer that 
Clark county possessed artillery, but of this we are not certain. 

By the treaty of 1804, the Sacs and Foxes had sold all of their land in 
Ilhnois to the United States. The provisions of this treaty were confirmed 
by Keokuk, their head chief, in subsequent treaties in 1822 and 1830: but 
Black Hawk refused to consider these treaties valid. The British agents as- 
sured him that the Indians still owned the land and this, together with the 
fact that he had become the leader of the wildest braves in the tribe, led to 
events which culminated in what is known as the Black Hawk war in 1832. 
This Indian war was fierce and sanguinary, but affected either Clark county 
or Indiana but little. However, there was a company of United States 
mounted rangers raised around Charlestown by Capt. Lemuel Ford, and 
they served until after the middle of 1833. This company was commanded by 
Capt. Lemuel Ford : first lieutenant, Meedy Shields, and second lieutenant, 
John Gibson. When this body of men left Charlestown July i, 1832. it num- 
bered one Iiundred and fifteen men. They assembled in the court-house yard 
and started on their campaign with the plaudits of an admiring crowd of 



150 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

citizens, many of whom remembered the earher cruelties of the savages in 
Clark county. They camped near Memphis, the first night out, and then 
started north, marching to within twenty-five miles of Fort Dearborn (now 
Chicago) where a halt of three weeks was made on account of the prevalence 
of Asiatic cholera at the fort, where General Scott with the Regulars was 
waiting for the arrival of the rangers. The route taken by the rangers was 
changed to lead to Dixon's ferry on Rock river, Illinois. The company was 
inspected and mustered in by Captain Anderson, U. S. A., later of Fort 
Sumpter fame. The march was then taken down the river to within one and 
one-half miles of the mouth, and three miles below Rock Island or "Old 
Fort Armstrong," where they crossed to the north side of Rock river and 
marched up to the island. There the rangers met their commanding officer, 
Colonel Dodge, and General Winfield Scott, commanding the expedition. The 
cholera was very bad then at Fort Armstrong and the company lost three 
men : Peter Hall, Doctor Johnson and Shelby. 

It was at this point that General Scott in his round of inspection of 
camp and hospital, berated the medical stafif roundly and threatened to hang 
some of the M. D.'s for neglect of duty toward the stricken. He went into 
the tents and examined patients with his own hands, and elevated the abode 
of his Satanic majesty, as only the old general could. 

The command crossed into Iowa Territory and then back into Illinois, 
following the Mississippi river to Quincy, and thence to Jefferson 
City, Missouri, then a town of about five hundred. From here they 
marched to Booneville, forty miles above, and from there to Fort Gib- 
son, Indian Territory, one mile above the mouth of Grand river. They 
went into winter quarters for the winter of '32-'33, one mile below the mouth 
of Grand river on the Arkansas river in log cabins. On May 6, 1833, they 
received marching orders, and the command consisting of Captain Ford's 
company from Indiana, Captain's Beem's company from Arkansas and Captain 
Boone's company from Missouri, all under the command of Colonel Manny, 
U. S. A., with about three hundred regulars, took a southwesterly course 
to Red river. It was on this march that the great buffalo hunting was done. 
The Captain Boone here mentioned was the son of Daniel Boone, of pioneer 
Kentucky fame. 

These troops returned to Fort Gibson July i, 1833, where the rangers 
were mustered out, disbanded and started for home and arrived at Charles- 
town just when the cholera was at its worst. The officers and a partial list 
of the members of this Clark County company were as follows : 

Captain Lemuel Ford. 

First Lieutenant Meedy Shields. 

Second Lieutenant John Gibson. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. I51 

Sergeant John C. Huckleberry. 

Sergeant Campbell Hay. 

Private W. AI. Garner. 

Private James Drunimond. 

Private Eden Combs. 

Private David H. Wheeler. 

Private Henderson Davis. 

Private John Hanlin. 

Private Charles Mathes. 

Private William J. Owens. 

Private William B. Shelley. 

Private Joseph Davis. 

Private John M. Pound. 

Private George Reynolds. 

Private Benjamin Chrissman. 

Private George Christopher. 

Private \A'esley G. Hammond. 

Private Eph Washburn. 

Private Hugh Hartley. 

Private Peter Hall. 

Private Alford Huckleberry. 

Private John Chrissman. 

They saw little or no active service so far as extended fighting was con- 
cerned, but their long marches and their hardships entitle them to a high 
place in the early military annals of Clark county. They served until Black 
Hawk had been captured. The service which they gave was the last ever 
given by a Clark county organization in Indiana warfare. Black Hawk 
stands in history as the "Last native defender of the soil of the Northwest." 

The ominous clouds of war hanging like a pall over the land were not 
necessary to influence the manhood of Clark county to enlist. The officers 
who had served during the Black Hawk war knew the temper of our Hoosiers, 
and that they made soldiers second to none. Capt. Lemuel Ford, in 1836, 
came to Charlestown to recruit men for the United States Dragoons. Li the 
issue of "The Lidianian," of Charlestown, dated Friday, October 28, 1836. 
appears the following: "Wanted for the First Regiment of L'nited States 
Dragoons, able bodied citizens between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five 
years, being not less than five feet, six inches high, of good moral character, 
and of respectable standing among their fellow citizens. None need apply to 
enter the service but those who are determined to serve the period of their 
enlistment, which is only three years, honestly and faithfully. 

"Lemuel Ford." 

It is needless to say that his rendezvous at Charlestown was a popular 
place, and that he received many recruits. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
THE ^HLITARV HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY— 1844- 1860. 

The first uniformed inilitary company of which we have any record, after 
the twenty-five years of dormancy, from 1819 to 1844, was in Jeffersonville 
in 1844. It was called the Jeffersonville Blues, and its captain was a man 
named Charles Hensley. He was one of several brothers, and he had the 
reputation of being the most popular man in town. This company had for a 
drill master a refugee from Poland, who lived and died on a farm just this side 
of Sellersburg. His name and title was Col. J. J. Lehmonoski, and while drill- 
ing the men he wore the uniform of a high officer in the Polish army. His 
historj' is most interesting. Lehmonoski was a colonel of the Polish Lancers, 
the bodyguard of the great Napoleon, and had participated in two hundred 
and three battles. He carried fourteen wounds on his person as a result of 
his sen-ice. He was at tlie sieze of Toulon, at the victor}' of Austerlitz, he 
fought on the plains of Egypt, and witnessed the ocean of flame which rolled 
over Moscow. The disaster of Waterloo drew him to the L'nited States in 
18 16, and for a while he traveled as an evangelist with the approval and sanc- 
tion of Lyman Beecher and others. He finally settled in Clark county and 
died here. Under his instruction the company became very proficient and 
turned out two or three times each week to parade or drill, and everybody in 
town was very proud of "our company." 

Col. James Keig^vin in his memoirs says of this company : 

"They were invited to attend an encampment of the Kentucky militia at 
the old Oakland race course in Louisville, and Colonel Lehmonoski took great 
delight in preparing them for the contest for some of the prizes to be contested 
for at the encampment, and of course every citizen of our town was anxious 
that 'our company' should bring home a trophy of their soldierly qualities and 
good behavior while in camp. But you can imagine our disappointment on 
their return home. Some of the officers and men were addicted to the too free 
indulgence of 'John Barleycorn,' and the report came daily from those of their 
admirers who visited them that a majority of the company spent a greater 
part of their time in the guard house charged with the too free use of 'ardent,' 
and with disorderly conduct. 

"One incident I will relate that occurred after they crossed the river. In 
those days of slavery the negroes had learned from their masters that every- 
body who lived in that little town across the ri\-er was nothing but 'poor white 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. I53 

trash" and that it was a dangerous place for a black face to be seen in, and 
that if a negro valued his life he had better keep away from it. The owners 
of slaves, for protection to that old-time property, instilled into the young 
darkies' minds that we were not only poor white trash, but that we would 
steal them and sell them to cotton planters down South, and the young darkies 
believed that as firmly as ever a white child believed in old Santa Claus. The 
company was handsomely uniformed, well drilled and armed with old flint- 
lock muskets. Their head dress was a tall leather hat or cap. surmounted by 
a handsome pompon that looked very much like a paint brush. When the 
company was passing out the streets of Louisville with the drum corps beating 
that favorite tune, 'The Girl I Left Behind ]Me," every one of the company 
feeling that all eyes were centered on him, and that he carried the honor and 
reputation of old Jeff in his knapsack, determined to win laurels and fame for 
our little city. They were feeling elated at seeing so many people, both black 
and white, lining the streets to hear the music and look at a company of Hoosier 
soldiers. You can imagine our mortification when we heard a cry from the 
little darkies on the sidewalks : 'Look at dem poah white trash from Jeffer- 
so\-ille with paint brushes in dar hats." It is needless to relate that no prizes 
were carried home at the completion of the tour of duty."" 

It is a matter of regret that complete rosters of these old militia companies 
of our early history have been lost, for to them belongs the credit of keeping 
alive, to a great extent, that spirit which found such eloquent expression here 
during the War of the Rebellion. The feeling among some misguided and un- 
American citizens of our present day of belittling our state troops by denuncia- 
tion as well as a refusal to serve, is not the spirit which prompted such service 
in those days or in the times that tried men"s hearts during the sixties. 

These old militia companies filled a place, no doubt, and although some 
of them may not ha\e performed any actual service for the state, it lessens 
their value none. 

The general condition of the militia of Indiana, including that of Clark 
county, during the period just preceding the ^Mexican war, is described by 
Adjutant General Reynolds, Xovember 29, 1845. He was greatly discouraged 
and wrote as follows : "It is true, however, that while our system has under- 
gone a partial paralysis, the martial spirit is not extinct, but exhibits itself in 
the form of a number of energetic companies of independent militia, as well 
as a few regiments of district militia which have survived the general disor- 
ganization. It would seem also, if not cjuite impossible to revive military 
discipline, unless some exigency should demand an acti\-e service. War. with 
its thrilling incidents, could alone, we l^elieve. fully accomplish it : and no state 
in the L'nion would more fearlessly and promptly respond to even its first 
notes of preparation than Indiana. 

Six months after the unexpected happened. War was declared May 13. 



154 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

1846, and Indiana was called upon for three regiments of infantry. On May 
22d Governor Whitcomb issued his call for the thirty companies required. 
and by June loth, or in eighteen days, the entire quota had been reported, and 
twenty-two additional companies were clamoring for admission. 

The beginning of the Mexican war found the spirit of Mars strongly 
manifesting itself throughout the county, but to Charlestown, the county seat, 
belongs the honor of furnishing the only organizations. Individual enlist- 
ments in Kentucky and Indiana regiments were made from various parts of 
the county, and in Jefifersonville there was quite an enthusiastic movement 
started to raise a company of volunteer infantry for one of the regiments then 
forming, but it began and ended in talk. Col. James Keigwin has an account 
of one of their public meetings in the old market house on Market street, be- 
tween Spring street and Pearl street, as follows : 

"At this time they were trying to recruit the company, and, by the way, 
I attended all the meetings, as I was big enough to be a Sl^ldier myself. At 
that time there was but one saloon in the town, kept by one of the best bachel- 
ors that ever lived. Charles Cunningham was his name, and his saloon was on 
Front street, four doors below Spring street. It was in front of this saloon 
where the drums beat the assembly. All those who were the leaders were 
fond of their toddies, and whisky at that time being only worth six dollars a 
barrel, Charley, the saloon keeper, as he was called, being a patriotic lover of 
his country and anxious to have his own town represented in the war, said that 
he would give all who volunteered all they wanted to drink free of charge, so 
you can understand that by the time all the patriotic residents and barefooted 
boys had assembled in front of the saloon that the promoters of the company 
would be pretty full and would feel as if they could lick a regiment of 'greasers' 
by themselves. 

"The organizers of the company were Amos Lovering, afterward one of 
the judges of one of our courts; William Buchanan and Richard Peacely, 
studying law with Judge Lovering, and John F. Read, who had just grad- 
uated from Hanover College. After the party had sampled Charley's whisky 
to their satisfaction, we were ordered to fall in and march to the market house, 
where we would have speeches from Read and others. Well, we fell in and 
marched to the market house, and Read was boosted up on the butcher's block 
by Peacely and Buchanan, who held to John's legs to steady him. He was 
making a very patriotic and convincing speech as to our duties to the best 
government in the world, and how we would lick old Santa Anna and his 
Mexican horde off of Texas soil, and then he pictured to us the humiliation we 
would' feel if Jeffersonville failed to have a company in the war. John's father, 
the old judge, heard the racket in the market house, and as he came near and 
saw his hopeful in the condition he was. you can imagine his surprise. Just 
then Peacely and Buchanan discovered the judge's presence and began to pull 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. I55 

John's legs and tell him to close, when John blurted out in one of his sopho- 
moric flights he had brought home from college : 'Yes, my fellow citizens, 
the government will furnish 3'ou all with plenty of the very best kind of 
clothes.' The meeting was a failure and it is unnecessary to add that our old 
town failed to be honored witJT a military company in the war with Mexico." 

In Charlestown men responded to the call with alacrity, and the trouble 
was with the excess rather than the insufficiency of material. The first and 
second regiments had no Clark county companies in them, but the third regi- 
ment had a company from Charlestown and vicinity. This company was 
raised by Thomas W. Gibson, of that town, and he took as his lieutenants 
First Lieutenant Harrison Daily, and Second Lieutenant Daniel L. Fonts. The 
raising of this company was accompanied with the greatest enthusiasm, and the 
drum corps and martial music added tn the excitement of the town. This com- 
pany was to enlist for one year, and the prospect of service in Mexico, and the 
sights and adventures of such a campaign was more than the young men of 
the county seat could stand. The men were rapidly enlisted, and when they 
were not drilling in the court-house yard, they were skirmishing in the bot- 
toms of Pleasant run. They were quartered in the house now known as the 
Badger house on Main street, near Spring street, and in their "barracks" as 
the house was called, they remained about a month. The day of departure of 
this company for the rendezvous at Camp Whitcomb, on the river just below 
the mouth of Silver creek, was one of intense excitement. Mothers and 
fathers, sisters and brothers, sweethearts and wives, assembled to wish the 
departing company well. They left Charlestown in wagons, and upon arrival 
at camp, began an active preparation for the campaign before them. They 
were mustered into the United States service ninety-four strong, on June 22, 
1846, by Col. S. Churchill. 

Captain Gibson's company served throughout their term of enlistment 
with an honorable record. The regiment was engaged in the battle of Buena 
Vista, and other actions, and upon their return home, found themselves cov- 
ered with glory. The return of Gibson and his company to Charlestown was 
the occasion for a great demonstration. A great reception and barbecue was 
given them in Hammond's woods, and at the present day the trenches still 
remain where the beef was roasted whole. The citizens were proud of their 
soldiers, as well they might be. 

On April 24, 1847, Governor \\'hitcomb called for one additional regi- 
ment to fill the quota required by the President's proclamation of April 19th. 
His proclamation ends as follows: "And in conformity with the suggestion 
of the Secretary of War, that a place of rendezvous be appointed on the Ohio 
river for the several companies as fast as they shall be organized, the ground 
near or adjacent to 'Old Fort Clark', near Jefifersonville, on the south is hereby 
designated for that purpose". May 30th the regiment was filled, and from 



156 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

that time on they were drilled and "licked" into shape for the service ahead 
of them. 

The companies which were to form this new regiment arrived during the 
latter part of May and the first part of June, 1847. They reached Jefferson- 
ville in the following order, and upon their arrival encamped just above the 
whirlpool on the bank of the Ohio, at a point later known as Camp Joe Holt, 
and not at Fort Steuben, as some authorities state : 

Company A, Marion. Captain Dodd. arrived May 31, 1847. 
Company B, Gosport, Captain Alexander, arrived June 8, 1847. 
Company C, Lawrenceburg, Captain Payne, arrived May 28. 1847. 
Company D, Indianapolis, Captain Landers, arrived May 28, 1847. 
Company E, Rockport, Captain Graham, arrived June 8, 1847. 
Company F, Columbus, Captain Fitzgibbon. arrived June 12, 1847. 
Company G, Bloomington, Captain Lunderman, arrived June 10, 1847. 
Company H, Terre Haute. Captain Cochran, arrived June 12, 1847. 
Company I, Plymouth, Captain Fravell. arrived June 14, 1847. 
Company K. Lawrenceburg, Captain Dumont, arrived June 7, 1847. 

These companies, so the muster rolls state, were "called into the service 
of the United States'" as they arrived. The regiments embarked on steam- 
boats at the wharf, between Spring and Pearl streets, June 28th, and nearly 
everybody in Clark county was in town that day to witness the departure and 
wish them a safe return. 

Three steamboats lay at the wharf and the martial spirit was in the very 
air. The steamer "Saladin" carried companies A, B, C and D, under com- 
mand of Col. Willis A. Gorman. The steamer "Franklin" carried companies 
E, I and G, under Lieutenant Colonel Dumont, and the steamer "General 
Hamer" carried companies H, F and K, under Major McCoy. 

On the day preceding the embarkation the regiment proceeded from their 
camp near the Big Eddy to Jeffersonville. and was drawn up in solid column 
for the purpose of receiving from the ladies of the city a splendid stand of 
regimental colors. This gift from the fair and patriotic ladies of Jeffersonville 
was received into hands strong to protect it in every emergency, and by hearts 
w'arm and ardent to appreciate its value. The adjutant general of Indiana 
supported the flag, and Capt. Edw-ard Lander, in behalf of the ladies, delivered 
an eloquent address, which on behalf of the regiment, was responded to by the 
colonel, \\'illis A. Gorman. One newspaper account ends thus : "A fine band 
attached to the regiment then struck up 'The Star Spangled Banner' as the 
troops whirled into open column under the sountl of instrumental harmony that 
breathed heroic ardor to adventurous deeds", and the regiment proceeded to its 
camp at Fort Clark. 

While the Fourth Regiment remained at Jeffersonville, Company D, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 1 57 

Captain Landers, was the recipient of a splendid flag presented by the ladies of 
Indianapolis. The presentation took place in front of the old Bowman house, 
and was the occasion of quite a demonstration of patriotism. 

On August 31, 1847, Governor ^M^itcomb issued his proclamation author- 
izing the raising of the Fifth Regiment. It was to be composed mostly of 
men who had seen service in Mexico in earlier regiments. This regiment ren- 
dezvoused at JMadison, and Clark county was represented by a fine company 
of men under the command of Capt. George Greene. His lieutenants were 
Philip J. Roe, first lieutenant ; James ^I. Ross, second lieutenant, and Henry 
Hensley, additional second lieutenant. Captain Greene at various times was a 
resident of both Jeffersonville and Charlestown, antl his company, called the 
"Rough and Ready Guards", was recruited from in and around b(ith places. 

The Fifth Regiment embarked on steamboats at Camp Reynolds, Madi- 
son, on November i, 1847, ''"'I arrived at JeiTersonville the same day. The 
steamers "\\'ave", "Xe Plus Ultra", and "PhcEuix", carried them to Xew 
Orleans, arriving there on the 6th. Their sen-ice after arriving at Vera Cruz 
was equal to that of the other regiments, and upon their return home the 
Clark county soldiers were received with great demonstrations and were the 
heroes of the day. 

Capt. Lemuel Ford, of Charlestown, recruited a company of United States 
Dragoons for the regular service from in and around that town, and with 
this troop performed valiant service in Mexico. He was brevetted major 
October 19, 1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the affair at Atlixco, 
and the ser\qce both he and his company of Clark county men gave was of the 
highest class. 

Capt. John S. Simonson, of Charlestown, who was in the regular army, 
raised a company of mounted dragoons in and around Charlestown for ser- 
vice in Mexico, and besides the many creditable reports from him and his 
company while in the land of the "Greasers," he was l)revetted major Sep- 
tember 13, 1847. f'^r gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Chapul- 
tepec. 

In Captain Gibson's Company I. of the Third Regiment, was a sergeant 
named Jefferson C. Davis. He got his commission of second lieutenant after 
meritorious service — remained in the regular army after the war with IMexico 
— was in Fort Sumpter with Major Anderson when the war of the Rebellion 
opened with this "strange contest between seventy men and seven thousand". 
He rose to be brigadier general of volunteers and during this war was brevet- 
ted major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, brigadier general and major general, 
for gallant and meritorious services. 

Besides the men credited to Clark county, there were others who enlisted 
elsewhere. 

There were four Jeffersonville men, so far as we can find, wdio joined the 



158 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Louisville Legion, and they served faithfully with their command during the 
war. These four Jeffersonville men were Benjamin P. Fuller, Simeon P. Bell, 
James A. Thompson and Francis M. Scliell. They were all privates in Com- 
pany A, First Regiment of Kentucky Foot Volunteers, known as the Louis- 
ville Legion. They were mustered in May 17, 1846, at the old race track on 
the Seventh street road, in Louisville, and were all mustered out at the New 
Orleans barracks May 17, 1847, with the exception of Francis M. Schell, who 
was discharged for disability at Camargo, Me.xico, August 27, 1846. 

The interest in things Mexican seems to have pervaded the whole county, 
for a great demonstration was projected when it was learned that President- 
elect Gen. Zachary Taylor was to pass through Louisville on his way to Wash- 
ington. On Monday, February 5, 1849, the mayor of Jeffersonville, William 
F. Cullom, offered the following resolution, and it was unanimously adopted : 

"Resolved, By the Mayor and Common Council of the city of Jefferson- 
ville, that in consideration of the service rendered to his country by Gen. 
Zachary Ta3'lor, President-elect of the United States, and in consideration of 
the exalted station to which he has been called to occupy by his fellow citizens, 
that he be invited to visit our city on his way to ^^'ashington, and partake of 
our hospitality". 

The general saw fit to accept our invitation and visited Jeft'ersonville in 
February, 1849, and was received with a great demonstration of enthusiasm. 
The reception ceremonies were held in the small Presbyterian church on Mar- 
ket street, between Spring and Pearl streets, where he delivered a speech. This 
building still remains one of the old landmarks of the city, being occupied now 
by the German Reformed congregation as a place of worship. 

After the regiments returned home from Mexico we would suppose that 
the ardor of some of the young soldiers would have prompted them to place 
Clark county in a better position than she was at the beginning of the war, 
but they seemed to have had all the military they desired in their campaign 
against the land of the Montezumas. There was, however, a company of 
young lads in Jeffersonville in the year 1853 or '54, with James Schell as cap- 
tain, and they were uniformed and equipped. Their chief duty, so far as 
hearsay tells us (and that is our only authority) was to drill very often for 
the edification of their friends. Joseph Reign was color bearer, but of the 
other members we can find nothing. 

From this time on until the period of the War of the Rebellion we find 
Clark county like the rest of the state, without much enthusiasm concerning 
things military. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE .MILITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY DURIXG THE 
WAR OF THE REBELLIOX. 

No part of the history of Clark county was so thoroughly saturated with 
military life as the period of the War of the Rebellion. The record of her 
•enlistments, and the ser\'ice of. her soldiers leave no doubts of her loyalty, 
but of honest Southern sympathizers there were enough to add a spice to even 
those strenuous times. The towns, villages and farms contributed their share 
of loyal men to the armies in the field, but the city of Jeffersonville, from her 
situation, was the center of activities. From the rugged hills of LTtica, along 
the border lands of the Ohio, to the peaceful village of Bethlehem, men needed 
but to gaze at the "dark and bloody ground" beyond the silent waters to re- 
ceive the inspiration to do and die for their coimtry, as did their forbears of 
'1876. when Paul Revere aroused them to heroic deeds at Concord and Le.K- 
ington. From the heights and valleys of the knobs of Borden, from the 
undulating farms and country sides, from the old pioneer town of Charlestown 
and the country to the north, from the banks of Silver creek and Pleasant 
run, from Clarksville to New Washington, the trumpet call for volunteers was 
answered by fathers, sons and brothers. \A'ith the hosts of the nation's 
chivalry in the South the question of equipment and subsistence was no small 
task for those still left at home, and thus sprang up a labor of a magnitude 
undreamed of, when the struggle began. Jeffersonville being at one of the 
principal gateways of the South, she became the scene of an ever changing 
panorama of troops of all arms of the service either passing through the city, 
camping here awaiting orders, or returning north decimated and mangled after 
their blood}^ campaigns, bound for the great hospitals or their homes beyond. 
During this period nearly every man and boy in the city was connected at one 
'time or another with the army in some capacity, and the vast storehouses, 
shops, factories, offices, hospitals and barracks were to be found scattered over 
all parts of Jeffersonville and its vicinity. 

The tramp of marching men and horses and the heavy rumble of artillery 
were not the only outward and "visible signs" of the great struggle then in 
progress. Jeffersonville was the base from which all troops and supplies for the 
L'nion army were transported to points south of Louisville. Infantry, cavalry 
and artillery, ordnance, quartermaster, commissar}- and medical stores had to 
be transported across the river from the J., M. & I. depot at Court avenue and 



l60 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Wall street to tlie Louisville and Xashville Railroad depot in Louisville by the 
ferry, and this, together with the various army institutions which were main- 
tained in Jeffersonville during almost five years, gave the little city the busiest 
period of her history. Camp Joe Holt, the camping place of many regiments 
on their way south, was situated just above the Big Eddy, on the river bank. 
This historic camping ground extended back from Front street to Todd street, 
and north past Montgomery street almost to the present location of the P. C. 
C. & St. L. tracks and Cane Run creek. It derived its name from 
Gen. Joseph Holt, Secretary of War under Buchanan, and later judge advo- 
cate general. Being a native of Kentucky, he was sent to that state to influence 
■her people towards loyalty, but his mission failed and the state declared for neu- 
trality. Lovell H. Rosseau, a pr(iniinent lawyer of Louisville, believing that 
man\- Kentuckians were prevented from enlisting by this neutrality, accepted a 
colonel's commission from President Lincoln and began to organize his regi- 
ment across the river on Lidiana soil, and in honor of the eloquent Kentuckian 
named his camp "Joe Holt". 

One of Rousseau's captains was Edward J. Mitchell, of Louisville, who 
later became a citizen of Clark county. He commanded Company F, of the 
Second Kentucky Cavalry, and recruited several men for his company whose 
homes were in Clark county. James M. Patterson, his brother-in-law, went 
out with him as his first lieutenant. Companies A and C, of the Sixth Ken- 
tucky Infantry, were the only companies mustered into the L'nited States 
service at camp Joe Holt, although there were other companies forming there 
at that time. Battery A, of the First Kentucky Light Artillery, was organized 
there at that time, all of these organizations constituting the force under the 
command of General Rousseau. Captain Mitchell's company was the only 
one, so far as we know, that drew men from Clark county, and we should 
congratulate ourselves on this fact, because from the records of the Kentucky 
adjutant general's office we would infer that Battery A was not as gallant a 
body as the "Twelve Hundred" or "The Old Guard". There were one hun- 
dred and twenty desertions from it. Rousseau's force crossed the river on the 
night of September 15, 1861, being the first troops to move south. 

After the camp ceased to be used as rendezvous, a hospital was estab- 
lished and maintained until early in 1864, when the new JefYerson General 
Hospital was put in commission. The camp, however, was used almost con- 
tinually until near the close of the war by regiments arriving or leaving at 
various times. The hospitals there consisted of a number of frame buildings 
for wards, offices and a chapel, the latter being purchased by St. Paul's 
parish of the Episcopal church, and moved to a lot on the lower side of Mul- 
berry' street between Chestnut and Alaple. where it stood for many years, 
being used by the congregation as a place of worship until 1892. This build- 
ing at Camp Joe Holt was situated on the west side of what is now Front 
street, and lav at the extreme west end of Montgomerv street. 




THE JEFFERSOX GE: 




HOSPITAL IX 18O4. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. INU. l6l 

One of the largest and most important government institutions in the 
city was the Jefferson General Hospital. Adjoining the village of Port 
Fulton to the east lay a beautiful farm reaching to the water's edge, the prop- 
erty of the Hon. Jesse D. Bright, at that time United States Senator fixim 
Indiana. Gently rolling to the southward and separated from the river bottom 
by a bluff of some fifteen feet, with a sufficient depth of water and a good land- 
ing the year around, a mile and a half from the Louisville ferry and about as 
far from the old J., M. & I. depot, it afforded an ideal location for the estab- 
lishment of a hospital. Senator Bright had forsaken his congressional duties 
and had cast his fortunes with the Southern Confederacy. The Federal gov- 
ernment had seized the land and here they erected a plant which was one *of 
the finest in the United States for the care of their wounded and sick from the 
camps and battlefields in the South. It was the third largest hospital in the 
country, and was built on the plan of the Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia. 
From a great circular corridor, exactly one-half of a mile in circumference and 
eight hundred and forty feet across, under roof and enclosed by sliding glazed 
sash, there radiated outwardly like spokes from a hub, twenty-seven spacious 
buildings, each one hundred and seventy-five feet long and twenty feet wide. 
l"wenty-four of these were wards, each containing fifty-three beds for patients 
and one for the ward master. The walls were high, the roof ribbed, without 
ceiling, the comb being open for ventilation. The windows, of which there 
was one between every two beds, extended from a foot above the floor to the 
eaves, so that there was a complete absence of hospital odor summer and 
winter, day and night, and every bed had a sunbath every day the sun shone. 
One of the remaining "spoke" buildings was equipped as a carpenter and 
repair shop for such emergencies as chanced to arise. The other two "spoke" 
buildings were of two stories each and were used for storage and supplies, 
with quarters over one of them for the women nurses. As an equator to the 
circle from north to south was a covered passage way, but not enclosed. 

Each of the wards had its mess room and buttery in front and opening 
out on the circular corridor, while at the outer end of each building, in a 
small ell, was located a ward master's room, bath and toilet. 

Just between the extreme outer ends of each two wards was an open coal 
bin, from which supplies were drawn during the winter to heat the buildings. 
Each ward was supplied with four large cast iron stoves, and they were suffi- 
cient to inake the rooms comfortable. The large building located inside the 
circle was the much used little chapel and reading rooms, one hun- 
dred and fifty feet long by forty feet wide, and the small addition joining it 
on the north was the chaplain's office. The operating room lay just beyond, 
while farther in the distance was located the headquarters, a building two hun- 
dred and ten feet north and south, and thirty feet wide. The full and light 
diet kitchens, engine room, and machine shop in a building one hundred and 
II 



l62 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 

eighty feet long by thirty feet wide; the mess rooms and nurses sleeping 
apartments in another building one hundred and seventy-five feet by thirty 
feet, and the commissary department in a building one hundred and seventy- 
five feet long by fifty feet wide, were situated at the extreme western side of 
the circle near the baggage room and guard house. On each side of the circle 
were located two large hot water tanks, while just above, and to the east of 
the grounds, was located the pumping station, which furnished an ample sup- 
ply of water from a well sunk to a great depth. It may be a matter of interest 
to know that one of these tanks is still in use at the circular saw-mill at How- 
ard's shipyard ( 1909). 

In the circle were also located the post-office, drug and instrument house 
and the dead house. In the distance and to the left was the river with Louis- 
ville beyond, while to the right and the distance among the trees could be seen 
the stables, and back of that Price's ditch, a great skating pond for Port Fulton 
boys up to a few years ago. 

The drainage system was most complete, rarely requiring the plumber's 
attention. 

Barracks for soldiers guarding the hospital and doing necessary police 
duty were situated near by, and the great laundry was located on the river 
bank, about a quarter of a mile above the present pumping station of the Jef- 
fersonville water works. 

The hospital was opened for the reception of patients on Feljruary 21, 
1864, and was closed in December. 1866. Long before the war closed the 
capacity of the institution was found to be unequal to the demand and several 
tent divisions were in constant use. i\t one time, after Hood's defeat before 
Nashville, in the dead of winter, with snow of unusual depth, it became neces- 
sary to close the sash of the circular corridor and transform it into an im- 
mense ward. At that time the hospital had five thousand two hundred 
(5,200) beds, and they were all occupied. Besides the large number of sol- 
diers and male nurses employed there was a corps of women nurses under the 
supervision of IMrs. Arbuckle, as chief nurse. The chief surgeon during the 
life-time of the hospital was Dr. Middleton Goldsmith, who in civil life had 
been a surgeon of large experience and great success. The position of execu- 
tive officer, second in command, was at different times filled l^y Dr. W. T. 
Okie, LTnited States Army: Dr. J. C. Happersett, Dr. A. B. Prescott 
"and Dr. F. A. Seymour. There were Iiut two chaplains, who, with equal 
rank remained throughout — Chaplain Chauncey W. Fitch, an Episcopal 
clergyman and the father of Col. Edw. ^\^ Fitch ; and Chaplain L. G. Olm- 
stead, a Presbyterian. They were men of great heart as well as brain, and 
Chaplain Olmstead being a great lover of flowers was responsible for adding 
materially to the beauty and attractiveness of the grounds by planting many 
trees and flower beds to cheer the homesick sufiferers. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 1 63 

During the existence of the hospital sixteen thousand, one hundred and 
twenty patients were cared for, and in providing wholesome rations for so 
vast a family great care and economy were necessary. It is doubtful if ever a 
meal was late. During this time there were served two million six hundred 
jand sixty-four thousand three hundred and thirty-six meals, or what was 
equivalent to that many meals for one person. The economical disposal of the 
waste resulted in the saving of seventy-one thousand dollars, which in turn 
was applied to the purchase of provisions and medicines, some of which were 
not obtainable on the government supply list. 

After the hospital was discontinued in 1866, the ground and buildings 
were turned over to the state of Indiana for the purpose of converting them into 
a soldiers' home, but after two months' possession the proposed home was 
moved to Knightstown, Ind.. and the property was reconveyed to the United 
States. From this time on until 1874 the buildings were used as store houses 
for clothing, blankets, etc., and hundreds of thousands of these articles were 
kept here for use. The small brick house just above the stand pipe in Port 
Fulton, is the only remaining building which was connected with the hospital 
during the war. It was used by Doctor Goldsmith as his private quarters, and 
is now known as the old Zulauf house. 

There were several camps of soldiers during the war in and around Jef- 
fersonville besides Joe Holt and the hospital camp, but they had no permanent 
existence. The following institutions were housed in the city, and were a part 
of its life and business during the progress of hostilities. 

During the early part of the war a bakery or hard tack factory was 
established in what is now Warder Park. The three buildings which composed 
this plant faced Spring street, ran back to Wall street, and filled the present 
area of the park. Here much of the hard tack for the army was made until 
near the close of the war and its necessity ceased. 

On Wall street, between Eighth and Ninth, were four large warehouses 
of the usual size (about fifty feet by two hundred feet) for ordnance and 
magazine purposes. Other buildings of the same size, ten in number, were 
situated between Market street and the river and just above Mechanic street, 
and were used for storing commissary stores. There were two government 
fire engine houses for the protection of these buildings. One called the "Ever 
Ready No. i" was on the northeast corner of Wall and Eighth streets for the 
magazines just beyond, and one called "No. 2" was on the northwest corner 
of Market and Penn streets for the warehouses on the opposite side of the 
street. A third company of eigh men, making twenty-four in the whole 
government department, with Billy Patterson as chief, constituted a hook and 
ladder company, and was stationed at the Jefiferson General Hospital above 
Port Fulton. 

The present site of the court-house lot was a wagon yard and sort of 



164 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

wag-on hospital, tliere being a large frame building in the southeast corner 
Avhich was used for the manufacture of harness and wagons, with a black- 
smith shop attached. The government stables were situated on the upper side 
of Meigs avenue, between Seventh and Eighth. Farther down Court avenue, 
on the northwest corner of Walnut street, stood the feed and grain ware- 
houses. On the west side of Spring street, the second door south of Chestnut 
street, the building, including the upper floors, was used as a hospital for con- 
valescents. All of the quartermaster store houses and offices were finally 
consolidated anil now constitute the United States Quarter IVlaster depot. 
During the year 1864 the passage of troops and munitions of war became so 
heavy (all having to be transported across the river by the ferry boat) the 
engineers constructed a pontoon bridge, the Jeffersonville end striking the bank 
at the foot of Fort street. This bridge was kept here for about fifteen months, 
and over it were transported thousands of troops of all arms of the service. 

On the northeast corner of Wall and Front streets the quartermaster's 
offices were located, and the three-story brick building on the west side of 
Spring street, near Front street, was used for hospital purposes. For many 
months early in the war a company of infantry was kept in barracks built on 
the lot at the comer of Wall and Maple streets, now owned by the German 
Roman church. 

In 1863-64 it became necessary to resort to the draft system in order to 
hll out the quotas of many parts of the state. Before this time the state had 
furnished troops as required by the simple process of enlistment, but under the 
draft system the Federal government took charge and provost marshals were 
appointed for each congressional district. The provost marshal for this dis- 
trict was James Merriwether, and his headquarters were located in a large 
building belonging to Judge Read, standing on the west corner of Front and 
IMulberr)' streets. Here the names of all citizens between the ages of eighteen 
and forty-five were placed in a wheel, and the required number drawn out. 
Physical disability being a satisfactory excuse from ser\-ice, it is said that a pe- 
irusal of the records of this district, now filed in the archives at Washington, 
would show a most alarming and appalling list of diseases and ailments which 
-then afflicted many of our citizens who favored the quiet walks of peace to the 
clash of arms or tented field. 

On the present site of Ebert's flour mill, corner of Wall and Park streets, 
stood a large two-story brick I)uilding which was temporarily used for a hospi- 
tal; and the brick building just in the rear of the new Citizens' Bank on Court 
avenue was used for a like purpose until the government had provided better 
quarters for her sick and wounded. 

Of all the institutions and industries maintained by the Fed- 
eral government in the city of Jeffersonville during the War of 
the Rebellion but one remains, and that is the Jeffersonville depot 




•~*' ->*«* . J-J 



THE UNITED STATES QUARTERMASTER DEPOT 

INTERIOR VIEW. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 165 

of tlie United States Quarter Master Department. \Vork was 
begun in the spring of 1871 on the buildings which were to be used for the 
consoHdation of the ware liouses and offices still scattered around the city, and 
the commodious and spacious brick building covering the four city blocks from 
Tenth to Twelfth and from Watt to Mechanic streets were first occupied in 
1874. The general plan of the depot was designed by Brevet Major General M. 
C. Meigs, quartermaster general U. S. army at that time. It is eight hundred 
one feet and four inches on each front, and its inside dimensions are six hun- 
dred and ninety-six feet each way. The building is of brick with metal roof, 
and is divided into forty compartments, each about fifty feet deep and giving 
a total storage capacity of two million seven hundred thousand cubit feet. In 
■the center is the commanding officers's office, a brick building, originally sur- 
mounted by a tower one hundred feet high, which was torn down in igo2. 

This quarter master's depot has steadily grown in importance since its be- 
ginning, until it has become one of the principal supply stations of the quarter 
master's department of the United States army. 

The business of the institution consists of the manufacture and issue of 
army clothing, and the issue of quarter master supplies of all kinds to the army 
throughout the United States, the Philippines, Cuba, Porto Rico and the Ha- 
waiian Islands. The commanding officers of the depot since its completion 
in 1874 have been as follows : 

Col. James E. Ekin 1872 to 1883 

Col. Rufus Saxton 1883 to 1887 

Col. Henry C. Hodges 1887 to 1894 

Col. A. G. Robinson 1894 to 1897 

Col. Charles W. Williams 1897 to 1898 

Lt. Col. Charles R. Barnett 1898 to Sept., 1901 

Col. James M. Marshall July, 1904, to Jan., 1903 

Lt. Col. Sam R. Jones April 1903 to Dec. 1903 

Col. C. A. H. McCauley Dec. 1903 to July 1904 

Col. James M. IMarshall July 1904 to Jan. 190S 

Col. George Ruhlin Jan., 1908 to 

One of the phases of military life in Clark county which should not be 
overlooked, was the draft. This horrible nightmare to some men stalked 
through the state, carrying nervous prostration and stage-fright to more than 
one poor thing who should have been at the front. It is said that if the records 
at Washington could be examined that it would disclose a roster of men who 
had the worst and most varied collection of ailments ever known to the 
medical profession. 

A poor excuse was better than none, and it is a wonder that the officers in 
charge of the draft did not call a convention of the local M. D.'s to liehold, 
for once at least, this galaxy of athletic cripples and sound decrepits. 



1 66 baird's history of CLARK CO.j ind. 

From the Mexican war period there was Httle of the mihtary spirit mani- 
festing itself throughout the country ; but from the response to the heavy calls 
for men to put down the Rebellion, it is evident that the spirit was donnant 
and not dead. The relations between the North and South had reached a state 
of strain bordering on rupture. In Jeffersonville a meeting was called for the 
purpose of organizing a military company in March, i860. At the next meet- 
ning, March 8, i860, held in the Mayor's office, which seems to have been the 
same building on Front street where the first meeting was held, the organiza- 
tion was effected by the election of John N. Ingram, captain ; Nathaniel Field, 
first lieutenant ; Robert F. Bence, second lieutenant : James G. Caldwell, third 
llieutenant; William M. Darrough, orderly sergeant, and John S. McCauley, 
secretary. A careful survey of their old minute book, and inquiry among 
those who still sur\'ive, show a roster of seventy names. 

At the organization the following non-commissioned officers were ap- 
pointed, the first sergeant having been elected, as were the commissioned offi- 
cers: 

Second Sergeant — W'illiam Howard. 
Third Sergeant — Francis Berresford. 
Fourth Sergeant — David Bailey. 
EnsigU' — Gabriel Poindexter. 
First Corporal — George H. Kram. 
Second Corporal — Samuel Beach. 
Third Corporal — James Patterson. 
Fourth Corporal — William Thompson. 

The "Indiana Greys" was the euphonious name selected, and it was also 
recorded that it was the express wish of the company that their uniforms 
should be a "grey suit trimmed with black, and that the buttons on the suit 
should be a silver color with an eagle on the face." The drill hall selected was 
known as Pratt's Hall, and was located on Spring street about one hundred 
and fifty feet from Front street, and about opposite Strauss' Hotel. 

There seems to have been more or less enthusiasm at the early meetings of 
the Indiana Greys. New members were proposed and elected, various com- 
mittees were appointed to attend every^thing imaginable, and fines were as- 
sessed and collected ; but the spurt did not last, and the company decided on Alay 
30, i860, to "suspend operations until January i, 1861." The awakening, how- 
ever, which did not take place until February 21, 1861, seems to have been an 
entirely new' move, as a mass meeting was called for the purpose of organizing 
a niilitar\- company. This company elected the following officers, re-electing 
the captain of the former company on account of his experience in the ^Mexican 
war : 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 167 

Captain — John X. Ingram. 
First Lieutenant — Xatlianiel Field, Jr. 
Second Lieutenant — James Keigwin. 
Third Lieutenant — James G. Caldwell. 
Secretary — James N. Patterson. 
Treasurer — John W. Kane. 
Orderly Sergeant — John ^^^ Kane. 
Second Sergeant — James W'athen. 
Third Sergeant — J. W. Jacobs. 
Fourth Sergeant — David yi. Dryden. 
Fifth Sergeant — J. T. Davis. 
First Corporal — George H. Kram. 
Second Corporal — Moses Nahm. 
Third Corporal — James Patterson. 
Fourth Corporal — Forbes Redman. 

Shortly afterward John Kane was elected third lieutenant and Gabriel 
Poindexter to be second lieutenant. The name selected by the company was the 
"Clark Guards" and they began their service, which was carried on during such 
critical times and which reflected so much credit on them. Some of their first 
meetings were held at the residence of David Dr\'den, on Walnut street, 
but very soon afterward they procured Spark's Hall on Wall street, between 
Market and Chestnut, and used it for a drill hall and assembling place as long 
as they remained in the state service. This building remained here until the 
summer of 1903, when it was torn down to make room for a modern dwelling, 
having been used at diiiferent times for hall, armory, theater, r^Iethodist church, 
dance hall and stable. The City Council gave the company three hundred dol- 
lars with which to procure uniforms, and the purchase of these, the purchase 
of a keg of powder, three thousand gim caps, and the manufacture of paper 
cartridges, etc., etc., fitted the men out in true military style. The uniform 
adopted was a frock coat, so states the minutes, but even this scanty and ab- 
breviated costume was only decided upon after various pros and cons between it 
and "a hunting shirt with stiff collar." "A cap similar to the National Blues of 
Louisville" was added to their apparel by almost unanimous vote, the only one 
voting against it being \\''illiam Howard, and he held out for a "tall cap." 

There being practically a total lack of military knowledge in Jeffersonville, 
as well as elsewhere in the Union at this time, it was deemed advisable to get 
instniction from some outside source. A committee which had been appointed 
to attend to the matter reported on March 13, 1861, that Captain Woodruff, of 
Louisville, would give the company twenty lessons for seventy-five dollars. Con- 
sidering the time and the condition of the country, this offer seems anything but 
patriotic. This gentleman afterward became a brigadier general in the Union 



l68 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

army. In the early fall of this year Captain Woodruff was succeeded b}- Cap- 
tain Mussey, of the regular army. He was here on recruiting service at the 
time and his instructions were gladly given to the company without pay. He 
brought them to a high state of efficiency. Among other fancy drills which he 
taught them was the "bayonet drill," an exhibition which made the company 
very popular at fairs, etc. The organization was in a remarkably prosperous 
condition when the Legislature enacted a new militia law, which necessitated a 
reorganization. On June 5, 1861, the Deputy Adjutant General of Indiana, 
J. W. Ray, mustered the company into the state service and the records at In- 
dianapolis contained the following roster of the Clark Guards, officers and non- 
commissioned officers : 

Captain — John X. Ingram. 
First Lieutenant — James G. Caldwell. 
Second Lieutenant — Gabriel Poindexter. 
Ensign — John \V. Kane. 
Orderly Sergeant — Henry F. Miller. 
First Sergeant — Alford Lee. 
Second Sergeant — H. H. Reynolds. 
Third Sergeant — J. W. Jacobs. 
Fourth Sergeant — B. R. Prather. 
First Corporal — J. M. Ruddell. 
Second Corporal — Ed A. Heller. 
Third Corporal — A. \\'. Hamlin. 
Fourth Corporal — William Xorthcutt. 
Company Clerk — G. F. Miller. 

There were sixty-five pri\'ates enrolled at muster. 

J. Chap Colluni afterward became secretary and Ed A. Heller was pro- 
moted to be second lieutenant. 

From the organization of the Clark Guards in Jefferson\-ille up to the sum- 
mer of 1862 the company did excellent work, at a time when the armies-to-be 
■were evolving themselves from chaos, and when guards such as these were 
sorely needed. They served until the volunteer regiments began to be formed 
and were relieved by them of much of their work, and most of their men and 
officers. 

This company continued to exist through the whole period of the War of 
the Rebellion, and together with the other but later Clark county companies 
performed a valiant and valuable service. It later on became part of the Eighth 
Regiment, Indiana Legion. Clark county at the beginning of the War of the 
Rebellion was in a similar condition to the rest of the state. Although there 
were a few independent companies such as the Clark Guards, here and there, 
rthere was no organized militia anywhere when the war had actuallv commenced. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 169 

Tliere were less tlian five hundred stands of effective first class small arms in 
the state, and eight pieces of weather-worn and dismantled cannon. Through- 
out the various counties there was an unknown number of old flint-locks, altered 
to percussion cap muskets which had been issued to militiamen years before, but 
these were useless, except for drilling purposes. The nucleus of the newly or- 
ganizing regiments and brigades was the few independent companies which al- 
ready existed. The Clark Guards became one of the three original companies 
in the Eighth Regiment, Second Brigade, Second Military Division, when Col. 
James Keigwin was commissioned to the command of the regiment August 30. 
1861. the other t\Vo companies being Ben Lutz's company, the Battle Creek 
Guards, from just this side of Charlestown, and Ben Henderson's company, 
tlie "Union Company," from Hibernia. The resignation of Colonel Keigwin 
soon afterward to become lieutenant colonel of the Forty-ninth Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry, caused John N. Ingram, the captain of the Clark Guards, to be 
promoted and commissioned colonel October 6, 1861. 

This Eighth regiment was augmented by the addition of several other 
companies from Scott and Clark counties and was considered a very fair or- 
ganization. Generals Mansfield and Lane were at the head of the state troops 
at this time, and among the most efficient officers on the southern border of the 
state were James Keigwin, John N. Ingram and John F. Willey. 

Colonel Willey succeeded to the command of the Eighth Regiment Octo- 
ber 13. 1862. and at this time had seventeen companies under his command, of 
which twelve were in Clark county. 

The field and staff' of the Eighth Regiment were as follows : 

Colonel — James Keigwin. 
Colonel — John N. Ingram. 
Colonel — John E. Willey. 
Lieutenant Colonel — \\'arren Horr. 
Lieutenant Colonel — Samuel C. Taggart. 
Lieutenant Colonel — Thomas D. Eouts. 
Adjutant — Josiah W. Gwin. 
Adjutant — James Ryan. 
Quartermaster — Mehin Weir. 
Surgeon — David H. Combs. 

The Jeff'ersonville Artillery, one of the units of the regiment, was only a 
paper com])any ; the r)fficers were George L. Ke>-, captain : Reuben Wells, 
first lieutenant ; James Wathea, second lieutenant. This batterv was supposed to 
hail from Jeffersonville, but no record exists of its service. The Battle Creek 
Guards, an infantr}- company from Utica township and froiu the south of 
Charlestown, was a loyal and efficient organization. 

The Battle Creek Guards was about the onlv one beside the Clark Guards 



i;-o baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 

that saw a great deal of active service during the war. Their organization 
was kept up from the date of muster all through the war period, and it was a 
service not wholly of the nature of the service of Home Guards elsewhere. In 
October, 1861, the company was called into service and was taken down the 
Ohio by steamboat to the mouth of Salt river. Here they volunteered to cross 
the river, although their legal service did not extend beyond the state of Indiana. 
Thev here formed a part of quite a force of volunteers and were engaged, a 
part of the time, in collecting all the boats on Salt river. Their service here 
lasted about ten days, and while here they were quartered on a steamboat. They 
were on active service during Morgan's raid and added in no small way to the 
effectiveness of the militia force sent out to meet the invader. 

The officers of this company, during its term of service, were Captains Ben- 
jamin F. Lutz, John F. Willey and Dennis F. Willey: First Lieutenants, Isaac 
M. Koons, George W. Luman and Oscar F. Lutz ; Second Lieutenants, Alban 
Lutz and S. L. Jacobs. 

The Union Home Guards was recruited from Memphis and vicinity. Its 
officers were Captains, James M. Gwin, Josiah W. Gwin and Joseph C. Drum- 
mond; First Lieutenants, William C. Combs, and Second Lieutenant John C. 
Peden. 

The Oregon Guards, from Oregon township, had as officers : Captains. 
Francis M. Carr and Jesse Summers; First Lieutenants, William W. Watson 
and Wilshire Minor; Second Lieutenants, Cornelius B. Ruddle and Joseph 
Carr. 

The Ellsworth Zouaves, of Jeffersonville, was one of the phantom com- 
panies of the Eighth Regiment. It existed only on paper. Its officers were : 
Captain, William W. Caldwell ; First Lieutenant, Thomas Gray, and Second 
Lieutenant, George W. Brown. 

The Union company was recruited from the vicinity of Hibernia. Its offi- 
cers were: Captain, Benjamin Henderson; First Lieutenants, John D. Noe and 
Jacob P. Bare ; Second Lieutenants, Paron Crop and Calid Scott. 

The Hemwville Grays was an infantry company, with officers for its two 
years of service as follows : Captain, Cyrus M. Clark; First Lieutenants, J. S. 
Ryan, Luke S. Becket and James V. Herron; Second Lieutenants, J. A. C. 
M'cCoy, H. H. Prall and Alexander G. Biggs.' 

The Hoosier Guards were from New Hope and vicinity and added their 
quota of strength to the defense against the !\Iorgans who might dare invade 
Clark county soil. The officers were : Captains, John T. Hamilton and John 
J. Baur; First Lieutenant, Chesterfield Hutsell; and Second Lieutenants, Ed- 
ward W. Thawley and William K. Matthews. 

The Utica Rough and Ready Guards came from the hills and valleys 
of Utica. Jesse Combs was captain, Moses H. Tvler, first lieutenant and 
Thomas J. Worrall, second lieutenant. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. I7I 

The Silver Creek Guards came from Sellersburg. E. W. Moore was cap- 
,tain, George Bottorff was first lieutenant, and P. J. Ash, second lieutenant. 

The Charlestown Cavalry was commanded by Captain Warren Horr. 
Isaac Koons was first lieutenant, and Benjamin Perdue was second lieutenant. 
This troop completes the roster of companies in the Clark county regiment. 

Besides the ser\-ice which these companies gave, "they were a prolific 
nursery for the volunteer service, a quickener of the patriotic impulse and a con- 
servator of genuine loyalty." The service given by this regiment is summed up 
in the report of Colonel W'illey for 1863-64 as follows : 

"We had five battalions, and were called mto service by order 
of the Governor, June 20th. to meet the raid under Captain Hines ; 
July 6, 1863. called into ser\-ice by Adjutant General Noble; rendez- 
voused at Jeffersonville : July 7th. dismissed the command: July 8th. met 
at Jeffersonville to repel Morgan raid ; were in line of battle but no 
enemy came; July 15th relieved from duty and command dismissed; June 
9, 1864, called into ser\-ice by order of the Governor to meet a raid from Ken- 
lucky by jMorgan ; dismissed June 25th ; August loth called companies A and 
H to picket the Ohio river in the vicinity of the Grassy Flats to stop guerrillas 
under rebel Jesse from crossing; pickets fired on guerrillas, fire returned, but no 
one hurt; dismissed August 20, 1864. We had two battalion drills in April, 
1864, one regimental drill in 'Sla.y and one in October. The regiment is well 
drilled for militia, and is ready and willing to turn out whenever called on." 

Such was the temper, character and service of the regiment of Clark coun- 
•ty militia. 

The Morgan raid across the southern part of the state in July. 1863. was 
the cause of an abnormal activity among both the active and sedentaiy militia, 
and although it amounted to nothing so far as active service was concerned, it 
caused more or less patriotism to suddenly appear in the breasts of the stay-at- 
homes and an outward and visible sign of a desire to fight that must have been 
gratifying if not amusing to the boys in blue at the front. 

A movement was commenced to intercept ^Morgan at \'ienna on the after- 
noon of the loth by sending a brigade of infantry and a battery of artillery from 
Jeffersonville by rail, and the troops were already embarked on cars, in high 
spirits, when an order from General Bovle. to whom the military "post" at Jef- 
fersonville belonged, stopped them. The militia, as stated in Colonel \\ il- 
ley's report, were called to duty July 9th for the same purpose, but the public 
mind was in such a wrought-up state that these United States volunteers and 
militia did not give satisfactory assurance of perfect safety from the dreaded 
bugaboo, so a volunteer force was raised besides. This force appeared in the 
;shape of a so-called regiment of men from Jeflrersonville, which seemed to 
spring, mushroom-like, out of the ground over night. The "raiders" were 
(Coming and everybody was ready to fight. This hurry-up organization amount- 



172 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

ed to from six Imndred to eight hundred men, besides two "quick" troops 
of cavah-y (if the historian may be pardoned for so designating them), the 
above mentioned bodies having about all the able bodied men of Jefiferson\ille 
:in their ranks. 

The battle of Corvdon was an inspiration to the luke-warm. so the advance 
of this bodv of men to the rear of the city was an imposing one so far as numbers 
went. The first night out they camped in Taylor's woods, and then moved out 
near the springs property on Spring street, near Twelfth, there to welcome the 
dread invader "with bloody hands to hospitable graves." The fact that al- 
though thev had been armed w^ith muskets, yet had been issued no ammunition. 
never dawning upon them until after the scare. They remained on duty about 
six davs. but it is stated by some that when the remnant of the regiment returned 
to the city at the end of their duty they found that the largest portion had al- 
readv arrived before them, not ha\-ing waited for such an inconsequential thing 
as an order or permit to leave and return homeward. 

Among these brave defenders was one Isaac Gaither. a brother of Perry 
Gaither. the Falls pilot. He was a most enthusiastic shouting Methodist and a 
ileader in the ^\'all Street church. The night being cool when ]\Iorgan was ex- 
pected, and the anticipation of a fight being rather trying to many, a bottle of 
that "licker" commonly called "spirits frumentii," was circulated among the 
boys, and Gaither was persuaded to take a pull for his health's sake. As the 
spirits in the bottle lowered the spirits of the men rose, especially Gaither's. and 
he finally seized his gun, jumped into the middle of the road, raised the weapon 
to his shoulder and shouted, "John Morgan, if you're coming, come on NOW !" 
This show of spirits did not seem to appeal to some and touched the risibles of 
none, for one of them, "Bill" Jackson by name, replied in a stage whisper, "Shet 
up, you damned fool, some of Morgan's men might be out there and hear you." 

This body of Jeffersonville soldiery disappeared as it came, and its history 
is only what can be gleaned from the tales told by the survivors at this day. 

The citizen soldiery of Charlestown lost no opportunity to perfect them- 
selves in the art of war, and night after night found them drilling in the court- 
house. During the winter of i860 and 1861, these drills were kept up, Harry 
Daily being the drill master. During the period of nervous prostration which 
General Morgan had caused to be an epidemic in Clark county, and when the 
militia had assembled to repulse the invader, about five hundred rebels started 
to cross the river at Twelve-Mile Island, but a gunboat opened fire on them 
and only one boat load of forty-six succeeded in reaching the northern shore, 
or rather in escaping to it. At this time there was a deep-laid, well-organized 
conspiracy throughout the southern part of the state to assist Morgan in every 
way possible. That treasonable, disloyal and infamous secret society, called the 
"Knights of the Golden Circle," had plotted and planned to make Morgan's raid 
successful. Clark county was unfortunate enough to have within her borders 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 1 73 

men who were traitors to their country and flag, and to these men the invaders 
at Tweh-e-I\Iiie Island looked for support. Of the forty-six who succeeded in 
invading Clark county, hardly a one escaped capture, while Morgan's force 
itself went around to the north. The militia force returned home, and the coun- 
'try-side guards who had, like Putnam of old, left field or team to defend their 
homes, returned once more to peaceful pursuits. 

One of the earliest organizations of men in Clark county formed for the 
purpose of entering into active service in the great conflict, was headed quite 
naturally by that patriotic citizen of Jeffersonville, wdiomi every one knew and 
everybody liked, James Keigwin, later the gallant colonel of the Fortv-ninth In- 
diana. \\'hen the President had issued his first call for 75,000 men. April 15. 
1861, to put down the rebellion, JefYersonville, like every other city and town in 
the state of Indiana, had its company of men ready in a few hours after receiving 
the news. This company consisted of about sixty men and they were quartered 
temporarily in Spark's Hall, on Wall street, where stoves to cook upon and 
bedding and provisions were provided, not, however, by the State or Federal 
Government, but out of the private purse of the man raising the organization. 
Indiana's quota being filled almost as soon as the call was made, the men whom 
Keigwin had assembled sought other fields and the only reward or satisfac- 
tion he received for his patriotism at that time was a knowledge that he had 
done his duty, the three hundred dollars spent for subsistence being credited 
ito profit and loss. 

A company of first-call men was raised in Charlestown the same time that 
Keigwin raised his Jefifersonville company. Clark county made her initial bow 
in this conflict as early as any other county in the state, and the standard which 
she set at the outset was kept up throughout the jjeriod. When Sumter was 
fired on, several young men at the county-seat began the organization of an in- 
fantry company, and Henry Ferguson assumed the leadership in the movement. 
J. B. Roland was slated for first lieutenant and Isaac Haymaker for second lieu- 
tenant. -A drum and fife corps was made up, and these ofiicers, together with a 
few others, started out to visit the neighboring villages near Charlestown to re- 
cruit their company. Vesta, Solon, New Washington, New Market and other 
places were visited and the temper of the men was shown by a roster of one hun- 
dred and thirty-eight enlistments. The recruits marched to Charlestown and 
camped in the public square, but they were doomed to the same disappointment 
which Keigwin met, and their offer of service was refused, as those companies 
nearer Indianapolis had alread}' been accepted. Da\id Daily was not discour- 
aged, however, and took seventy-eight of these men up to Indianapolis on a spe- 
cial train, marched them up to the State House and offered their services to 
Governor Morton. It was too late, but the men had only to wait a short while 
before an opportunity was gi\-en for them to (ifTer their ser\'ices in newer 



174 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

The next body of men raised in Jeffersonville was headed by David M. 
Drydan, the pilot. An old riverman named Jesse J. Stepleton had interested 
Drydan in raising a company for immediate sei-vice. Stepleton had been a mate 
or one of the river boats and Dr}'dan very naturally fell in with his plans, and 
raised a good-sized squad of men in and around Jeffersonville. For this work he 
was made a second lieutenant when the company was mustered in. 

Drydan's squad consisted of twenty-seven men from Jeffersonville, Utica, 
Charlestown and vicinity. These men. with a number from Louisville, aggre- 
gating about one hundred and six, embarked on the mail boat and were taken to 
Cincinnati, Ohio, where they were mustered in as Company F, First Kentucky 
Volunteer Infantry, by Major S. Burbank. of the First Infantry, U. S. A., at 
Camp Clay, June 4, 1861. Captain Stepleton resigned soon afterward, it is said, 
from fear of his men, whonl he had treated with great brutality, and Drydan was 
promoted to fill his place. The regiment was ordered to the Department of W^est 
Virginia and performed much valuable service in the early part of the war. 
From there it was ordered to the Department of the Cumberland in January. 
1862. and took active part in the advance on Nashville and participated in the 
following engagements: Gauley Bridge, Red House and Peytonia, Virginia; 
Shiloh, Tennessee; Corinth, Mississippi: Stone River, Tennessee, and Chicka- 
mauga, Georgia. 

These men composed the first bod}- of soldiers to go into the army, and 
as they went into a Kentucky regiment, neither Indiana nor Clark county re- 
ceived the credit for them. They served until mustered out at Covington, Ken- 
tucky, June 18, 1864. 

The first volunteers from Clark county to go into an Indiana regiment 
were Company D, of the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, from 
Charlestown. This was the regiment commanded by Col. Jeft' C. Davis. 
Colonel Davis was promoted brigadier general of the United States Volun- 
iteers, December 18, 1861, and brevetted major general, August 8, 1864. 
The organization and muster of this company was but the prelude to that 
proud chapter in Clark county's histoiy. wherein is written the patriotic service 
of her sons in many regiments. 

"How they went forth to die ! 
Pale, earnest thousands from the dizzy mills. 
And sunburnt thousands from the harvest hills. 
Quick, eager thousands from the city's streets, 
And storm-tried thousands from the fisher's fleets, 
How they went forth to die!" 

Company D. of the Twenty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteers, was 
headed quite naturally by David W. Dailey, who had made such strenuous 
efforts to force his earlier company into the service. A\"iHiam H. Ratts went out 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 175 

as first lieutenant, and Isaac X. Ha}-maker as second lieutenant. Dailev rose 
to the lieutenant colonelcy after the death of John A. Hendricks at the battle of 
Pea Ridge, March 6, 1862. During the service of this company, David W. 
Dailey, Isaac X. Haymaker, James M. Parker, Thomas H. Dailey and Pat- 
rick H. Carney, served as captain ; William H. Ratts, James M. Parker, 
Samuel H. Campbell, Thomas H. Dailey, Patrick H. Carney and George 
G. Taff as first lieutenants and Isaac X. Haymaker, Samuel H. Campbell, 
Thomas H. Dailey, Patrick H. Carney, David X. Runyan and Charles J. Giles 
second lieutenants. 

The company was rendezvoused in Charlestown. the squads of recruits 
camping in the court-house yard. The movement to raise this body of men was 
not coincident with the organization of the Twenty-second Regiment, most of 
ithe men being the remains of Dailey's old company wb.o had been kept to- 
gether and drilled from time to time. The regimental rendezvous was at 
Madison and here, on July 15, 1861, they were organized, and soon after left 
for Indianapolis, where they were mustered into the United States ser\-ice. 
August 15, 1861, for three years. 

The battle of Pea Ridge, Siege of Corinth, pursuit of Bragg, Perryville. 
Stone River, the charge up Mission Ridge, and Sherman's "Marching Through 
Georgia," were all part of its history, and Company D's return to Charlestown 
after muster-out at Washington, D. C, in June, 18G5, was the occasion of well 
merited congratulations. 

The next troops were Companies B and I, Twenty-third Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry. Most of the men in B company were from Jefifersonville and 
vicinity, while those in I company were from Charlestown. One of the prime 
movers in organizing Company B, besides William \Y. Caldwell, was James B. 
Merriwether, who later on served as lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-eighth 
Indiana, vice \\'alter O. Gresham, resigned, and still later as provost marshal 
of the second district. The company was organized in their own camp at Tay- 
lor's Woods, just back of Jeffersonville, and was mustered in at Xew Albany, 
July 29, 1861. In February, 1862, several men of this company lost their li\es 
on the ill-fated gunboat Essex, eleven guns, when her boilers blew up. Lieut. 
Daniel Trotter being one of the unfortunates. 

Caldwell took out with him William M. Darrough as first lieutenant and 
Daniel Trotter as second lieutenant. Darrough was promoted captain and was 
killed at Vicksburg and Trotter was killed at Fort Henry in 1862. 

Company I was recniited in Charlestown during the month of June, and on 
July 8th received orders from Gov. O. P. IMorton to proceed to Camp X'oble at 
X^ew Albany. On July 27th they were mustered into the Ignited States service, 
and on August 15th left Camp X'oble for St. Louis. 

The battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, the capture of luka, Thomp- 
son's Hill, Raymond, Champion Hill, Jackson, Vicksburg, the Atlanta Cam- 



176 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

paign, the pursuit of Hood, with Sherman to Savannah, the campaign of 
the Carolinas and the battle of Bentonville, is a record that any regiment 
could be proud of, and our companies of the Twenty-third did their share 
of duty. The officers of Company B were as follows : 

\^'illiam \\\ Caldwell, Captain. 

William M. Darrough, Captain. 

Michael Whalen, Captain. 

Frederick ^^'ilkens, Captain. 

William AI. Darrough, First Lieutenant. 

Michael Whalen, First Lieutenant. 

Henry C. Foster, First Lieutenant. 

Philip Pflanzer, First Lieutenant. 

Daniel Trotter, Second Lieutenant. 

Henry C. Foster, Second Lieutenant. 

Martin Muthig, Second Lieutenant. 

The officers of Company I were as follows : 

Henry C. Ferguson, Captain. 

Benjamin F. W'alter, Captain. 

James N. Wood, Captain. 

Benjamin F. W'alter, First Lieutenant. 

Joshua W^ Custer, First Lieiitenant. 

David Moore, First Lieutenant. 

Joshua W. Custer, Second Lieutenant. 

Henry C. Dietz, Second Lieutenant. 

Francis M. Crabtree, Second Lieutenant. 

Claiborn M. Delton, Second Lieutenant. 

When the Thirty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteers was organized 
it had two companies from Clark county. Company H, of Jeffersonville, 
and Company F, of Charlestown. Company H was raised by Capt. 
Gabriel Poindexter, who at the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, 
was in the hardware business on Spring street, near Front. During this 
company's term of service it had the following Clark county officers : Gabriel 
Poindexter, Victor M. Carr and Andrew J. Crandell, captains; Victor M. 
Carr, Andrew J. Crandell and Joseph L. Leach, first lieutenants, and An- 
drew J. Howard and Victor M. Carr as second lieutenants. 

About three o'clock on a beautiful afternoon in the early part of Septem- 
ber. 1 86 1, the men composing the company assembled and took wagons for 
Xew Albany. The leave taking of soldiers was still new to the city, and a 
goodly crowd assembled to witness their departure. The road that led to 
New Albany in those days was on the present right of way of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad. They were not mustered in until September i8th, but before 



liAIKl; S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 1 77 

that time one nf their number died. His name is not to he found now on 
mortal rolls, but all the h.onors of war were accorded him in his funeral 
obsequies. Besides the officers and men who composed this company and who 
hailed from Jeffersonville. there were James B. Merriwether, lieutenant 
colonel of the regiment; Joshua B. Jenkins, major, and T. ,C. Mercer, of 
Utica, assistant surgeon. In Charlestown the company for this regiment was 
raised by ^^'esley Connor. There w^as no lack of enthusiasm, and the quota 
was filled without trouble. Wesley Connor, Joshua B. Jenkins and \\'illiam 
M. Pangburn served as captains ; Stephen S. Cole, Joshua B. Jenkins. William 
M. Pangburn and Thomas R. Mitchell served as first lieutenants, and Joshua 
B. Jenkins, Thomas H. Adams and Elias Daily as second lieutenants. The 
men composing this company were recruited from the vicinity of Charles- 
town, Otisco, New Market and New Washington, and as was usual in those 
days, rode to the place of rendezvous at New Albany in farmers' wagons. 
The history of these companies was the history of the regiment throughout 
the war. They served in the campaigns in Kentucky, 1861 ; Tennessee and 
Kentucky in 1862: pursuit of Bragg, 1862: Rosecrans' campaign in Tennes- 
see, 1863; against Chattanooga, 1863; against Atlanta, 1864; pursuit of 
Hood, 1864; Sherman's march to the sea, 1864, and through the Carolinas 
in 1865. They were sent to Louisville in 1865 and remained there until the 
middle of July of that year. The two companies of Clark countv men were 
mustered out with the regiment July 15, 1865, participated in a public re- 
ception at Indianap<:)lis July i8th, where they were addressed by Governor 
Morton. During the service of this regiment it covered an immense amount 
of territory in its marches. After the campaign in the Carolinas it marched 
to \\'ashington, D. C, a distance of one hundred and ninety-two miles in 
six days, an average of thirty-two miles per day. The sum total of its 
service is more than creditable. 
12 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
THE MILITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUXTY. 

^- FORTY-NINTH INDIANA. 

The Forty-ninth Regiment of Indiana Vokmteers was organized at Camp 
Joe Holt, Jeffersonville, Indiana, on the i8th day of November, 1861, and 
mustered into service November 21, 1861, for three years or during the war. 
The staff officers for the whole tenn of their service were as follows : 

Colonel. Residence. Date of Com. 

John W. Ray Jeffersonville November 18, 1861. 

James Keigwin Jeft'ei'sonville October 18, 1862. 

James Leeper Charlestown December i. 1864. 

Lt. Colonel. 

James Keigwin Jeft'ersonville November 18. 1861. 

Joseph H. Thornton. . . .Leavenworth October 11. 1862. 

Arthur J. Hawhe New Albany July 28, 1863. 

James Leeper Charlestown December i. 1864. 

James A. Gardner Rome September 6, 1865. 

Major. 

Joseph H. Thornton Leavenworth November 25, 1861. 

Arthur J. Hawhe New Albany October 13, 1862. 

James Leeper Charlestown July 28, 1863. 

John A. Hamacher Vienna September 26, 1865. 

Adjutant. 

James M. Gwin Memphis November 22, 1861. 

George W. Riddle Leavenworth April 15. 1862. 

Beverly W. Sullivan Jeffersonville February 22, 1865. 

Quarter-master. 

Charles H. Paddack Jeft'ersonville September 25. 1861. 

George W. Pettit Jeft'ersonville April i. 1865. 



4 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. IJQ 

Cliaplain. 

\\'illiam Maple Salem December 5, 1861. 

L. M. Hancock ^Nlav i. 1862. 

L. L. Hazen June 17, 1863. 

Surgeon. 

Charles D. Pearson Indianapolis Xoveml:)er 19. 1861. 

James R. AInnroe Seymonr ]\[arch 11. 1862. 

John A. Ritter Orleans October 18, 1862. 

Emanuel R. Ha'.vn Indianapolis February 20, 1864. 

Edward F. Buzzett Jeffersonville April i, 1865. 

Assistant Surgeon. 

J. A. C. McCoy Jeffersonville December 27, 1861. 

The non-commissioned staff' was George F. Howard, sergeant major; Eli- 
sha L. Trueblood, quarter-master sergeant ; Beverly \\' . Sullivan, commissar}^ 
sergeant: Samuel Lingle and Preston C. Worrell, principal musicians. The 
Forty-ninth was the first and only regiment organized in Clark county for 
the ^^'ar of the Rebellion, and had so many Clark county men as field and line 
officers, besides the rank and file that it may be truly called a Clark count}'' 
regiment. Colonel Ray resigned after commanding the regiment from its 
muster into the service. X'ovember 21. 1861, until the following June, when 
he left it. and from that time until the regiment ser\-ed out their full term 
of enlistment of three years it was commanded by Col. James Keigwin. A 
part of the regiment re-enlisted in Texas and Captain Leeper was made lieu- 
tenant colonel, and sensed with the veterans up to the close of the war, when 
they were mustered out of the service at Louisville. Kentucky. September 13, 
1865. having served their country three years and ten months as gallantly and 
faithfully as any soldiers that ever left the state. It would require a large 
volume to record the battles, skirmishes and hardships the old Forty-ninth 
endured during- its long and faithful service for their country and flag. The 
enlistments, first and last, of officers and men. numbered twelve hundred and 
sixty-eight, of whom two hundred and thirty-eight gave up their lives for 
their country. The regiment performed the duties required of it by anny 
regulations, and obeyed with alacrity all orders from superior officers, and 
were ready every hour of their three years and ten months' seiwice to kill 
the enemies of their country and flag, or be killed in defense of them. And 
well may Clark county be proud of her boys who wore the blue and performed 
their part so well in saving and making the greatest nation on the globe. 
"A government of the people, by the people and for the people." 

One of the most amusing things occurred at the time the Forty-ninth was 
in camp at Joe Holt, and was published in all the papers in the country after 



l80 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

its occurrence. Many of the recruits came from a dark corner of our state, 
and were not up to tlie fashions, etiquette and polished ways of the present 
day. They might have been called green if the hayseed in their hair had not 
been faded to a light dust color. They were told by their friends when they 
started for camp to wear the oldest and worst clothes they had, and throw 
them away when they drew their uniforms, which would save them the trouble 
and expense of sending their clothes home after they had drawn their uni- 
forms. I can truthfully sa}- that they accepted the advice of their friends, and 
any sort of a judge of man's dress would say that they wore their worst 
clothes when they came t(i camp. On account of some delay of the quarter- 
master, the uniforms did not arrive as soon as expected, and the poor boys 
had to wear those "worst clothes" for a week or more, which was a great dis- 
appointment to the whole regiment. Colonel Keigwin recounts the following : 
"All the young ladies in Jeffersonville were casting wistful eyes at the young 
officers of the regiment, and using every endeavor to make their stay in camp 
as pleasant as possible. One of the debutantes of our city concluded that she 
would cast her hook into the military fish pond to catch a soldier, if possible, 
by giving to the officers of the regiment a reception at her home on Market 
street. (In our day it would be called a 'function' or some other Newport 
name.) The debutante wrote the invitations to the 'function' herself and it 
read : 'Tlie pleasure of your company is invited to attend a party to be given 

by JNIiss , at her home on Market street, on day, hour, to the 

defenders of our flag and country.' The captain of the company that came into 
camp with their worst clothes on understood the invitation for him to appear 
wdth his company, and he came. I, being a distant relative of the young lady, 
of course it was my duty to make things go off as pleasantly as possible for 
the company, and to be the first on the ground to receive them. Just as it was 
getting dark I went to the front gate and looked down market street, and you 
can judge of my surprise when I saw the captain with his full company in 
their rag-tag motley garments they had left home in. \\'ell, just at that time 
I was worse rattled than I ever was when forming the regiment in line for 
battle. Jack Fallstaff and his famous company were well dressed as compared 
with that crew. Well, we did the best we could with them, inviting them into 
the parlors which we had taken so much pains to decorate with pictures of 
Washington and Jackson and other famous fighters of early times. The walls 
were decorated with flags and other ornaments suitable for a regimental 'func- 
tion' in t86i. Refreshments for all that number? you ask. Well, we just cut 
the bits of cake which were small enough for one into two pieces and added a 
little more water to the lemonade, and all returned to camp well satisfied that 
he had learned what a real reception in Jefifersonville was forty years ago. 
The captain who brought all of his company to the reception has been dead for 
more than twenty-five years previous to this writing (1904), and it is to be 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. l8l 

hoped that tlie function he is now enjoying is of a different sort from the one 
he attended in Jeffersonville with his FaHstafifian company. Many hundreds 
of years ago a multitude of fi\-e thousand were served with five loaves and two 
fishes, and after all were satisfied there remained twelve baskets full of loaves 
and fishes, but I can truthfully say that not a crumb as big as a buck-shot was 
left after the well dressed company of the Forty-ninth Indiana had been sensed 
at that 'debutante function' on Market street in Ti^ffei'sonville fortv-two vears 
ago." 

The Forty-ninth Regiment left their camp at Joe Holt, Jefferson\-ille, De- 
cember II. 1 86 1, and made their first march through Louisville and out the 
Bardstown Pike. At that time Jefifersonville had a brass band, and they vol- 
unteered to escort the regiment across the river and through Louisville, where 
at that time, as many cheered for Jefferson Davis as shouted for Lincoln. Wil- 
liam H. Fogg, Professor John Johnson. Henry Ewing, Abraham Carr and 
others were members and they tooted their horns vigorously marching through 
the city with one thousand armed men following them, but the danger of get- 
ting back with their horns exposed after escorting a Yankee regiment through 
(the streets of a rebel city, was too great to be risked, and they deposited their 
instruments in a house on the outskirts of the city and sent a wagon to haul 
them home. This trip was the last toot the band ever made on those horns. 

The regiment reached Bardstown on the 13th of December, and went into 
camp at the fair grounds, where they devoted all their time to drilling and fight- 
ing mouth battles, telling how they would lick the Johnnies and return to their 
homes in a few months to receive from their friends the palm of victor}-. The}' 
did not know as much about war then as they learned later. Col. James Keig- 
win's account of their service is as follows: "One thing which added greatly 
to our courage was the good old Nelson countv Bourbon whiskev whicli was 
sold at that time fur twenty-fi\'e cents per gallon, which brought it in reach 
of the most impecunious soldier in the regiment. Tlie only total abstinence 
man that I knew in the regiment at that time was Col. John W. Ray, who spent 
most of his time talking about the comforts of home as compared to those of 
camp life, and admonishing- us of the great danger of a too free use of "old 
Tambo" fas it was then called by the men in the regiment), and praying that 
Jeff Davis and his followers would soon find the folly of tr}'ing to break up the 
Union and tiying to lick such loyal fiohting men as he had in the Forty-ninth 
Indiana. Our colonel was from his boyhood days a better talker than a fighter, 
and he almost convinced me in some of his oratorical flights that the war could 
not last six months longer, and I was almost afraid that I would never have a 
chance to witness or take part in a battle. One beautiful, crisp, frosty moon- 
light night I suggested that we have a false alarm in camp to teach the men 
that when they lay down for the night to always put their arms, accoutrements 
and clothing where they could put their hands on them no matter how dark 



l82 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

it might be. or under all sorts of danger or excitement, when called out in the 
night. No one knew that there would be an alarm but Ray, m3-self and ^lajor 
Thornton. About twelve o'clock we called up the drum corps and ordered 
them to beat the long roll, that the enemy was but a few miles from us, ap- 
proaching on the Lebanon pike. They beat the roll earnestly, and we three 
field officers ran up and down the company streets commanding in a loud voice 
'turn out ! fall in on the color front,' that the Johnnies were advancing on the 
pike and were but a few miles away. Well, it was one of the most excitable 
and amusing scenes I have ever witnessed. After getting them on the color 
front we found some of them with only one shoe on. some without a gun and 
others without a cartridge box ; in fact they would have put up a poor fight in 
the condition they were in. We double-quicked them out of the fair grounds, 
down the pike, formed line of battle and told them that there was no armed 
enemy within fifty miles of the place, and explained to them what the alarm 
was given for, and I can truthfully say that the regiment never forgot the 
lesson it learned that night. We had the roll called and found thirty "cofifee 
coolers" absent. Next day we held a court martial and found that all of the 
absentees had some sort of an excuse for his absence. I will never forget the 
excuse of a Company A man, who was the tallest in the company, which gave 
him the honor of marching in the first four at the head of the regiment. He 
had an idea that regiments went into battle endways and as the front files fell 
the others followed up until all were killed or wounded to the left of the regi- 
ment. He denied being absent and his excuse was that he was at the taller end 
of the regiment, that he thought the enemy might 'tak us at 'tother end and 
he wanted to be first in the fight. His excuse was so novel we had a good 
laugh over it and he was excused without punishment. 

"The regiment left Bardstown January 12, 1862, under orders to re- 
inforce General Thomas, who was watching General Zollicoffer, who was 
threatening Kentucky with another invasion, he having been defeated at Wild- 
cat and driven through Cumberland Gap by our forces a few months before. 
The regiment marched through Springfield, Danville and Lebanon, Kentucky, 
reaching a point five miles south of Lebanon, where it received the news of 
General Thomas' victory at Mill Springs, Kentucky. We marched from 
Lebanon to Cumberland Ford, Kentucky, arriving there February 15, 1862, 
and remained there until the following June. \\'hile camped at this place the 
regiment was severely scourged by disease, losing by death a large number of 
its members. On the 14th of March, 1862, I took part of the regiment to Big 
Creek Gap, Tennessee, where we had a skirmish with the First Tainessee Cav- 
alry, capturing their battle flag, which is now in the state library at Lidianap- 
olis, and Lieutenant Colonel W'hite, Captain \\"inston, a lieutenant and thirty- 
two men and seventy-five horses. We returned to the Ford and took part in 
. an ineffectual attempt to take Cumberland Gap. The regiment marched with 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. l8^ 

Gen. Georg-e W. Morgan's force over the Cumberland mountains into Powell 
valley. Tennessee, toward Cumberland Gap, and on the i8th of Januaiy, 1862, 
we occupied it, the enemy having evacuated it the same day. The regiment 
remained at Cumberland Gap, engaged in building fortifications, and having 
almost daily encounters with the enemy, by whom we were surrounded a 
greater part of the time until the night of the 17th of September, 1862, when 
the works were abandoned, the enemy having cut off all communication with 
the rear, preventing reinforcements and supplies from reaching the garrison. 

"The first man killed in the regiment was Corporal Henry H. McCullum, 
in a skinnish near Cumberland Gap, August 25, 1862. The regiment was en- 
gaged in a number of skirmishes near Cumberland Ford and the Gap with 
only a few wounded. One incident that occurred while we were invested at 
the Gap I shall never forget because it brought to me a very valuable piece of 
property in the form of a fine black stallion, which was the property of Colonel 
Alston, a son of Governor Alston, of South Carolina. Gen. Samuel P. Carter, 
who commanded the first troops that reached Cumberland Ford, wanted to 
purchase the horse and asked me what I would take for him. 1 told him the 
horse was worth five hundred dollars, but in the locality in which we were at 
that time soldiering, and poor facilities for running away in case the Johnnies 
got the better of us in a fight, we were about to be engaged in, that I would 
not trade nor sell the horse for a steamer Jacob Strader, at that time the finest 
boat on the western rivers. I do not want my friends to think that I stole that 
horse from the government, to whom he belonged at the time of the capture 
so I must tell you the story of how I came by the horse honestly : 

"We had an old Tennessean, a sergeant in the Second Tennessee Regi- 
ment of Infantry, who was the mcist reliable scout in the command. He knew 
every path and road through the mountains of East Tennessee, and everv man 
who kept a stallion in that part of the state. He ne\'er returned from a scout- 
ing expedition that he was not mounted on a horse of that kind. He was a 
great friend of the Forty-ninth Indiana, and seemed to have more confidence 
in Hoosier soldiers than those from his own state. He wnuld often come to 
me to get a detail of men to go with him on some of his dangenius journevs. 
He was known by all of the command as "Stud Reynolds.'' One dav at my 
quarters I said to him jokingly. "Stud I wish the next time ynu leave camp 
you would bring me a fine stud horse.' He laughed and said the next one he 
found he would bring to me. He said that his business at that time was to 
get some of my men to go with him down to Baptist Gap, five miles distant 
from our camp, to try to trap some rebels who had been crossing the moun- 
tains in our rear, and a few days before had killed Turkey Joe Turner, a Union 
man for giving us information in regard to the "Johnnies' at the Gap. I told 
him to take as many as he wanted, and to take the choice of any in the regi- 
ment. He selected twenty men and moved along the bench of the mountain' 



184 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IXD.. 

to Baptist Gap and divided bis men, placing ten of them about half way to the 
top of the mountain and the others be kept with liim about two hundred yards 
nearer the foot of tlie mountain. All of the men were concealed in the thick 
shrul)l)erv of the mountain side. He was there but a short time when he heard 
the clatter of horses' hoofs in the valley below. Soon they were ascending 
the path up the mountain gap. Stud kept quiet until Colonel Alston and five 
of his men rode past him when he charged into the path in their rear and 
ordered them to surrender. The squad charged into the path from above and 
there was no escape' for the colonel and his men. Colonel Alston at first re- 
fused to surrender to a private soldier, and demanded that they send for an 
ofificer before he would consent to give up his sword and dismount. Stud again 
ordered him to dismount, but the haughty South Carolinian began to parley 
about the matter, when Stud ordered, 'Ready! Take aim,' which brought the 
noble scion down from the saddle in short order. Stud mounted the black 
stud, ordered them to march in front, and brought them into camp, the most 
woe-begone looking cavaliers that ever left the state which fired the first shot 
at 'Old Glory,' waving over Fort Sumter and the emblem of the freest people 
on earth. Of course we rejoiced when the son of one of the aristocratic gov- 
ernors of that state, which was the first to secede from the Union, had been 
captured by private soldiers in the Union army. Stud Re^-nolds rode the ijlack 
stallion up in front of my quarters, saluted and said, 'Colonel, here is your 
stud hiirse.' Our chief (|uartermaster. IMajor Garber, from Madison, an old 
friend of mine, whose duty it was to take care of all captured propertv and re- 
port the number of horses on his rolls, had told me that anything in his corral 
that had four legs and a tail counted for a horse, and ha\ing one of that sort 
on hand at that time I just turned him into the corral and rode Colonel Alston's 
horse through the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi 
and Louisiana, and I never mounted him but I thought that I was riding the 
state of South Carolina with sabre at my side and spurs on my heels. 

"While at Cumberland Ford a part of the Forty-ninth Indiana 
( Company B, under command of Capt. James Thompson) and a 
part of the Second Regiment East Tennessee Infantry, made a 
raid against Cumberland Gap. which was heavily fortified and oc- 
cupied by a large force of the enemy under General Raines, C. S. 
A. Colonel Carter of the Second East Tennessee Infantry, with myself in 
charge of the above troops, was sent to Big Creek Gap which was blockaded 
and guarded by the First Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, Colonel Rodgers in 
command. Colonel Carter left Cumberland Ford on the moming of the 14th 
of March, 1862, without a wagon or any artillery, and the paths through which 
our guides were to lead us could only be trodden in places single file, and the 
officers, horses and thirty cavalrymen we had with us would often be several 
mdes ahead of the main column to find a path through which to lead their 



BAIRD S HISTOKV OF CLARK CO., IXD. 105 

horses. I think that the route the guides took us was ahout sixty-five miles 
from the ford to Big Creek gap, our objective point. We left the ford with all 
the provisions we could carry in our haversacks and were alisent on the expe- 
dition eleven days, passing through a country scantily supplied with provisions 
in times of peace so you will understand tliat many of the boys went hungry a 
greater part of the time on the trip. When we reached the foot of the moun- 
tain after crossing it, we turned into the fields in the valley with only two hun- 
dred men left of our original command, the remainder being lost somewhere 
u]) in the mountains. It being nearly time for rexeille. we decided to attack 
with our force and Colonel Carter and I both taking half, he attacking the part 
of the enemy camping at the school-house and I that at Sharp's residence. It 
was just beginning to get light when we made the attack and I could see the 
Johnnies skedaddling up the bluff bank in the rear of their tents and running 
toward Jacksbnrough, where the rest of their troops were camped. There 
was a voung lieutenant in the Second Tennessee with about thirty men. who 
stayed with me and I ordered him to charge down the road, which he did in 
gallant style, capturing some of the enemy that would ha\e esca]ied. Capt. 
J. A\'. Tliompson with Company B, of the Forty-ninth Indiana, who was left 
on the mountai'i, heard the firing and he and his men came on the run, Steve 
Gil)bs leading the van, and when he got near to me he called out, 'Here we 
come, where do you want us?" After it was all over we formed the command 
across a field facing Fincastle. \\'e could hear plainly t!ie clatter of the horses' 
feet a long time before they came in sight and when our line fired they turned 
and returned to Fincastle as fast as they came. \\'e broke ranks and it was 
a jollv sight to see our boys gatherin.g the spoils of war. Plenty of corn meal, 
flour, sugar, coffee and tobacco, two hundred double-barreled shot guns, sev- 
enty-five horses with saddles and ec|uii)ment. We also captured Lieutenant 
Colonel \\'hite, one lieutenant, thirtv men and the regimental liatlle flag which 
was captured by Capt. James W. Thompson, Company B, Forty-ninth Indiana 
Infantry. The captain gave me the flag and I had it deposited in the state 
librar\- at Indianapolis, where it still remains, the first trophy of the valor of 
the Forty-ninth Indiana. This was the maiden fight of the regiment. We 
then advanced to Jacksborough where we captured Captain \\'inston and two 
other soldiers and the camp supplies and camp e(|uipage. the force having run 
away from us as we approached. We returned to Cumberland Ford and find- 
ing that the army had gone to the Gap, we followed, arriving there in time to 
see the first unsuccessful attempt to capture that stronghold. General Carter 
honored me by detailing me with a detail of men from the Forty-ninth to take 
the prisoners to the Louisville military prison, which was cpute a treat to us as 
it enabled us to get to our homes once more and ha\e a time with our friends. 
"The Forty-ninth Indiana was located at Cotteral Spring, three miles 
south of Cumberland Gap. and while there General Morgan ordered me to 



l86 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

take a squadron of cavalry to g(i on to picket post to learn the nature of the 
flag of truce. The General instructed me that after the business of the truce 
was over to go toTazewell, Tennessee, with the rebels if they invited me. 
When I had concluded the business with the Confederate officer and we were 
about to separate, he invited us to go to Tazewell and spend the night. I 
thanked him. accepted the invitation and dismissed my escort of cavaliy from 
which I had detailed two to act as orderlies. Maj. S. S. Lyon, topographical en- 
gineer on Genera! ^lorgan's staff, and Lieutenant Montgomery, one of my aids, 
accompanied me, which made five of us and forty-one Confederates in the party. 
The rebels had, previously to this, approached our picket post several times 
and fired on it. Col. James Carter, of the Second East Tennessee Lifantry, 
with Company F, of the Forty-ninth Lidiana, set a trap to kill and capture 
them. On the night that I received a flag of truce at the ford. General ]\bir- 
gan sent a messenger to Colonel Carter to notify him that a flag of truce was 
there, but the messenger failed to find him in the woods, so the colonel kept 
on to a point on the road that the flag of truce party had taken. He inquired 
of a native whether he had seen any 'Johnnies' lately and was told that a com- 
pany had gone to the ford about an hour before. Colonel Carter, in selecting 
a place to kill or capture the party, placed part of his men, in four ranks, with 
bayonets fixed, across the road to impale the horses should any reach that 
point. The remainder of his eight hundred men he deployed along the road- 
side. Company F, of the Forty-ninth Indiana was on his right side with or- 
ders to fire and wheel across the road in our rear to prevent escape that way. 
Our party came jogging along nicely : I was riding at the head of the column 
with Doctor Compton on my right and the Confederate sergeant with the flag 
of truce on my left. No one had a thought of the trap we were riding into, 
and the first intimation we had of danger was a volley from about eighty 
rifles so close to us that the fire from the muzzles reached past us. Down 
went about half of our party. The hoi'se that I was riding got a flesh wound 
in the first fire which caused him to nm in spite of all I could do to stop him. 
He carried me along that line of men who were not more than fifteen feet from 
the middle of the road in which the horse was running, followed by some of 
the riderless horses of the party. On we went, and every man by the roadside 
took a crack at us till the horse had run the gauntlet with me on his back, and 
no less than five hundred guns had been emptied at us as we flew liy them. 
The horse carried me to within two hundred feet of the men with fixed bayo- 
nets across the road, when a volley from about twelve guns flashed tlieir fire 
past us. and the last thing I remember was dropping my feet out of the stir- 
rups and the horse and I came down with a crash on the hard turnpike road. 
I must have fallen on my head for I was knocked senseless. I was trodden 
on the back by the riderless horses following me, which paralyzed both of my 
legs for several weeks after it happened. It was several hours afterwards that 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 187 

I was found and tlie men who found me said that I was lying on my face ap- 
parently dead. They doubled their blankets and carried me to a log house near 
where they had gathered all of the wounded. It was daylight before I was 
brought to consciousness and Major Lyon and I were placed side by side and 
hauled by ambulance over the rough roads, six miles to the Gap. It was re- 
ported that I was dead and Major Lyon seriously wounded. His wounds re- 
ceived that night finally caused his death, and here I am writing about it forty- 
one years afterward. The retreat of the army through the mountains of East- 
ern Kentucky was a long and arduous one, the troops subsisting mosth' on green 
corn during the entire distance of two hundred and fifty miles, occupying sev- 
enteen days and nights of almost constant marching and fighting. The regi- 
ment reached Greenupsburg, Kentucky, on the Obin river on the night of Octo- 
ber 4. 1862. and proceeded from there to Oak Hill, Ohio, where they received a 
new outfit, all their camp and garrison equipage having been destroyed when 
we evacuated the Gap. At Oak Hill I received my commission as colonel of 
the regiment on my birthday, October i8, 1862. From Oak Hill the regiment 
marched to GalHpolis, Ohio, and crossed into ^\'estern Virginia, going up the 
Kanawha ri\-er as far as Cole's Mouth, where it went into winter quarters, but 
in a few da^s received marching orders and proceeded down the river to Point 
Pleasant where, on the 17th of Xovember, 1862, it embarked on transports 
for ^lemphis, Tennessee, arriving there the 30th of the same month. We em- 
barked at Point Pleasant on the steamers, Sunny Side and New York. Noth- 
ing of importance occurred on the trip until we got almost in sight of old Jef- 
fersonville, and I well knew that there was not a soldier in the regiment who 
would not be delighted to take one more look at Spring street before contin- 
uing his journey. When we left Cincinnati. I requested the Secretary of War 
to pemiit me to let the men, who nearly all lived near the bank of the river, 
to let me land and furlough thenr home for three days to see their families 
and sweethearts before continuing our journey. The secretary declined to 
grant the request. I knew that if I landed at either Louisville or Jefferson- 
ville, nearly all of the regiment would go to their homes in spite of all that I 
could do, so I concluded to anchor the boats near the middle of the river, 
double the guard and trust to luck. The bar-keeper on the Sunny Side had a 
barrel of whiskey on the boiler deck in front of his bar. Just as we could see 
the lights of Jeffersonville the boys got that barrel of whiskey down to the 
lower deck, had it back in the deck room with the head knocked in, and were 
taking it straight and filling their canteens. I called the officers to me and 
we made haste to the barrel where the men were as thick as flies around a 
molasses barrel in summer. W'e threw it overboard, searched all the canteens 
and poured out all the whiskey we could find. Without this precaution there 
was no telling what the men would have done to the boats that night. They 
did cut the anchor line on the New York, but it was discovered in time to save 
her from the Falls of the Ohio. 



l88 BAIKI.'s HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IND. 

"Tliere was a small covered opening on the top of the wheel house of the 
Sunny Side that I knew nothing about and failed to guard it. As soon as we 
dropped anchor there appeared all of the skiffs in Jeffersonville, loaded with 
all the old soldiers' friends and cronies frcmi Jeffersonville. When they found 
that thev would not be permitted to take their friends ashore, they hid their 
skiffs under the wheelhouse and Steve Gibbs, Tom McCawley, Beverly Sulli- 
van, Jim AMieat and al)i.ut twenty ntlier Jeffersonville boys went down 
through the wheel, and from what I heard, had a high old time in Jefferson- 
ville that night. They had all returned for roll call in the morning. The 
next day we passed through the canal, where wt took aboard the soldiers' 
wives, friends, and sweethearts. One of the most heroic deeds that I have 
ever witnessed in saving a life occurred as we were passing" through. Lieu- 
tenant Thomas Bare, Company B, was an officer of the guard that day, and I 
must say that no braver or more generous soldier ever wore Uncle Sam's blue 
than Tom Bare. There was a soldier in his company from our old town, 
named Thomas Smith, who had married a few months before his enlistment. 
During his absence from home his wife bore him a little babe: it was natural 
that his wife should want the husband to see the child, and of course the hus- 
band was anxious to see it. She crossed the river and walked from the ferry- 
boat down to the canal, carrying the young babe, wrapped in a red shawl in her 
arms. The river was low and as the boat bumped along the sides of the canal 
many stepped from the shore to the boat, and Bare and the men were assist- 
ing them to get aboard. \\'hen Mrs. Smith arrived the boat was swinging 
away from the wall, and Lieutenant Bare told her to hand him the little child 
and that the men would assist her in getting aboard. She passed the little one 
to the lieutenant and as he took it the boat swung away from the wall about 
three feet. Bare thought he had the urchin secure, but it was so small that it 
slipped out of the shawl into the canal. Down the poor little fellow went and 
Bare, with uniform, sash and sword, after him. Down he went under the 
water, he scooped up the little one in his arms, passed it up, saved its life, and 
was hauled out of the water by his comrades. The mother fainted, fell on the 
shore, the boat was stopped, she was brought aboard, restored to consciousness 
and you can imagine that meeting of husband and wife and the darling babe 
whose life had been saved by the brave and generous Lieutenant Bare, and you 
can imagine the cheers that went up from a thousand men for the officer's 
brave act. He lived to be eighty-three years old, and died during the Spanish 
war. The father, Samuel Smith, never saw the child after that day: he was 
killed at Vicksburg on the 19th of May, 1863. I ne\-er heard f)f the widow 
afterward. After the boats passed through the canal, I ordered them to land 
at New Albany, and ordered the soldiers' families and friends ashore. After 
they were sent ashore the boats ran down the river about twentv miles and 
dropped anchor for the night. A short time afterwards an officer approached 



BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 189 

me and told me that there were two women from Xew Albany with their 
sweethearts, Thomas Killick and Charles Yack. hidden abaft the ladies' cabin. 
I went back and found them sitting as close together as lovers are apt to get 
on all occasions at that happy period of man and woman's life, when they don't 
care if all the world knows they are lovers. I approached them and said : 
'Ladies, did you not hear the order for all persons to go ashore at New Al- 
bany?' The girls spoke up and said that they had heard the order, but they 
were engaged to be married to the boys, that they were going to Memphis with 
us, and would get married down there. I said, 'You will not go to Memphis 
with us. for I will put you on the first l)oat we meet going up or at the first 
town we come to in the morning.' Tlie\' seemed to be so disconsolate over 
the order that I left them alone until after supper and found that the\' were 
in earnest about going to ^Memphis with us and marrying the two young 
soldiers. I thought about the matter for a while and concluded that it would 
be better for them to marry that night and prevent a scandal upon the good 
morals and virtues of the best regiment in the service : a regiment that had 
always up to tliat time been noted for its good conduct and piety. What could 
we do ? We had a good chaplain who could perfomi the ceremony that uould 
make four souls with but a single thought, four thoughts that beat as one, hap- 
py, if not for life, at least for the time being. I finally came to the conclusion 
that they ought to marry and save their reputations, and that of the regiment 
I had such a fatherly care over. We had the minister, but where could we 
get the license for parties to be joined together in 'holy wedlock,' anchored 
amid the stream with the nearest court-house twentv miles awav? I took the 
matter under careful consideration, and finally came to the conclusion that as 
all the laws of the land were in a chaotic state, and not strictly observed in the 
territorv where the boats were anchored, I ci~included to make the jijining of 
the couples a military necessity, and issued an order to my chaplain to per- 
form the ceremon}'. He objected at first to the proposition, but finally con- 
sented to join the couples in the Imlv bonds of matrimony, pro\-ided all the 
officers of the regiment signed a request for him to perform the ceremony, 
which they willingly did. He said he wanted the paper to protect himself 
from charges that might be brought against him in the conference to which 
he belonged. The tables were put nut of the way in the cabin, and the parties 
called forth and joined together as husband and wife. Two of the best 
rooms in the ladies' cabin were assigned them, and we all retired for the night 
feeling certain that we had four happy souls aboard, regardless of the dangers 
and hardships we knew were to follow. Arriving at Memphis the newly 
wedded pairs got boarding for their wives in the city and were permitted to 
spend their time with them. The young soldiers had plenty of money which 
thev expended freelv on their wives for clothing and jewelry and seemed well 
satisfied with the choice they liad made for life partners. It is an old adage 
that absence conquers love, and it seems to have been true in their case. 



ICJO BAIKl) S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

"'I'lie regiment fought its way down the ]\Iississippi river to New Orleans 
and fn ini there to Texas. About eighteen months after the happy event had 
tai-cen place I received a letter from one of the ladies saying that she had con- 
sulted a lawyer and that he said she was not legally married and if I did not 
let the soldier come home and marry her she would prosecute me to the £xtent 
of the law, and wound up the missive with the old adage, 'A word to the wise 
is sufficient.' About a month after my letter was received, her husband re- 
ceived a letter stating that she had found a man she loved better than him, 
and had married him. I am no lawyer, but it has always been a question in 
my mind whether or not the lady was guilty of bigamy. The other lady re- 
married a short time after and the young soldiers have long since joined the 
'invisible caravan,' who have passed on before, and I have made up my mind 
that in making military laws for matrimony, I haven't proved a success. 

"On the 19th of December. 1862, the regiment embarked with General 
Sherman's army on the first campaign against Vicksburg, landing at Chicka- 
saw Bayou on Christmas day, and engaging in the seven days' battle that fol- 
lowed, in which its losses in killed and wounded were cjuite severe (fifty-six). 
The attempts to take the enemy's works were unsuccessful, and I will never 
forget the jollification the "rebs" had that beautiful, frosty, moonlight night, 
when all the citizens of Vicksburg, including the ladies, came out to jollify 
over our defeat. You can imagine how we felt in the bottom, below the 
works, where we could hear every word the speakers uttered, the cheers of 
the men and the ringing laughs of the ladies as they rejoiced over tlie bravery 
of their soldiers, who had proved conclusively by that day's fighting that one 
'Jnlmnie' could lick five 'Yanks' every day in the week. 

"The regiment re-embarked on the transports and left Chickasaw Bayou 
on the 2d of January, 1863, and proceeded to Young's Point. Louisiana, In mi 
where it went on the expedition against Arkansas Post. Arkansas. In the 
capture of that stronghold on the nth of January. 1863. with General Church- 
ill and over five thousand prisoners of war. the Forty-ninth performed gal- 
lantly their part. The day of the battle was a beautiful, warm day. and after 
the prisoners had been corralled on the bank of the river, many of them with- 
out coats or blankets, it commenced raining anfl then followed the hardest 
snow storm that ever fell in that latitude. It then turned very cold and froze 
everything .stifY as pokers. Our men sufifered severely from the cold and you 
can judge of the suffering of those five thousand prisoners, their clothing first 
soaked by rain and then frozen to their skins. This was a big victory for our 
army at that time, and following so soon after the licking we got at Chicka- 
saw Bayou, it removed some of the humiliation we felt after the Chickasaw 
Bayou campaign. 

"After the capture of the Arkansas Post, the regiment returned to 
Young's Point, Louisiana, and assisted in digging Grant's famous canal or 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. IQI 

ditch across the point, b}- which lie hoped to turn the IMississippi ri\er away 
from Vicksburg, in order to pass our naval fleet and transports out of reach 
of tlie fortifications at that place. The canal was a failure and all the labor 
expended on it was in vain. The regiment remained at Young's Point until 
April 2, 1863. when it moved with Grant's army down the west bank of the 
river to a point opposite Grand Gulf, Mississippi, which the army had strongly 
fortified. Admiral Porter fought the river batteries for five and one-half hours 
and withdrew from the contest with his fleet badly disabled. The army 
marched down the river, passing Grand Gulf to Dishroon's plantation, five 
miles below. During the night the army and navy transports ran the block- 
ade at the gulf, landed alongside the army and bivouaced on the levee. The 
next morning the army went on board gunboats and transports, which took 
them to the landing at Bruinsburg, near the mouth of Bayou Pierre. 

"It was on the 30th day of April, w-e crossed the river to the side of the 
enemy in Mississippi. Rations were issued and the army left the river about 
4 o'clock, marching on the road to Port Gibson. The enemy 
at the Gulf spiked their guns, destroyed their magazines and 
other property, marched to Port Gibson and down the road we were 
marching on, meeting our army about four miles from Port Gibson at 2 :oo 
o'clock, a. m., May ist. The battle opened at daylight, and continued until 
4 p. m.. when the enemy retired from the field, and our army scored the first 
victory on Mississippi soil. The Forty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry was 
the first to open the battle on the left of an army at Thompson's Hill, or Port 
Gibson, Mississippi. It was the Forty-ninth Indiana that killed Confederate 
General Tracy. Early in the morning they were relieved after firing all of 
their ammunition but six rounds, by the Forty-Second Ohio. Colonel Pardee. 
They supported the First Wisconsin battery until abijut 3 p. m., when they 
were ordered by General Osterhouse to charge the rebel battery in front that 
had held its position on the field near a farm house filled with rebel sharp- 
shooters, who had sent many of our comrades to eternal rest during the day. 
The batteiy was called the 'Botetourte Virginia Artillen'.' The charge of 
the Forty-ninth Indiana on that battery is so iuflelibly photographed on my 
memory that I can see it every time I think of it. At this writing (1903). 
forty-one years afterward, I can see the Forty-ninth with bayonets fixed, in 
column by division on the center. I can see the ravine in front, across which 
we were to charge the battery on the other side. I can still liear m_\' voice 
command, 'Attention ! Battalion ! Forward. ]March !' The left foot of every 
man steps ofi^ and we are of¥ to capture that battery or die in the attempt. 
After moving a short distance I gave the command. 'Deplo}' into line on cen- 
ter division : campanies right and left face, double quick, march !' The com- 
panies obeyed the command and performed the evolution as nicely and quickly 
as they would have performed it on drill, with no enemy near them. As the 



I02 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLAKK CO., IND. 

companies tlouble quicked into line on the center division, the next command is 
given: 'Forward! Double quick! March!' We are now near enough to hear 
the officers order the pieces loaded with canister. On, on, the Forty-ninth go in 
the face of shot and shell with their victorious shouts — over the battery and 
beyond it to the house where they capture seventeen sharpshooters between the 
upper tier of joists and rafters, who had removed enough shingles to give them 
a clear view of our battle line. About forty feet in the rear of the house was 
another valley about two hundred yards wide, beyond it an open field about 
two hundred yards to a dense forest. The Forty-ninth passed the house and 
about thirty feet in the rear of it was a high rail fence, running along the bank 
at the top of the valley, up which the Sixth Missouri Regiment was marching 
in as soldierly a manner is if on dress parade. Not more than thirty or fortv men 
were up with the colors at the time we met the Sixth IMissouri, with nothing 
but the fence to separate us. As soon as the colonel of the regiment saw that 
we had captmxd the battery and the house we had been fighting for all day, 
he halted and ordered them to fire and they did it without wounding a man 
in the Forty-ninth, faced about and down they went into the valley, where 
half of them threw down their guns and fell on their faces in token of sur- 
render. The rest of them followed their colonel, a gallant fellow, who lay flat 
over the front of his saddle, hugging his horse's neck tighter than he ever 
hugged his sweetheart in his young days. The colonel and about half of his 
men escaped to the woods on the other side of the field. I never was so busy 
as I was at that time, urging the men to load and fire at that colonel and his 
men as they were running before us. Many fell in crossing the field, killed 
or wounded. After the firing was over General Osterhouse rode up and 
standing in his stirrups shouted, 'Put that Forty-ninth flag on the top of the 
house : no other shall go up there,' and up it went to the chimney top, where 
it could be seen all over the field, giving notice that the battle was won and 
the enemy on the run to Port Gibson. We followed them as fast as we could 
w'ith that jubilant feeling that no one can describe after the battle is won, a 
sensation the evangelist tells us the sinner feels after life's cares are over and 
he has reached the portals of that Heavenly abode of rest. On the contrary 
when the battle is lost and you are on the skedaddle and the enemy following 
at your heels, it is like that hot place with the short name where the wicked 
and weary are never at rest. After the Forty-ninth Indiana had made that 
charge which ended the battle of Thompson's Hill and the men had halted, it 
was then that General Grant rode up, raised his hat and saluted the regiment 
and said, 'Men, I thank you for what you have just accomplished.' 

"Alay 2d, we reached Port Gibson, crossed Bayou Pierre and with the 
advance division of the army commanded by Gen. Peter J. Osterhouse, we 
drove the Confederate army before us as far as Raymond. Mississippi, where 
the enemy offered battle and were defeated bv Gen. John A. Logan's division. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., INI). 193 

The Forty-nintli took an active part in that engagement as well as those that 
followed at Champion's Hill, May i6th, losing twenty men killed and wounded 
there. At Black River bridge. May i/th, the Forty-ninth Regiment was or- 
dered by General Lawler to support his brigade, which was going to charge. 
Before I had reached the regiment after receiving the order, his men sprung 
up like magic and were off. Just as they started an aid on the general's staff 
rode up and said that the general desired that I go in the charge and the 
Forty-ninth and Sixty-ninth Indiana were oft' like race horses when the button 
is touched that tlirows up the barrier across the track on the race course. My- 
self and Adjutant George \\'. Riddle being the only mounted officers on that 
part of the field our men being nearest to the rifle pits, from where we started 
gave us some advantage in being the first to reach it. There was a small 
bayou running parallel to the rifle pits with about a foot of water in it and 
full of fallen trees. We knew nothing of this c:)bstacle until we were close to 
it. Fortunately for us, just before we reached it our rebel friends ceased 
firing and in token of surrender pulled little tufts of cotton from the cotton 
bales along the rifle pits and put it Ijetween the rammer and the muzzle of 
their guns, which plainly indicated to us that they had quit firing for that day, 
which was one of the loveliest Sundays I have ever seen. On we went over 
them, Riddle's horse and mine jumping over their heads, and the Forty-ninth 
colors being the first inside the works. As soon as the enemy on the bridge 
and boats saw that we had captured the place, they first got their artillery 
horses across, then fired both bridge and boats leaving on our side of the river 
one thousand seven hundred prisoners and seventeen pieces of fine artillery, 
which some of the men in the Forty-ninth who were well drilled in artillery 
tactics turned upon tlie enemy and fired all the ammunition in the limber 
chests at them on the other side of the river. The pontoon was laid across 
the Big Black river just above the burnt bridge and we crossed on the morning 
of May 18, 1863, and marched ten miles which brought us in sight of the ene- 
mies' fortifications at Vicksburg and the Forty-ninth took an active part in 
the actions here, including the assaults on the 19th and 22d of May. 

'■'At 2 p. m., on the 19th of May, 1863, our brigade (First Brigade, Ninth 
Division, Thirteenth Amiy Corps) under command of General Lee was de- 
ployed in line of battle, followed by the Second Brigade as a supporting col- 
umn. We moved to the top of the hill in our front, where we discovered the 
enemy waiting for us and ready to give us a hot reception by a salute from 
all the guns on our front with an accompaniment of small arms that made a 
racket which would put a Fourth of July celebration to shame. On we went 
until we reached the top of a hill, which left another valley between us and the 
enemy. Just as we started to go across the valley. General Lee fell, seriously 
wounded. The brigade went a short distance further and concluded that dis- 
cretion was the better part of valor, halted and opened fire on the enemy. This 
13 



194 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

continued until the 22d day of May, 1863, when General Grant assaulted the 
works with the whole of his army. He was repulsed with great slaughter, and 
then began the siege which lasted until the 4th day of July, when the army 
surrendered thirty-five thousand prisoners to General Grant. After the sur- 
render of Vicksburg July 4, 1863. the regiment marched to Jackson, Missis- 
sippi, and took an active part in the seven days' fighting at that place and 
vicinitv. Returning to Vicksburg the regiment embarked August loth for 
Port Hudson, from whence it proceeded to New Orleans, when it was assigned 
to the Department of the Gulf. From New Orleans the regiment was trans- 
ported on cars to Brasher City on Berwick's Bay or Atchafalia Bay, and took 
part in the expedition up the Tesche, going as far as Opelousa, Louisiana, 
passing through the towns of Pattersonville, Franklin and New Iberia, on that 
river. I must relate another characteristic event that occurred when the regi- 
ment was in camp at Carrion Crow Bayou, Louisiana, November ist to No- 
vember 15, 1863, with the Thirteenth Army Corps under command of Major 
Gen. E. O. C. Ord. We camped on that bayou about four weeks and I don't 
think there was an officer or soldier in the command who knew what we were 
there for, as there was no enemy within two hundred miles of the place. It is 
an old saying that idleness is the devil's workshop, and I am certain that he 
had personal supervision over the shop at that time. It seemed to me that the 
corps became somewhat demoralized about that time. Old Nick started a 
gambling epidemic in his shop, and the consec|uence was that all. from the 
highest officer to the lowest private in the rear rank engaged in the sport. 
The disease became so violent a type that it became necessary to check it if 
possible. The soldiers could hardly be kept in line long enough for roll call. 
They raced our horses, fought cocks, played chuck-a-luck, honest frank, old 
sledge, euchre, draw poker, faro, red and black, in fact all the games that 
covild be played with cards or dice. I often think what an unfortunate thing 
it was for our poor soldiers of the Civil war that craps was unknown to the 
gambling fratemitx' at that time. The mania became such a nuisance that 
Col. Thomas Bennett, of the Sixty-ninth Indiana Infantry and myself went 
to General Ord and requested him to issue an order prohibiting all sorts of 
gambling in the corps. He issued the order: it was read that night on dress 
parade, and cast a gloom over the men of the command as great as if half of 
their comrades had been killed and wounded in battle. The order, however, 
had the effect of stopping the gambling. A few' days after this order was pro- 
mulgated. Colonel Bennett and I were walking together and noticed quite a 
number of soldiers under the shade of a tree. Coloael Bennett said, T won- 
der if those fellows have a chuck-a-luck game running over there?' I re- 
plied, 'No, I don't think the boys would dare violate General Ord's order.' 
'Let us go over,' said he 'and see what they are doing. As we approached 
them, I said, 'Hello, boys, playing chuck?" One of them spoke up and said, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 195 

'You Stopped the onh' amusement we had in camp and we have found a new 
game that does not violate the order." I said. 'What is it?' The soldier an- 
swered, 'We are running louse races." 'Well/ said Colonel Bennett, 'that's one 
of the games I never heard of; how do you play it?" Come into the ring and 
we will show you,' replied the soldier. We stepped in and found a cracker box 
in the center of which was a circular piece of paper about ten inches in diam- 
eter, fastened to the box by a pin in the center. Those who entered for the 
race just put up a quarter of a dollar in the judge's hands, and when the pool 
was made up those in the race searched under their shirt for the gamest-look- 
ing thoroughbred grey-back he could find and then held it over the pin in the 
center of the paper. When the judge said, 'Go!' they let the grey-back drop 
and the first off the paper got the pot. The game being novel to both Ben- 
nett and I. being somewhat sporty ourselves, we concluded to take a hand, and 
I said, 'Bennett. I'll bet you five dollars that a Forty-ninth thoroughbred can 
beat a Sixty-ninth one over the course.' Colonel Bennett said it was a go. We 
put the money in the judge's hands and I said to a Forty-ninth soldier, 'Now 
get me a thorough-bred.' The Si.xty-ninth man had his ready, the judge said 
'Go!' and the Sixty-ninth greyback won the money for Colonel Bennett. 
There had alwaj's been a rivalry between the two regiments and when the 
Sixty-ninth bug won the money, they cheered as loudly as they ever did 
when they put the Johnnies to flight. The Forty-ninth boys were as mum 
as they ever were when the "Johnnie Rebs" won the victory. About a week 
after the race, the Forty-ninth soldier, who entered the greyback in the race 
for me, having some business at my c|uarters, I discovered a large greyback 
on the collar of his blouse, and was reprimanding him for his carelessness 
about the care of his person. He looked the bug over very carefully, picked 
him up and put him under his shirt, remarking, '^^1^y colonel, Fve had that fel- 
low in training for the last week to beat that Sixty-ninth Indiana fellow and 
win back that five dollars from Colonel Bennett that he won from you the 
other day.' 

"The regiment, after leaving camp at Carrion Crow Bayou, was ordered 
back to New Orleans, from whence, on December 19, 1863. it embarked on 
steamers for the coast of Texas, reaching Decroe's Point, Matagorda Penin- 
sula, on the 14th of December, 1863, after a rough voyage across the Gulf of 
Mexico. From Decroe's Point the reg-iment crossed Matagorda Bay to In- 
dianola, where, on the 3d of February, 1864, one h.undred and sixty-seven 
men and four officers re-enlisted for three years, or during the war. In March. 
the regiment moved to Fort Esperanza. on Matag'orda Island, where it 
remained until April 19th, when it re-embarked and crossed the gulf back to 
New Orleans, where it took passage on the steamer, 'Emma.' for Alexandria, 
Louisiana, to re-inforce General Bank's army on Red river, which had met with 
disastrous defeat on that river campaign. The regiment, after arriving at 



196 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Alexandria, were moved to the front and engaged thirteen days in driving 
the enemy from the ^•icinity of where our army was constructing dams on the 
falls of that river, where our naval fleet had been left above them by low 
water. After the gun boats were safely landed below the falls, the regiment 
on May 13. 1864, retreated with the army to ]\Iorganza Bend on the Missis- 
sippi river. From ^Nlorganza Bend the regiment was again ordered to New 
Orleans, and went into camp at Chalmette. Jackson's old battle ground below 
the city, from whence in a few days the veteran portion of the regiment pro- 
ceeded to Indiana on veteran furlough, reaching Indianapolis July 9. 1864. 
At the expiration of their furlough, the veterans were ordered to Lexington, 
Kentucky, passing through Jeffersonville. The citizens of the city gave them 
a royal reception : the tables were loaded with even'thing to tickle the palate 
and stomach of an old soldier. They were waited on by all the loyal matrons 
and beautiful lassies in the city, and the veterans have not to this day for- 
gotten the reception given to them by the patriotic loyal women of Jefferson- 
ville. The tables were on the ground where the city hall now stands, which 
makes that spot of ground hallowed abo\'e all others in my native town, ex- 
cept the place of my birth, a few hundred feet below on the same street. 
That good, patriotic, loyal old citizen of Jeffersonville. known to ever}' one in 
the city. Dr. Nathaniel Field, made the reception address, which was cheered 
and applauded by all the old veterans and their friends who turned out to wel- 
come them. That good woman. Mrs. J. H. McCampbell. one of the pioneers 
of our old town, who had known me all of my life, claimed the honor of 
waiting on your humble sen^ant at the table and it is unnecessary to say that I 
was well served, in fact all the ladies of old Jeffersonville did everv'thing in 
their power to make the reception pleasant for the boys, and the boys enjoyed 
and fully appreciated their efforts. 

"The veterans were sent to Lexington, Kentucky, where they had light 
service the remainder of their enlistment, serving as provost guards, and in 
charge of the militar}- prisons in that city until the war closed. On the 7th 
of September, 1865, they were ordered to Louisville and from thence to In- 
dianapolis, where on September 13, 1865, they were finally discharged from 
the L'nited States service after serving their country honorably three years 
and ten months. Well may the survivors and friends of the Forty-ninth be 
proud of the old regimental organization that was raised and officered by so 
many natives of our loyal old city, who served their country so faithfully and 
honorably through four years of bloody war in defence of the old flag, the 
emblem of our nationality, that floats triumphantly over the greatest and freest 
people on the face of the earth. 

"After the departure of the veterans from Chalmette in July, 1864. the 
non-veteran portion of the regiment was ordered to Algiers. Louisiana, just 
across the river from New Orleans, where it did garrison duty in the city un- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. IQ7 

til November 5, 1864, when it embarked on an ocean steamer for Xew York- 
City, arriving there November 20th, after a roug-h vovage. From New York 
the regiment went by rail to Indianapolis, where on the 29th day of Novem- 
ber, 1864. it was honorably discharged from the service of the United States, 
having sen-ed three years, one month and eight days. On the voyage from 
New Orleans to New York one man died, and Black Ann, a company cook, 
had a child born on the voyage. Our surgeon. Dr. Emanuel R. Hawn. re- 
ported to the health officer at New York that the regiment was all present or 
accounted for — one died and one born, which made the number they started 
out with from New Orleans correct. The doctor was a great wag. and it 
would take a volume to tell all the amusement he furnished for the regiment." 
Thus ends the history of the largest and most notable militan,^ organiza- 
tion that Clark county ever furnished. At this writing ( 1908) but few of the 
survivors remain and another decade will find the roster of living members 
of the gallant Forty-ninth but a blank, yet they have indelibly inscribed their 
names on the roll of fame of their city and county, and history will forever 
record their hardships and deeds, their victories and ultimate success, and the 
Clark county citizen of years to come must needs remember that this brave 
band of men who went out from our borders to fight and die for the cause 
of liberty and justice and the Union did not suffer in vain, and though they 
have passed through the valley of the shadow of death, have crossed the 
ri\-er and rest under the shade of the trees, their deeds li\-e after them. 

"On Fame's eternal camping ground, 
Their silent tents are spread. 
And Glory guards with solemn round 
The bivouac of the dead." 

James Keigwin, their colonel, was a man of the highest patriotic ideals, 
of braverv' unquestioned, and the peer of any in gallantry. A high type of the 
American soldier he lived and died beloved of all, a ' fitting character for 
emulation among the younger men at arms of later davs. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
.i 

THE AHLITARY HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY. 

sterling's battery. 

Immediately following the organization of the Forty-ninth Regiment of 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry the Twelfth Battery of Indiana Light Artillery 
was recruited. George W. Sterling, who was a blacksmith in Jefifersonville 
became enthused when he received a contract to build the wood and iron work 
for several batteries of artillery. He was joined in his efiforts by Wilford 
Walkins, M. Stradler, Benjamin Lutz and Samuel Glover. The organization 
left for Indianapolis December 19, 1861, one hundred and fifty-six strong, 
officers and men, and were mustered in January 25, 1862. Their equipment 
consisted of six brass twenty pounders, one hundred and twelve horses and 
seventy-six mules and the batteiy was in excellent condition when it went 
south. Captain Sterling resigned and the lieutenants did likewise soon after 
the battle of Shiloh. Governor Morton, who was there soon after, commis- 
sioned James E. White, captain ; George Leach, Sr., first lieutenant : Moody 
Dustin, Jr., first lieutenant; James Dunwoody, Sr., second lieutenant, and 
Joseph Shaw, Jr., second lieutenant. The battery was engaged before Nash- 
ville and was in the battle incident to the great victories at Lookout Mountain 
and Missionan,' Ridge. For the rest of the war they remained as the garrison 
in Fort Negley at Nashville. They returned to Indianapolis July i, 1865, 
one hundred and eleven strong, and were mustered out of the sennce July 
7th. This battery was a Clark county organization and though their service 
was confined to few actions, yet their record measures up to the standard set 
by Clark county men elsewhere in the great struggle. 

When the Fifty-third Regiment of Indiana Volunteers was organized at 
New Albany in January, 1862, Company D represented Clark county's quota. 
This company was organized by Seth Daily, one of the most popular men of 
Charlestown. He established his headquarters in the old Zed Griffith hotel, 
which stood on the corner of Main and Market streets, and here he received 
his recruits. The Clark county officers of this company were as follows: 
Captains, Seth Daily, of Charlestown and William Howard, of Jefifersonville ; 
Howard was commissioned second lieutenant. May 23, 1863, and was pro- 
moted captain July 23, 1864. The colonel of this regiment was Walter O. 
Gresham. This organization served in Tennessee ; with Grant in Mississippi ; 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 199 

was at the siege and capitulation of Vicivsburg; in the Atlanta campaign/with 
Sherman to Savannah, and in the Carolinas. It was mustered out at In- 
dianapolis in July, 1865. 

The Sixty-sixth regiment, wliich was organized at Camp Noble, Xew^ 
Albany, in August, 1862, had two Charlestown men to serve it as quarter- 
masters — Campbell Hay, Jr., the nephew of the Black Hawk war veteran, 
and Thomas C. Hammond. Dr. Nathaniel Field, of Jeffersonville, went out 
as surgeon, and Dr. James C. Simonson, of Charlestown, returned with the 
regiment as surgeon. 

The Seventy-seventh had one company from Clark county ; Company D, 
from Charlestown, recruited by Warren Horr and Edmund J. Davis. This 
company was officered by first class material, two of its captains being pro- 
mated majors, and one lieutenant was brevetted captain. The regiment was 
organized at Indianapolis, August 22, 1862, as the Fourth Cavaln,'. It sen-ed 
in Kentucky and Tennessee in 1862 and 1863, and participated in Chicka- 
mauga, Fayetteville, ]\Iossy Creek, Talbots, Dandridge, the Atlanta campaign, 
and back into Tennessee in 1865. The Clark county officers were as follows: 
\\'arren Horr, captain ; promoted major. Samuel E. W. Simonson, captain ; 
promoted major of the Seventh Cavalry. Richard F. Nugent, captain, all of 
Charlestown. Thomas B. Prather, first lieutenant, of Jeffersonville, brevetted 
captain. Edmund J. Davis, second lieutenant, of Charlestown ; Enoch S. Bos- 
ton, second lieutenant, of Jeffersonville; Isaac M. Koons, second lieutenant, of 
Charlestown ; Albert Taggert, second lieutenant, of Charlestown. Besides 
these officers Dr. John F. Taggert, of Charlestown. "went out as assistant sur- 
geon, and he was afterward promoted regimental surgeon. 

\\'hen Captain Caldwell of the Twenty-third Indiana resigned March 
28, 1862, and returned to Jeft'ersonville, it was not to remain long. In August 
the Eighty-first was organized, and he was made adjutant, and eight days 
later promoted colonel, there having been no ci.immander commissioned. An- 
drew J. Howard (Jack) resigned as second lieutenant of Company H, Thirty- 
eighth Indiana, July 16, 1862, and returned home to raise a company for this 
new (Eighty-first) Regiment, and re-entered the service as its captain. A 
sketch of this regiment is doubly interesting from the fact of it being com- 
manded bv a Clark ciiunty man. and having a Jeft'erson\ille and a Charles- 
town company in it. "Jack" Howard began to recruit his company in the city 
and several meetings were held in Sterling's old blacksmith shop, on Spring 
street. Sterling having left with his battery, the Twelfth, some time previous. 
Some time prior to this \\'ilIiamD. Evritt, Jolin Carney and John Schwallier, of 
Charlestown. had begun the systematic organization of a company of men for 
the Sixty-sixth Indiana. Schwallier had gone to New Albany, where the regi- 
ment was forming, while Evritt and Carney went out in the county around 
Charlestown after recruits, sending them to Schwallier as fast as found. A 



200 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

total of fifty-eiglit men was recruited, but tlie company was refused, as its 
roster was too short, and because there were other full companies ready to 
enter the sen-ice, already organized. John C. McCormack, of Charlestown, 
had raised fifty men for the Eighty-first, then fonning, and the earlier com- 
pany, spliced with his. made a full company and was mustered in as Com- 
pany I. The men of this organization were from Charlestown, New Wash- 
ington and Bethlehem, and were a well organized and thoroughly efiicient 
company. The regiment was mustered in at New Albany, at Camp Noble, 
August 29, 1862, left there and marched up the old plank road, the present 
route of the "dinky" track, to Jeffersonville, where they received their equip- 
ment at the Jeffersonville. Madison & Indianapolis depot. They then 
marched to the river, took the ferry to Louisville, and camped that night 
south of the city at Camp Neffler. After moving camp several times, they 
returned to Louisville, when Kirby Smith was reported to be marching on 
the city. They afterward crossed to Jeffersonville on their way to Cincinnati, 
Ohio, but their orders were countermanded and the regiment went into camp 
just above Port Fulton, on the top of the river bluff above the deep diggings, 
where the present water works pumping station is located. Details from 
Company B were made to guard the ferry boat, while at Camp Gilbert, as it 
was called, but outside of this duty the men spent an enjoyable period while 
here, receiving from their friends and relatives much to help out their usual 
camp fare. They moved south again about the middle of September, 1862, 
and acted as support for artillery during the battle of Perryville. Company 
B was selected at almost even,- opportunity for picket duty, the first mention 
of this duty being near Lebanon, Kentucky. The regiment remained in 
Kentucky until the early part of November, when they moved into Tennes- 
see, where they lost Lievttenant Morgan, of Company B, at the battle of Stone 
River. While the regiment lay at Nashville, Corporal John J. Gallager, of 
Company B, was appointed ordnance sergeant and with him were detailed 
Neil McClellan and Mel Bruner of the same company. They were all cap- 
tured by the rebels, but afterwards, being paroled, were exchanged October 
7, 1863. In the roll of honor published at this time appear the names of a 
number of men from both Company I and Company B. 

In August. 1863, Lieutenant Schwallier of Company I commanded a 
company of the Pioneer Corps and assisted in constructing a pontoon bridge 
over four hundred feet long across the Tennessee river. During a skirmish 
outside of Murfreesboro, Sergeant James 'M. ^litchell of Company B was 
mortally wounded and died on the field. The latter part of the summer of 
1863 the regiment was engaged in the advance upon Chattanooga, and it was 
while they were camped at \\'inchester that Colonel Caldwell and Capt. A. 
J. Howard of Company B left the sen'ice. Lieutenant Northcutt (Bill) was 
wounded at Chickamauga, and Lieut. Eugene Schell, who was acting as regi- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 20I 

mental adjutant at the time, received some very high compHments for his 
actions during the same engagement. From this time on, all through the 
campaigns in Georgia, Companies B and I had a great deal of hazardous duty. 
Detail after detail, as skirmishes, pickets, flankers, advance and rear guard 
were given them, and on March 31, 1864, Company B was detailed to guard 
Confederate prisoners. At the siege of Atlanta, the men were under fire for 
twenty- four days. On June 20. 1864, Joseph Kenner, of Company B, was 
wounded while on the skirmish line, and had to be left on the field, but on 
Tune 22, the enemy having been driven back somewhat. Lieutenant Schell, 
with two men volunteered to undertake the very dangerous duty of going out 
to find him. They were successful and brought him in after he had lain on 
the field two days and one night. He had been robbed of everything he had, 
and had been refused food and water by the rebels. He was sent to the 
hospital at Chattanooga for care and treatment, but died a few weeks later. 

About July 24, 1864, Captain Xorthcutt rejoined the regiment, after a fur- 
lough home, but resigned soon after and Schell, that "l^ravest of the brave," 
was commissioned captain. Soon afterward he was granted a well earned 
leave and returned home, rejoining the regiment, however, October 31, 1864, 
the command then being beneath the shadow of Lookout Mountain. His 
sen-ices from this time cm were but a continuation of that manliness and dig- 
nity which had marked him before. His personal bravery and gallantry had 
alreadv been proven, and his actions at the battle of Nashville were but a 
repetition of those whicli had marked him ever since he had won an enviable 
reputation and practically his commission at the battle of Stone River. At 
Nashville, the Eighty-first Lidiana, with Schell leading Company B, charged 
a hill beyond Fort Negley and captured part of the Thirty-fifth Mississippi. 
The action was won, but at the cost of a life of great promise. Captain Schell 
falling, and dying on the field. It is no reflection upon the other soldiers 
which Clark county has furnished to laud this brave and gallant young ofiicer. 
His reputation among his associates in the army and among his home people 
before he entered the sen-ice was one of great promise, and it is to be re- 
gretted that his life was not spared for the successes and honors which 
would undoubtedly have been his had he lived. The regiment was mustered 
out of the sendee June 13, 1865, and arrived at Indianapolis June 13. During 
its term of service it participated in the following engagements : Perryville, 
Libertv Lick. Rocky Face. Dallas, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Franklin, Stone River, Chickamauga, Resaca, 
Kingston, Bald Knob, Marietta, Siege of Atlanta, Lovejoy's Station, Nash- 
ville. The following are the Clark county officers of the Eighty-first Indiana : 

William \V. Caldwell, colonel. — Jeft'ersonville. 
William D. Everett, major. — Charlestown. 
William W. Caldwell, adjutant. — Jeffersonville. 



202 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

John J. Gallaglier, adjutant. — Jeffersonville. 

Andrew J. Howard, captain. Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

William H. Northcutt, captain. Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Eugene M. Schell, captain, Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Leonard Tuttle, captain. Company B. — Utica. 

William H. ^^lorgan, first lieutenant Company B. — Henryville. 

William H. Northcutt, first lieutenant, Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Eugene M. Schell, first lieutenant. Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Leonard H. Tuttle, first lieutenant. Company B. — Utica. 

James Wilson, first lieutenant. Company B. — Utica. 

George W. Alpha, first lieutenant. Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

George W'. Clark, second lieutenant, Company B. — Henryville. 

\^'illiam H. Northcutt, second lieutenant, Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Eugene M. Schell, second lieutenant. Company B. — Jeffersonville. 

Charles Ashton. second lieutenant. Company B.^ — Utica. 

William D. Evritt. captain. Company L — Charlestown. 

John Carney, captain, Company I. — Charlestown. 

John C. McCormack, first lieutenant, Company L — Charlestown. 

John Carney, first lieutenant. Company I. — Charlestown. 

John Schwallier, second lieutenant. Company I. — Charlestmvn. 

George T. Peters, second lieutenant. Company 1. — Charlestown. 

COMPANY E, ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIFTH (TENTH CAVALRY). 

The next time Clark county appears as furnishing a company was in 
December, 1863, and the movement was headed by one John W. Bradburn, an 
erstwhile Jeft'ersonville man, who had been authorized to raise a company 
or rather a troop for the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Indiana, better 
known as the Tenth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. He opened a recruiting 
office in a' little frame building on the east side of Spring street about one 
hundred and fifty feet north of Front. The only enlisted man from Jeft'er- 
sonville was Walter Eversole, and in procuring recruits and taking care of 
them he seemed to be the chief cook and bottle washer. With hardly an ex- 
ception all the other enlisted men were Southerners, hailing as Eversole says, 
from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. At this time there were 
many refugees from the South coming north, and Jeffersonville being on 
one of the main lines of travel in that direction, many of them reached there. 
Some of the travelers had procured jobs as wood-choppers in the woods which 
then stretched away from the hospital buildings in Port Fulton. A few of 
these refugees were inveigled into the new company by the promise of three 
hundred dollars bounty by the county. Bradburn, however, not being satis- 
fied with this, offered four hundred dollars (for which he had no authority) 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 2O3 

and many additional recruits were received. They were usually met at the 
ferry boat by Eversole, and sent to the otifice on Spring street, where Brad- 
burn administered the oath. The recruits were quartered in tiK Hrge brick- 
house which stands on the north side of Market street between Meigs avenue 
and Walnut street, and were sent in squads of twenty from here to the fair 
grounds in New Albany, where the company was mustered in. The other 
companies of the regiment were organized and mustered in elsewhere. 

This conglomerate mass of soldiers, many of whom, according to Ever- 
sole, had served in the rebel army, constituted the worst company which is 
credited to Clark county. Their past record was not open to inspection, and 
the history of the company reflected no honor on either themselves, the 
county, state or nation. Their incomparable act in the military tragedy of 
Clark county, was a melodrama. It opens with a brilliant display, where 
their officers as stars appear on the stage playing the natural parts of the most 
damnable ignorance, viciousness and general cussedness, which it will be ne.xt 
to impossible to duplicate in any other Indiana organization. It is a matter 
of regret that Walter Eversole ever pulled the fair name of Clark county into 
this aggregation by going into it, and although the county is credited with 
this quota of men, she should not be held responsible for their acts in the 
service. Bradburn, the captain of this crew, is not remembered by the older 
citizens of Jeffersonville with a great deal of pleasure, for some reason or 
other, and his record together with that of his first and second lieutenants, who 
hailed from Jeffersonville also, would lead the unprejudiced mind to con- 
clude that they were not what ofificers should be. Terrell's reports give the 
following record of their services: Bradburn was compelled to resign for 
the good of the service, November 29, 1864. First Lieutenant John T. Dun- 
lap was dismissed from the service for general worth'essness April 12, 1865, 
and F. G. W^all, second lieutenant, was sent to the pern"tentiary before he was 
mustered and his commission revoked. The enlisted men themselves 
showed a complete lack of that careful early training which tends to elevate 
and ennoble the mind. The regiment passed through Jeffersonville (in their 
way south, and at Louisville they were given mounts, and what more appro- 
priate mounts could have been selected than the old reliable army mules which 
they received, a few horses being thrown in for variety's sake. Bradburn and 
Company E, together with one other company, were detached from the regi- 
ment and ordered to Pulaski, Tennessee, arriving in time for the fight there. 
Their actions here were quite noteworthy in that they ran like the Old Harry 
at the first few shots, Bradburn in the lead, and they never lost a man, al- 
though it is quite possible that some of the warriors were pretty well blown 
when they reached town. This was the only fight they ever got near enough 
to smell smoke, but their fear of being captured by their former comrades in 
the Confederate army must be remembered and accepted as the reason of their 
successful retreat. 



\ 



204 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

After Pulaski the regiment went south on steamers to New Orleans and 
thence on transports to Mobile, where they were stationed for some time on 
courier d-tvV no doubt on account of the great speed they had shown pre- 
viously in the service. They must have been saturated with the spirit of 
courier duty for they allowed nothing to interfere with it in the least. In 
climbing aboard their mules most of the men found that their sabres would 
get tangled up in their legs, and they forthwith threw them (the sabres and 
not their legs) away. Even the mules were sold and the money used by the 
fortunate seller to indulge his fancy as his fancy saw fit. This, however, 
was always fixed up with the captain, and an accounting of some sort made 
to the government. From Mobile the regiment moved to Vicksburg, where 
they were mustered out of the sen-ice and sent to Indianapolis to get their 
pay and discharge papers. Many of the men deserted to remain in the land 
of their birth, and Indiana was relieved of their citizenship, which at least 
should be entered to their credit. By the testimony of reliable citizens, not a 
single member of this foreign crew has ever been seen in Jefifersonville since. 

So endeth the lesson extaiding from December 30, 1863, to August 31, 
1865. Let us, therefore draw the veil and proceed to further chronicles of 
better men. The historian feels justified in reciting this wonderful tale. For 
fear that the narrative of brave men and brave deeds may become tiresome, 
he has recited this history in full as a change. It is true, unfortunately. 
Walter Eversole and General Terrell had no reason to misrepresent. 

The Thirteenth Cavalry, One Hundred Thirty-first Regiment, was the 
last cavalry organization raised in the state. Company M of this regiment 
was recruited from Charlestown by Dillon Bridges and George P. Bunce, of 
that town, as captain and first lieutenant. James M. Ross, of Charlestown, 
was promoted first lieutenant in June, 1865. Company M was unmounted 
until after the battle of Nashville, in which it participated, but after receiving 
an entirely new equipment the regiment embarked on transports for New Or- 
leans February 11, 1865. Here they re-embarked for Navy Cove, Mobile 
Bay, arriving there in time for the operations against the defences of Mobile. 
They were mustered out at Vicksburg, Mississippi, November 18, 1865. 

When the One Hundred Thirty-seventh Regiment was organized in May, 
1864. Thomas D. Fouts, of Jefifersonville, was commissioned as lieutenant 
colonel, although there was no Clark county company in the command. 

The month of January, 1865, saw the organization of a movement to 
raise the last Clark county troops for the war. It might have been argued 
that the county had already furnished enough, but evidently her citizens 
thought otherwise, for both Jeffersonville and Charlestown appear in the 
roster of companies. John F. Wilson took the lead in organizing the Jeffer- 
sonville company although he was sadly lacking in military knowledge. The 
men were examined by Doctor Collum. and sent by squads to Indianapolis. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 2O5 

The officers of this company were Henry H. Ewing, captain, and lohn F. 
Wilson, first heutenant, both of Jeffersonville. The company was designated 
as Company G. One Hundred and Forty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteers. 
Company H was commanded by Stephen S. Cole, of CharlestDwn. The 
regiment was sent to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and was subsequently en- 
gaged in guard dutv in Virginia and Alarvland, until mustered out August 
5. 1865. 

From the close of the War oi the Rebellion until 1876 Clark county re- 
mained without a military organization of any kind. This condition can 
hardly be criticised as the county had responded so often to calls that were 
necessary regardless of the cost it entailed during the progress of the war that 
the spirit of war had about run out. Besides this the tame attractions of a 
militiaman's life were so far below that of the service just finished in the 
South that few if any recruits could have been secured. It was onlv when a 
new vintage of youths had reached maturity that a company became possible. 

JEFFERSONVILLE RIFLES, 1876 

The period immetliately preceding the Presidential campaign of 1876 
seems to have been a time when the martial spirit of the young men of Jeffer- 
sonville demanded expression. The movement to organize a military com- 
pany met with an enthusiastic response, for an organization of eighty-two men 
was the result. They elected their officers and organized on the night of 
November i, 1876. This meeting was held in the old council chamber at the 
corner of Spring and Court avenue, where the engine house now stands. 
"Bill" Carter was appointed temporary chairman, and in the election of 
officers which ensued, J. P. Wallace was elected captain, W. H. Carter (Bill), 
first lieutenant, and James B. Young, second lieutenant. The non-commis- 
sioned officers were as follows : 

William C. Glossbrenner, orderly sergeant. 
Lloyd White, first duty sergeant. 
Pink Schell, second duty sergeant. 
Peter Miller, third duty sergeant. 
James Pierson, fourth duty sergeant. 

John P. Wallace, the captain, was a veteran of the Civil war. having 
been chief of scouts under botli Burnside and Sherman. He was retained in 
the service after the war and was in Custer's regiment. He seems to have 
been an excellent soldier, but the company fell to pieces after he left it in 1877. 

"Bill" Carter is still a fixture of Jeffersonville, having filled various po- 
sitions in the city's political business for many years. At his election to the 



206 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

first lieutenantcy he knew nothing of his duties but Idv study became a fairly 
good mihtia officer of that time. He owed his election solely to the fact that 
he had worked hard to bring the organization to a consummation. The men 
composing the company, with possibly one exception, were all Jeffersonville 
citizens, and an article in the Jeffersonville Evening News, of November 15, 
1876, speaks of them as being composed of "clever and brave men." and 
predicted that with their enthusiasm they would soon be the "best military 
company in the state." The number of their members certainly speaks well 
for their prospects for the writer well knows that eighty-two men in 1876 
were an indication of enthusiasm, when in 1895 fifty members were as many 
as could be induced to go into the state's ser\nce. Tlie Jeff Blues were mus- 
tered in as an Independent company November 27, 1876. The city of Jeffer- 
sonville helped the company in various ways in their organization. On 
November 22, 1876, a resolution was adopted "That we hereby tender our 
hearty thanks to the Honorable Council and City of Jeffersonville, for the 
kind encouragement extended to us in perfecting our organization : that we 
will endeavor to show in some measure our appreciation of their kindness by 
trying to make it the 'crack company of the state.' " Soon after this, on 
December 6, 1876, one hundred breech-loading 45-calil)er Springfield rifles 
were received from Indianapolis. 

The armory of the company was the lower floor of the Odd Fellows" 
building, at the corner of Market and ^^'all streets, and here the weekly drills 
were held except when the}^ used the streets or commons. The large open com- 
mons below Graham street and extending on either side of Maple street were 
used most frequently for drills and marching, while the commons just above 
the Pennsylvania bridge fill, between the state prison and the river, were used 
for target practice and turkey shooting, the fill making an excellent abutment' 
in which to fire, ranges up to two hundred and fift}' yards being laid out. 
These target practices were frecjuent occurrences, the state furnishing the am- 
munition. Washington's birthday, 1877, was the occasion of the largest 
turkey shooting. This was held at the usual place, the target being placed 
against the fill and a range of one hundred and fifty yards laid ofi. A large 
crowd of friends attended the "shoot," among their number being several 
soldiers from the garrison of the government buildings. These regulars had 
arrived here. Company I, Second Infantry, U. S. A., January 7, 1877, to 
protect the militaiy stores from harm by the hot heads during the great 
strikes of this year. Later on, July 26, 1877, Company B and Company C, of 
tlie Eighteenth Infantry. U. S. A., arrived. 

During the whole time of this company's service it was only once under 
arms for actual duty. At that time, during the great strikes, when President 
Standiford's house in Louisville was stoned by reckless men, the rumor had 
become current that the mob intended to seize the old ferr\- boat, W'athen, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 20/ 

come to Jeffersonville and capture the rifles wliich tl'Cy thought were stored 
at the quartermaster's depot. The company remained under arms for fort)-- 
eight hours at their armory, but the rioters never appeared ; whether it was 
because they had heard of the ferocious warriors awaiting them, or other 
reasons, no one ever knew. 

On September 20, 1877, the enthusiasm had waned to such an extent tliat 
a meeting at was held by the citizens to raise money for uniforms for the en- 
tire company. Tiiis mass meeting at their armory was foHowed by an appeal 
in the Evening News, and an entertainment was projected, but as the efforts 
of tlie citizens did not seem to be appreciated the subject was dropped. From 
this time on interest lagged and the organization gradually went to pieces, the 
arms being returned to the government depot. 

The company at one time took a practice march to New Albany, partici- 
pating in a parade while there, and marching back later in the day. They were 
also invited to Louisville to join with the Louisville Legion and some regular 
troops in the parade at the opening of the first Louisville exposition at Fourth 
and Chestnut streets. The boys were first taken to the Gait house, where they 
were given their dinner, after which the parade took place. 

A company from Louisville, named the "Clark Rifles," challenged the 
Jeffersonville Rifles to a turkey shooting match, at the range of the latter. 
The result was a tie, and Captain Wallace, of the JelTersonville Rifles, and 
Captain Clark, of the Clark Rifles, shot to decide it. W^allace won and saved 
the day. The return match was shot at Lion Garden on Preston street, be- 
tween St. Catharine and Kentucky, and at this match Jeffersonville won, and 
was given a supper and dance. These and other like occasions enlivened the 
existence of the organization, but it went the way of manv others, where 
there was so little inducement to serve the state in a military capacity-, and 
Jeffersonville remained without a military organization until 1892. 

COMPANY G, FIRST REGIMENT INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD. 

On October 11, 1892, a company of the National Guard was mustered in 
at Jeffersonville, about sixty strong, as Company G, First Infantry Indiana 
National Guard. The officers at muster were Captain L. C. Baird : First Lieu- 
tenant C. H. Kelly, and Second Lieutenant H. H. Thacker. Lieutenant 
Thacker was promoted first lieutenant, vice Kelly, resigned, and First Sergeant 
W. ^^^ Crooker was commissioned second lieutenant, vice Thacker. promoted. 
Later on H. E. Barrett was commissioned second lieutenant, vice Crooker. re- 
signed. This company was armed with Springfield 45-caliber rifles, and uni- 
formed in the regulation army uniform. Captain Baird had shortly before re- 
signed as midshipman of the United States Navy from Annapolis. Lieutenant 
Thacker had served in the Louisville Legion, but aside from these two, there 



208 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

were no others who had had any mihtary training. The company made an 
excehent reputation for discipHne and drill, and on June 3, 1894, they re- 
ported near Princeton, Indiana, on active service in the strikes of that year. 
Their record here was excellent although their duties were tr\'ing. They, 
with other troops, were engaged in restoring law and order near Shelburn, 
Farmersburg and Alum Cave until June iSth. The only casualty was when 
Captain Baird was accidentally shot in the foot while Company G was left in 
charge of the train at Alum Cave. After two weeks in the field they were 
ordered home, the lawlessness having been subdued, and were received by a 
great demonstration on the part of friends, mothers and sweethearts. 

In June, 1893 the company attended the state encampment at Terre Haute 
and in June, 1895 at Fairview Park, Indianapolis. Visits to New Albany and 
Scottsburg, dances in their armorj- on Pearl street near Court avenue, and 
several picnics at Fem Grove added an interest and helped to cement the or- 
ganization. When the Twenty-ninth Annual Encampment of the Grand 
Army of the Republic was held at Louisville, Company G invited some si.x 
or eight companies down to partake of her hospitality and participate in a 
sham battle at Four Mile Springs, just above Jeffersonville. The battle was a 
roaring success. In the summer of 1893 a rifle range was established at Four 
'SUle Springs, and practice was given the men in target shooting. 

The various inspections held by the regimental and brigade ofificers were 
always passed with flying colors and the company acquired a more than local 
reputation for soldierly qualities. On October 11, 1895, the three year term 
of enlistment having expired, the company was mustered out of service and 
the arms and equipment reshipped to the state quartermaster general at In- 
dianapolis. During the three years' ser\'ice of this company there were all 
told eighty-five enlistments. 

WAR WITH SPAIN 1898-1899. 

The National Guard of Indiana filled the state's quota in the first call of 
President McKinley for troops. The second call fourid Clark county waiting 
and ready. Alay 28, 1898, a meeting was held in Jefl^ersonville, officers elected, 
and enlistment lists opened. The company was recruited above the maximum. 
On the evening of June 30, 1898. the ladies of Jeffersonville presented the 
company a stand of colors, and on July ist, the boys left for Indianapolis, 
with the following officers : Captain Lewis C. Baird, First Lieutenant James 
Fortune, and Second Lieutenant W. W. Crooker. Captain Baird and Lieu- 
tenant Crooker had had experience in military training. Lieutenant Fortune 
had served as a Columbian guard at the World's Fair at Chicago. Edward 
McCawley, the first sergeant, was afterward commissioned second lieuten- 
ant, upon the promotion of Lieutenant Crooker. He and John Van Liew, the 
new first sergeant, were both old Companj' G men. 



BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXI). 2O9 

On July 1st. the company arrived at the regimental rendezvous at In- 
(HanapoHs. While camped at the old fair grounds here the diii'erent companies 
were quartered in the barns on the grounds. The Clark county company was 
designated as Company E. and the regiment as the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first Indiana Volunteer Infantry. They were mustered into the United States 
service July 12, 1898. and remained in Indianapolis until August nth, when 
they moved south. At Jacksonville, Florida, tiie regiment was made a part 
of the Seventh Army Corps under the command of Major-General Fitzhugh 
Lee. Lea\ing- Camp "Cuba Libre" October 24th, the regiment moved to 
"Camp Onward." at Savannah. Georgia, and remained there two months. 
\\'hile camped there the Clark county company was detached and Captain 
Baird was placed in C(immand of the Avondale Rifle range as range otficer. 
On December 12th, the regiment boarded the Lnited States transport. Mobile, 
and arrived in Havana. Cuba, December 15th. going into camp at Camp Co- 
lumbia, near Mariana, about eight miles beyond Havana, on a beautiful table- 
land overlooking the gulf. The regiment remained in Cuba until March. 
1899, ^vhen they were ordered home for muster out, and they were finally 
mustered out and discharged April 30, 1899, ^t Savannah, Georgia. 

Clark county also furnished another officer to the volunteer army in the 
appointment of Dr. David C. Peyton as major and brigade surgeon. 

There was no active duty for the One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment 
to perform during its term of senice. and there were no casualties : but its 
"foreign service" was performed with credit and pleasure and it returned to 
Indiana with an honorable record to its name. This regiment together with 
all other troops in the province of Havana, participated in the impressive cere- 
monies of January i. 1899, when the flag of Castile and Aragon was lowered 
from the staff over Moro Castle, and the stars and stripes run up, thus ter- 
minating Spanish rule in the New World, and placing the United States 
before humanity as the greatest benefactor ever known ainong nations. 

In 1902 an effort was made to organize a company of the National Guard 
in JefTersonville by James Fortune, but it resulted in a discouraging fizzle. 
Later on others took up the matter and a roster was quickly made up. John 
Van Liew, late first sergeant of Company E, One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the Spanish war, and Dr. George Twomey. a 
late m.ember of the same company, headed the movement, and to their ability 
and management may be attributed the successful organization. There being 
no vacancy the company was not accepted until 1906 It was mustered into 
the state service February 9, 1906, in a store room on the west side of Spring 
street, about four doors south of Market street. John R. Van Liew was com- 
missioned captain : George Twomey, first lieutenant, and William W. Fitch 
second lieutenant. The company procured the third floor of Spieth's hall on 
14 



2IO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Spring and Chestnut streets for their drill hall, and also a large room on the 
second floor which they fitted up as gun rooms, and for gallery target practice. 
These quarters were used as a club room and were attractively furnished for 
the use of members of the organization. The company was designated as 
Company M. First Infantr\' Indiana National Guard, and was assigned to the 
First Battalion, commanded by ]\laj. W. J- Coleman, of New Albany. 

Lieutenant Twomey was detailed and appointed battalion adjutant Oc- 
tober 12, 1906; Fitch was promoted first lieutenant ; and First Sergeant Francis 
B. Shepherd was commissioned second lieutenant. Captain Van Liew re- 
signed June 19, 1908. and Lieutenant Fitch July i, 1908. Lieutenant Shep- 
herd was promoted captain : First Lieutenant Leon Harrell was transferred 
from Company C, First Infantry, and Private Lawrence G. Smith was com- 
missioned second lieutenant. 

The company participated in the maneuvers at Fort Benjamin Harrison 
in 1906 and 1908, and in the state encampment in 1907. They formed part 
of the military display at the Madison Centennial. July 4, 1906. and at the 
dedication of the soldiers' monument at ISIadison. May 29. 1908. In marks- 
manship this company has made an enviable reputation, being the third best in 
the state and the first in the regiment. In 1907 it had two expert riflemen, 
four sharpshooters and five marksmen. The personnel of the company is 
good, the officers earnest and hard-working, and the rank and file composed 
of men who seem to realize the character of the service in which they have en- 
listed. The present membership is sixty-eight. 

A recital of the things military in Clark county, and of the men military 
who were her citizens would be incomplete if mention were not made of the 
fact that hundreds of sturdy youths and young men had enlisted in the regu- 
lar sen'ice of their country, afloat and ashore. During the \\'ar of the Re- 
bellion and since, there has been a small but steady stream of enlistments in 
the army and navy which is large in the aggregate. 

Lemuel Ford in the thirties, Jefferson C. Davis and John S. Simonson, in 
the sixties, were prominent men in the regular army and were all Clark county 
men. Richard S. Collum was appointed a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. 
L^nited States Xavy, in 1865. Frank Spear Armstrong entered West Point 
from Jeffersonville in 1887, and is at present in the Philippines as captain in 
the Ninth Cavalry. Jonas Howard Ingram, ensign in the United States Navy 
who was with the battle ship fleet that circumnavigated the globe, is a native of 
Jefifersonville. These and others, besides the large number of enlisted men, 
present a most creditable showing, and indicate that despite the foolish and un- 
American refusal of some workingmen to sen'e in the state troops, there 
underlies a mighty stream of patriotism which has only to be tapped to bring 
forth companies, regiments and brigades, if necessary. 



CHAPTER XX. ; 

FREEMASONRY IN CLARK COUNTY. 

The legal estaljlishment of IMasonary in Clark county took place when 
Blazing Star Lodge, No. 36, was established at Charlestown in 1816. by 
authority of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. The charter of this lodge is 
dated August 28. 18 16, and her lineage, which is also that of the other lodges 
in the county, as well as that of the Grand Lodge of Lidiana. adds distinction 
to an already distinguished society. They derive their ]\Iasonic authority from 
the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. That Grand Lodge was the offspring of the 
Grand Lodge of Virginia, and the Grand Lodge of Virginia was composed of 
lodges which had been chartered by the Grand Lodge of England. At the 
organization of the Grand Lodge of Indiana at Madison, Januaiy 12, 1818, 
Alexander Buckner, of Charlestown, was elected first grand master, and two 
other Clark county men from Charlestown were elected to offices in the Grand 
Lodge. Samuel C. Tate was elected grand treasurer and Isaac Howk was 
elected senior grand deacon. Charlestown was then selected as the site of 
the Grand Lodge until legally changed agreeably to the rules and regulations 
governing such matters. 

Blazing Star Lodge, No. 3, of Charlestown. in 1818, at the time of the 
organization of the Grand Lodge of Indiana, had the following officers : Alex- 
ander Buckner, master; Joseph Bartholomew, senior warden; George Leas, 
junior warden ; Isaac Howk, secretary ; Evan Shelby, treasurer ; John 
Meriwether, senior deacon; \\'illiam Boven. junior deacon, and William Duer- 
son, steward and tyler. The high regard in which Masonry was held by men 
of prominence at that time is shown by the character of her officers and mem- 
bers. Alexander Buckner became the first grand master ; Isaac Howk, later 
on speaker of the Indiana house of representatives ; Evan Shelby, Colonel 
Joseph Bartholomew, was wounded at the battle of Tippecanoe ; John Owens, 
Jonathan Jennings, the first Governor of Indiana, and others, who considered 
it not beneath their dignity to meet within the tiled recesses of the lodge. From 
1830 to 1835 this lodge was stricken from the list of subordinate lodges by a 
resolution of the Grand Lodge, but its charter was not arrested. Nine years 
later, in 1844, the Grand Lodge remitted all the dues and arrearages of Blaz- 
ing Star Lodge and reinstated her with all powers as if no forfeiture of her 
chartered rights had taken place. Her new officers were installed on May 15, 
1845, by Brother Levi Sparks. 



212 BAIRD's history OF CLARK CO., IND. 

During the years 1846 andi847 the lodge made no report, her cliarter 
was forfeited, and lier number. 3. was given to Carlisle Lodge. In 1857 the 
Grand Lodge granted a dispensation to form another lodge at Charlestown 
by the name of Blazing Star, No. 226, and in 1858 a charter was granted, with 
Asa Glover as master ; Andrew J. Hay, senior warden, and David W. Dailey, 
junior warden. Since then the lodge has pursued the even tenor of her way. 
The following is a list of the past masters of Blazing Star Lodge : 

John Miller. Alexander Buckner. first most worshipful grand master 
1818; Henry L. Miner, Jonatlian Jennings, most worshipful grand master 
1823 to 1825 ; Joseph Bartholomew, Isaac Howk, most worshipful grand 
master 1826 to 1827; Asa Glover, James Morrison, Hugh Lyle. \^'illiam M. 
Steele. Isaac Naylor, John S. Simonson, George Green, William Duerson, Asa 
Glover. Andrew J. Hay, most worshipful grand master in 1877: Alfred 
Hough, S. L. Robinson. James Oldham, Francis M. Runyan, William Work, 
Joseph Cotton, Cadwalder Jones, Edward C. Hughes, McDowell Reeves. 

It will be noticed that this lodge has been honored above any lodge in 
the state in having four of its masters elected grand master of the Grand 
Lodge of Indiana. In 1908 it has about sixty members and numbers among 
them the most prominent and influential citizens of Charlestown township. 

Clark Lodge, No. 40, of Jeffersonville, -is the next oldest Masonic lodge 
in the county. She was preceded in Jeffersonville by Posey Lodge. No. 9, 
which was chartered by the Grand Lodge September 14, 1819. This lodge 
was named in honor of Governor Posey, and Samuel Gwathmey was the first 
master. Gwathmey was a distinguished citizen of Southern Indiana, and was 
one of the trustees who laid out Jeffersonville in 1802. Posey Lodge was a 
weak organization from the beginning, and in 1829 its charter was arrested 
and it ceased to exist. The first Mason to be made in Jeffersonville was James 
Nesmith. He was initiated in Posey Lodge October 2. 1819. The annual com- 
munication of the Grand Lodge met in Posey Lodge hall September 11. 1820. 

Clark Lodge. No. 40, was organized January 26. 1835. and chartered 
December 17th the same year, with Thomas D. Lemon as master. The fol- 
lowing is a list of past-masters with years of service: 

Samuel J. Stuart, (L\ D.) 1835 

Thomas D. Lemon (U. C.) (a) 1836 

William M. Steele (b) 1836 

Daniel Trotter (a) 1837 

(b) 1837. fa) 1838, (b) 1838, (a) 1839, (b) 1839. 

(b) 1840, (a) 1841, (b) 1842, (a) 1843, (a) 1846, (b) 1846, 

(a) 1847. (b) 1847, (a) 1848 

Robert H. Read (a) 1840 

Robert Curran (b) 1841 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 21T, 

Levi Sparks (a) 1842 

Burdette C. Pile (b) 1843, (b) 1848 

R. S. Heiskell (a) 1844, (b) 1844— 1863— 1865 

Henn' French (a) 1845 

John 'Mitchell (b) 1845 

James G. Caldwell. . . (a) 1849, (b) 1849. (a) 1850. (b) 1850. (b) 1851— 1853 

H. W. Heaton (a) 1851, 1857 1858 

John W. Ray 1852. '54. '55- 1856 

William H. Fogg 1861 

Archibald Cameron 1859 

John Ware 1864— 1866 

Reuben Wells i860— 1862 

W. H. Snodgrass 1867 

Simeon S. Johnson 1868, '69. '70, '71, '72, '84, '85, '86. '87. 1888 

(M. \y. Grand Master 1898— 1899.) 

John L. Delahnnt 1873, '74- '76. '82, 1883 

Thomas Sparks 1875 

Fountain Poindexter 1877 1878 

John P. Glossbrenner 1879 — 1880 

Jabez R. Cole 1881 

Robert W. \\' ood 1889 

Harvey G. Eastman 1890 

William N. Northcutt 1891 1892 

Floyd Parks 1893 

Walter L. Twoomey 1894, '95, '96 

John W. Stratton 1897 

Nelson B. Hartwell 1898 

Thomas W. Perry 1 899 

Lewis C. Baird 1900, '01 , '02 

William H. Humphreys 1903 

Horace Dunbar 1904 

George M. Crum 1905 

Joseph A. McKee 1906 '07 

Thomas B. Bohon 1908 

Note. — From 1835 to 1852 officers were elected semi-annually; (a) 
shows first half of year and (b) second half of year. 

The first meeting place of Clark Lodge was in the old county court 
house, which stood on the north side of Market street, about where the pres- 
ent city hall is located; then on October 2. 1840, they moved to a building on 
the east side of Spring street, adjoining the north side of the alley between 
Market and Front streets. It then occupied the upper floor of a building on 



214 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

the northwest corner of Chestnut and Pearl streets. While occupying this 
building it burned, Sunday, March 3, 1861, and her charter was the only thing 
saved. The third floor of the building on the northeast corner of Spring and 
Chestnut streets was then used for a Masonic hall until 1898, when the third 
floor on the southeast corner of Spring and Maple streets was fitted up. This 
hall is now used by all the Masonic bodies in Jeffersonville. 

Clark Lodge laid the comer stone of the Jeffersonville Orphans' Home, 
and was instrumental in having the Grand Lodge lay the corner stone of the 
Jeffersonville Carnegie Public Library September 19, 1903. On May 20, 1886, 
Clark Lodge was honored with a visit and lecture by Brother Robert Morris. 
The first [Masons made by Clark Lodge were Brothers B. C. Pile, Robert S. 
Heiskell and John Mitchell. They were initiated on April 21, 1835. Brothers 
Pile and Heiskell were raised in New Albany at 2 :oo p. m. in the Grand Lodge 
of the state there assembled, June 24, 1835. 

New Washington Lodge, No. 167, is located at New Washington. This 
lodge was organized December 12, 1854, and chartered May 30, 1855, with 
Thomas S. Faltinburg as master. It is the only lodge in Washington town- 
ship, but is an energetic and loyal supporter of the tenets of Freemasonry. The 
following is a list of her past-masters : 

Thomas S. Faltinburg 1855, 1856 

Thomas D. Fouts. 1857, '58, '59, '60, '61, 1862 

Thomas Davidson 1863, ,64, '65 — 1870 

Felix B. Campbell 1866, 1867 

Andrew M. Fisher. . . . 1868, '69—1873, '4, '6, '7, '8, '9, 1880, 'i, '2, '3, 

... .•4. '5, '6, '7, '8, 1890, '2, '3, '4, '5, '9, 1900, 'i, '2, '4, '5, '6—1907 

George E. Taflinger 1871, '72 

John C. Fouts 1875 

James R. Russell 1888 

Wright R. Wells 1891 

Thomas W. Sample 1896, '97 

Wilton F. Blackford 1898 

Otis B. Fifer 1903 

New Washington Lodge has about fifty members in 1908. 

New Providence Lodge, No. 237, is located at Borden, Wood township. 
It was organized January 26, 1859. and chartered May 24. 1859, with David 
W. Voyles as master. The following is a list of her past-masters : 

David W. Voyles 1859 '60 '61 '62 '63 '64 '67 

G. M. Lockmiller 1865 '66 

W. H. Bright 1868 '69 '70 

'71 '72 '74 '75 '76 '77 '78' 79 '80 



BAIRDS HISTORY. OF CLARK CO., IND. 2I5 

T. \V. Elrod 1873 

B. F. Stalker 1881 '82 '83 '85 '86 

'87 '88 '89 '90 '95 '96 

J. N. Charles 1884 

S. W. Burns 1891 '92 '94 '96 '97 '98 '99 1900 '02 

J. M. Herle 1893 

Jesse E. McKinley 1901 

A. G. Littell 1903 

S. W. Bums 1904 

John Hallet 1905 

Willard Todd 1906 

F. M. Brock 1907 

It has about fifty-five members at present. 

Utica Lodge. No. 337, is located at \^'atso^. The lodge originally held 
her meetings at Utica, but owing to the change of residence of many of her 
members moved to Watson. Utica Lodge has suffered much loss from fires 
in the past, but a no more loyal body of Masons can be found in the state. It 
has had the honor of having one of its past-masters, Brother Calvin W. 
Prather, elected most worshipful grand master of Indiana. Brother Prather 
is now the grand secretary of the Grand Lodge. A lodge that makes Masons 
Hke Calvin W. Prather can certainly hold no mean place in the estimation of 
the fraternity throughout the state. The following is a list of her past- 
masters : 

H. W. Fulton 1866-1867 

S. R. Wilcox 1868 

Calvin W. Prather 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873 

Most \\'orshipful Grand Master 1880 — 1882 

Thomas J. Brendle 1874— 1881 1884 1885 

Stephen W. Belknap 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879 

George Zinck 1880 

James H. Hazzard 1882 

Lewis L. Williams 1883— 1886 

C. Ezra Bushfield 1887 

Sarvis M. Howes 1888 

John D. Curran 1889 

Nathaniel C. Noe 1890. 1893, 1894, 1895. 1899 

Robert L. Russell 1891 

Basil E. Myers 1892 1904 1905 

Erasmus T. Sage 1896— '97 

Aaron P. Scott 1898 



2l6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Washington M. Hunt IQOO 

Edward A. Snodgrass 1901 

Edward Dold 1902, 1903 

Lewis F. Roller 1906 '07 



This lodge has about fifty-five members at present. 

Jefi'ersonville Lodge, No. 340, is located in Jeffersonville. She was or- 
ganized August I, 1866, and chartered May 29, 1867, with William H. Fogg 
as master. Jeft'ersonville Lodge is an oft'shoot of Clark Lodge, having been 
formed by a number of members of that lodge. Brother Calvin \\". Prather.^ 
past grand master, and our present grand secretary, is also a past master of 
Jeffersonville Lodge. This lodge is the second largest Masonic body in Clark 
countv, ha\-ing about one hundred and twenty members. The following is a 
list of her past masters : 

William H. Fogg 1866, '67, '69, '70, '71 

J. Chapline Cullom 1868 

Edward J. Tuttle 1782 1873 

George T. Anderson 1874 '75 '76 

Harry T. Sage 1877 '78 "79 'So '81 '82 '83 '85 

Edward A. Austin 1884 

Calvin W. Prather 1886 '87 

(Most Worshipful Grand Master in 1880 '81 and present Grand Secretary.) 

A. D. Scott 1888 

C. H. Walden 1889 

Norval G. Felker 1890 

Thomas J. Fires 1892 

U. B. Lewis 1892 

A. M. Thias 1893 

George W. Meaders 1894 '95 1900 

Charles E. Louis 1896 

George Dunham 1 897 '98 

Thomas B. Rader 1899 

Edward Page 1901 

Benjamin C. W^atts 1902 

William B. Thornley 1903 

John P. Barsha 1904 

William G. Young 1905 '06 '07 '08 

Buckner Lodge No. 631, is located at Sellersburg, in Silver Creek town- 
ship, and was organized May 31, 1900. It was chartered on May 28, 1901, 
with Edward N. Wicht as master. 

The following is a list of her past masters: 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 21/ 

Edward N. A\'icht, (U. D.) 1900 

Edward N. Wicht, (U. C.) 1901 

Walter J. Leach 1902 '03 

John T. Smith 1904 

John M. Meloy 1905 — 6 

William E. Lines 1907 

Buckner lodge has about thirty-five members. 

Henryville Lodge No. 651, of Henryville. was organized March 30. 1903, 
and chartered Alay 27, 1903, wit): Alichael L'. Harbold as master. It has 
about forty members. The following is a list of its past masters : 

Michael U. Harbold 1903 '04 

H. Ray Hamacher 1905 '07 

Harry C. Raymond 1906 

HOREB CH.\PTER NO. 66 ROY.\L .ARCH M.\SONS. 

Capitular Masonry made its official advent into Clark county when Horeb 
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, was organized January 26, 1867. This chapter 
was chartered on May 2;^. 1867, with James S. Caldwell as. high priest. 

The history of Capitular Masonry in Clark county shows that it has at- 
tracted to its fold the most prominent and influential men of the county. The 
high standing of these members and the enthusiasm with which they labor, 
reflects credit on the community in which they live. Their apartments in 
the Masonic Hall are tastefully and appropriately furnished, and bear witness 
to the enthusiasm they have for this branch of Masonry. The following is a 
list of the past high priests : 

James G. Caldwell 1867, 70 

Theo W. McCoy 1868 

John G. Briggs 1869 

Jabez R. Cole 187 1 

Simeon S. Johnson 1872, '73 '74 

(Most Excellent Grand High Priest in 1878:) 

Edward J. Tuttle 1875, '76 

George T. Anderson 1877 '78 

Galvin W. Prather 1879 

(Most Excellent Grand High Priest in 1888.) 

Harry T. Sage 1880 

John L. Delahunt r88i 

Henry Voigt 1882 

Simon Goldbach 1883 



2l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Richard L. W'oolsey 1884, "85, '86, '87, '88 

Fernando H. Miller 1889 

Floyd Parks 1890 

Arthur Loomis 1891 

John Rauschenberger 1892 

John H. Hoffman 1893 

George Pfau 1894 

William H. Harper 1895, 1903 

Alfred M. Thias ^. 1896 

Har\'ey E. Eastman 1897,1902 

John C. Lewman 1898 

Walter L. Twomey 1 899 

Jarvis M. Howes 1900 

George A. Dunham 1901, 1906 

Andrew P. Williams 1904 

Porter C. Bottorff 1905 

George A. Scheer 1907 

This chapter is in a most flourishing condition and has about eighty 
members. 

JEFFERSONVILLE COUNCIL NO. 3I. ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS. 

Cryptic Masonry is represented in Jeffersonville by Jeffersonville Council 
No. 31, Royal and Select Masters. This council was organized May 23, 
1867, and chartered October 20, 1869, with William H. Fogg as illustrious 
master. The following is a list of past illustrious masters: William H. 
Fogg, 1867. "68, '69. '70. S. S. Johnson, 1871. '72, '73, '74, '75, '76, "78, 
'79, '80, '81. '82, '83, '84, '85, '86. '87. "88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93. '94, 
'95' '96, '97, '98, '99, 1900, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '08, and illus- 
trious grand master in 1894. Edward J. Tuttle, 1877. 

The Council has about forty members. 

JEFFERSONVILLE COMMANDERY, NO. 27, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. 

Jeffersonville Commandery No. 27, Knights Templar, was organized 
August 28, 1875, and chartered April 26, 1876. The history of the 
commandery shows the high standing of the men who have been 
attracted to chivalric Masonry in Clark county. The following is a list 
of past eminent commanders: Simeon S. Johnson, 1875, '76. '80, '86, and 
right eminent grand commander in 1883. R. L. Woolsey, 1877, and right 
eminent grand commander in 1883. Calvin W. Prather, 1878, '82, '89; 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



219 



Harry T. Sage, 1879: John P. Glossbrenner, 1881 ; Henry Voigt, 1883: Jolm 
L. Delahunt, 1884; Herman H. Heaton. 1885; Jacob Loomis, 1887; Charles 
H. W'alden, 1888; Edward C. Eaken. 1890; Fernando H. Miller. 1891 ; John 
H. Hoffman, 1892; Arthur Loomis, 1893; John Rauschenberger, 1894.; Al- 
fred M. Thias, 1895. '96, 1902, '03, '06, '07, '08; William H. Harper, 1897; 
Harvey G. Eastman, 1898; Jar\'is M. Howes, 1899, 1900; Silas Carr, 1901, 
Andrew P. Williams, 1904: Porter C. Bottorff, 1905. The commandery has 
about seventy-five members. 

On October ij, 1905, Jeffersonville Chapter. Order of the Eastern Star, 
was organized, and on April 26, 1906, a charter was granted by the Grand 
body at Indianapolis. The few years that the Order of Adoptive Masonry has 
been in existence in Jeffersonville have proved its popularity, and their roster 
shows about forty members. 

Clark county also has a goodly number of Masons who have received 
the degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. Valley of Indianapolis. 

Freemasonry throughout the county has existed from the earliest times, 
and a full history of the order would be a history- of the county and its most 
distinguished citizens. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

ODD FELLOWSHIP PYTHL\NISM AND OTHER SECRET SOCIETIES IN CLARK 

COUNTY. 

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. 

The Odd Fellows organized their first lodge in Clark county at Jeffer- 
sonville, September ii, 1837, and named it Jefferson Lodge. It appears as 
No. 3 on the roster of lodges of the state, and this number indicates that 
Clark county was only behind two other places in the state in organizing. 
Jeft'erson Lodge was chartered on application of C. H. Paddox, Thomas 
Humphries. John Applegate. Benjamin Riggles and Nicholas Kearns. It 
now has two hundred and thirty-four members, and Don D. Walker is noble 
grand. 

The next lodge of Odd Fellows to be organized in Clark county was 
Tabor Lodge, No. 92. also at Jeffersonville. Tabor Lodge now has one hun- 
dred and forty-eight members, and Ernest E. Jacobs is noble grand. 

Charlestown Lodge. No. 94. was organized the same year. February 20, 
185 1, at Charlestown. This lodge has at present seventy-nine members. 
Milliard A. Badger is noble grand. 

The next year saw the birth of Odd Fellowship among the rugged hills 
of Utica. Utica Lodge. No. 112, was organized May 29. 1852. It has thirty- 
eight members and J. M. Worthington is noble grand. 

Tell Lodge, No. 272. was organized in Jeffersonville on January 16, 
1867. Its present membership is eighty-eight, and Ernest Rauth is noble 
grand. 

Cement Lodge, No. 494, was organized at Er^ther. July 2, 1875, and 
named after the industry which has added so much to the business life of the 
county. Cement Lodge has a membership of forty-nine at present. E. C. 
Long is noble grand. 

Sellersburg Lodge, No. 702, was organized at Sellersburg, December 28, 
1S93. George W. Morgan is the present noble grand. Its membership is 
eighty-seven. 

Marysville Lodge, No. 714, was organized at Marysville. June 13, 1895. 
Its present membership is ninety-nine, and B. K. Stoner is the noble grand. 

Henry ville Lodge, No. 794, was organized at Henryville, November 15, 
1902. Homer Wills is the present noble grand, and the membership is one 
hundred and two. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 221 

The total membership of these Clark county lodges is nine hundred and 
twenty-four. 

Rebekah Lodge. Xo. 8, Daughters of Rebekah, was instituted in Jeffer- 
sonville, March i. 1869, with Herman Preefer, Mary Preefer, R. H. Tim- 
monds, M. C. Timmonds, H. N. Holland, J. T. Davis, James \V. Jacobs and 
others as charter members. This lodge is for the benefit of the wives and 
daughters of Odd Fellows, and it gives them the fraternal ties which bind 
their husbands and brothers in the bonds of friendship, love and truth. Re- 
bekah Lodge has two hundred and four members. The noble grand is Lola 
Hodson. 

Gold Knob Lodge, No. 701, Daughters of Rebekah, is located at Henry- 
ville. It was instituted January 2j, 1906. Mamie Ferguson is the mtble 
grand. 

Excelsior Encampment, Xo. 14, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
was organized several years ago. The membership at present is about seventy. 
S. L. Huff is chief patriarch. 

The lodges now existing in the county are enthusiastic and energetic in 
pushing the principles of Odd Fellowship. Thomas H. Stradley is the present 
district deputy grand master. 

Clark county has furnished several distinguished Odd Fellows to their 
grand lodge. William Cross, a member of Jefferson Lodge, was grand master 
in 1S44. 

\\"illiam H. Dixon, a member of Tabor Lodge, was grand master in 1861. 

John P. Sanders, a member of Jefferson Lodge, was grand master in 
1867. and John Dixon, of Jefiferson Lodge, was grand secretary in 1846-47. 

Some years ago \\'illiam Beach erected a tAVO-stor\' brick building on the 
southeast corner of Alarket and Wall streets. The Odd Fellows added a 
third story for their use as lodge rooms in 1856; and later on, on the death 
of Mr. Beach, they purchased the lower part of the building. This they rent, 
retaining the upper floors for their own use. 

THE KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

The Knights of Pythias of Clark county are a numerous and progressive 
organization. The oldest lodge in the county is Hope Lodge. Xo. 13, founded 
on July 7, 1 87 1. It was instituted by Grand Chancellor Hazelton, assisted 
by other grand officers, and Friendship Lodge, No. 10, of New Albany. It 
had twenty-five charter members, and the following were the first officers : 
S. B. Halley, P. C. : W. H. Northcutt, C. C. ; T. B. Sharp, V. C. : J. Davis, 
Jr., K. of R. S. ; C. H. Kelly, M. of F. ; Herman Preefer, M. of E. ; John 
Howard, M. A. ; Brother LeClare. I. G. ; Brother Bowman. O. G. 

The membership December 31, 1907, was three hundred and sixteen. 



222 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Jeffersonville has another lodge of Knights of Pythias, Myrtle Lodge, 
No. 19. It was chartered July 24. 1872, by A. L. Eggleston, C. H. Kelly, 
W. H. Bowman, J. B. Piper, 6. W. Rogers, OW^Prather, W. E. Rose and 
about thirty others who came out of Hope Lodge to organize this additional 
lodge. It is in a prospering condition. 

Sampson Lodge, No. 32, was organized by members of the two previous 
named lodges on July 22, 1873. Among those who were the earliest and 
most enthusiastic members were William H. Myers, W. S. Bowman, W. W. 
Crooker, R. M. Hartwell, J. E. Finch, Charles Rossler, G. W. Ware, E. A. 
Bamett and M. Myers. This lodge has ceased to exist. 

The Endowment Rank, Knights of Pythias, was organized in Jeffer- 
sonville December 29, 1877, by William T. Myers, R. M. Hartwell, Alexander 
Sample, Charles H. Kelly and ten others. 

The Unifonn Rank, No. 9, Knights of Pythias, was organized and mus- 
tered in on July 27, 1882, by H. T. Rawlings. John M. Glass was the first 
captain, Samuel Perrine the second, Thomas B. Rader the third, W. W. 
Crooker the fovu^th and Fielding Wilson the fifth and present commanding 
officer. This organization has been a most enthusiastic and hard working 
body and has the reputation nf having won prizes at every competition which 
they entered. 

At Cincinnati, August 3, 1882, they won the silver cup. At Seymour, 
Indiana, they took the second prize; at Washington they took the thirty dol- 
lar prize: at Indianapolis they took the fourth prize of three hundred dol- 
lars : at Detroit they took the third prize of six hundred dollars : at Indian- 
apolis, in 1904, they won the prize, a fine sword; and at Louisville they won 
a prize of three hundred dollars. 

The company at present has a membership of twenty-seven and with the 
excellent accommodations afforded by the spacious armory just completed will 
evidently prosper. 

This armory, completed at a cost of twenty thousand dollars, is the largest 
and best hall in the city of Jeffersonville. Built upon the site of the old Wig- 
wam armory, which burned several years since, it occupies a convenient posi- 
tion, and from a financial standpoint the attractiveness of its auditorium will 
make of it a valuable investment and reflect credit on the order which made it 
possible. The floor of this armory is one hundred two by fifty-nine feet ; the 
stage is thirty by twenty-three feet ; the lodge room is sixty by forty feet and is 
located in the third floor. 

Henryville Lodge, No. 532, Henryville, Indiana, was instituted April 
6, 1907, with thirty-five (35) members. It was instituted with the following 
officers : J. H. Walker, C. C. ; J. C. Hainincher, V. C. ; T. F. Huffman, prel- 
ate; M. H. Dunlevy, M. of W. : J. W. Bailey, K. of R. S. : T. F. Prall, M. of 
F. ; Ed. Hostettler. M. of E. ; J. A. Smith, M. at A.; Frank Masters, I. G. ; 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



223 



Fred Metzgar, O. G. : Trustees, Dave Dunlevy, Fred Hallimbach and Ira 
Smith. Officers, June 30, 1908: James D. Dean, C. C. ; Frank Mastin, V. C. ; 
Aaron Cummings, prelate : Otto Guernsey, M. of W. ; M. H. Dunlevv, K. of 
R. S. ; T. F. Prall, M. of F. : James A. Smith, M. of E. ; J. W. Bailey, M. at 
A ■ Charles Enterman, I. G. ; Charles Francke, O. G. ; Trustees, I. L. Smith, 
Zack Taylor and Fred Kallenbuck. 

Bethlehem Lodge, No. 498, Bethlehem, Indiana, was instituted July 19, 
1902, with twenty-nine (29) members. It was instituted with the following- 
officers : George Schowe, C. C. ; Amie Clemmons, V. C. ; Harry Baird, prel- 
ate : James Smith, M. of W. : Samuel P. Kelly. K. R. S. : Thomas Stevens, 
M. of F. ; U. S. Bern,.-, M. of E. : John S. Smith, M. at A. ; Aaron Baker, I. 
G. : Judson Hineline, O. G. A. Hollenbeck, J. ^^'. Jackson and \\'illiam \\'ood- 
ward. Trustees. 

Officers, June 30, 1908, are: J. E. Farmer. C. C. ; E. M. Matthews, V. 
C. : A. B. Clemmons, prelate ; C. Y. Priest, M. of W. ; S. P. Kelby, K. R. S. ; 
U. S. Berry, M. of F. : C. E. Pernet, M. of E. ; Tracy Smith, M. at A. : C. E. 
Strausbern-, I. G. : R. L. Beach, O. G. D. E. Pemet, D. W. Jessup and T. 
R. Stevens, trustees. In 1908 there were one hundred eighteen members. 

Jennings Lodge, No. 418, Charlestown, Indiana, was instituted June 6, 
1895. with thirty-seven (37) members. It was instituted with the following 
officers: Eli Runyan, C. C. ; Charles Lanz, Jr., V. C. ; C. M. Bottorff, prelate; 
B. T. Buler, M. of \\'. : L. L. Chapman, K. R. S. : loseph W. Morrow. M. of 
F. ; E. O. Hostettler, M. of E. ; J. L. Cole, M. at a"; W. G. Conn. I. G. : Gus- 
tav Beuler, O. G. ; E. B. Bentley, J. O. Johnson and D. K. Coombs, Jr., trustees. 

Officers, June 30, 1908: E. G. Runyan, C. C. : James Morrow, V. C. : E. 
L. Boyer. prelate : Royal Boyer, M. of W. ; A. W. Yager, K R. S. ; William 
Frickhoeffer, M. of F. : Joseph W. IMorrow, M. of E. ; William Noe, M. at A. : 
H. H. Floyd. I. G. : William Nickles. O. G. J. B. Carr, James Morrow and 
J. J. Cole, trastees. 

Sellersburg Lodge, No. 417, Sellersburg, Indiana, was instituted ]\Iay 
22, 1895, with thirty-one (31) members. It was instituted with the following- 
officers : William O'Connell, C. C. : William Pass, V. C. : Earl Piercy, prel- 
ate; Elias Dodd. :\I. of W. ; Will H. Sierf, K. R. S. ; Walter Hyatt, M. of F. ; 
Edward Dodd, M. of E. : John W. Piercy. M. at A. ; Walter Carson. I. G. ; 
Pat Nevils. O. G. John M. Nickles, Stephen Allen and Michael Moore, 
trustees. 

Officers, June 30, 1908: Charles Werle, C. C. ; C. J. Eismann, V. C. ; 
Louis Dodd, prelate : ^^^illiam Seitz. M. of W. ; L. F. House, K. R. S. : Ben- 
jamin Beyl, M. of F. : O. F. Davis, M. of E. ; E. E. Seibel, M. at A. : C. P. 
Hartling, I. G. ; \\'. M. Cleveland, O. G. M. F. Nickles, Elias Dodd. \Ailliam 
Seitz, trustees. 

Valley Lodge, No. ^/. LTtica, Indiana, was instituted December 22. 1874, 



224 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

with thirteen (13) memljers. Officers June 30, 1908: Charles Ruddle, C. C. ; 
Charles Colvin. V. C. ; Henry Deairk, prelate; William Carmney, M. of W. ; 
W. B. Sims, K. R. S. : S. X. 'W'ood. M. of F. ; Louis Meyers, M.' of E. ; Tood 
Woods, M at A. : F. C. Colvin, I. G. ; J- C. Grimes. O. G. F. C. Colvin, D. 
W. Deairk, J. C. Grimes, trustees. 

Bethlehem Temple, No. 325, Pythian Sisters, was instituted February 2, 
1906, at Bethlehem, with thirty-three charter members. Since the organiza- 
tion of the Temple there have been sixteen memlaers admitted. 

THE BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS. 

This order was organized February 5, 1897, with the following officers: 
James W. Fortune, exalted ruler ; Joe E. Bottorff, esteemed leading 
knight; AI. Z. Stannard, esteemed loyal knight; C. C. Foster, esteemed 
lecturing knight ; James E. Burke, treasurer and William C. Pfau, tyler. The 
thirty charter members in 1897 has grown to one hundred fifty members in 
1908, and since the organization the following have served as exalted ruler: 
James W. Fortune, 1897; Joseph E. Bottorff, 1898; Edgar Howard, 1899; 
G. A. Scheer, 1900; James E. Burke, 1901 ; W. A. Ruby, 1902; M. H. Gas- 
coign, 1903; W. J. Schwaninger, 1904; Orlando Chandler, 1905: James W. 
Taylor, 1906; Harry C. Sharp, 1907; Thomas J. Piers, 1908. 

During the summer of 1901 and 1902 the Elks gave a street fair and 
carnival for the purpose of raising money to build a "Home." With the fund 
thus started the project was carried to a successsful culmination in 1904. On 
November 17th of that year the handsome Elks' hall at 242 Spring street was 
dedicated in the presence of a large number of Elks and their friends from the 
three falls cities. The cost of the building was eighteen thousand dollars, and 
the whole of the upper floor is given up to lodge rooms, the first floor being 
used for a store room. Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 262, Benevolent and Protec- 
tive Order of Elks, is in a flourishing condition, and the comfortable and com- 
modious club rooms oft'er a convenient and attractive lounging place for the 
members and their friends at all times. 

THE MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA. 

The Modern \Voodmen of America, a fraternal organization, entered 
Clark county about 1896. Sellersburg Camp, No. 3896, was organized at 
Sellersburg January 30, 1896. The first venerable consul was M. L. Smith, 
the present is A. E. Snodgrass. The present membership is one hundred 
thirty-five. 

Hoosier Camp, No. 3594. was organized February 21, 1896, at Jefferson- 
ville. The first venerable consul was Henry Nachand, the present is Luther 
Childs. The present membership is two hundred twenty-eight. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 225 

Henryxille Camp, No. 3761, was organized at Henry\'ille in .\pril, 1896. 
The first veneraljle consul was John Gray, the present is George Smallwood. 
The present menihersliip is thirty-three. 

Charlestown Camp, No. 3823, was organized at Charlestown in May, 
1896. The first venerable consul was Frank W. Carr. the present is John 
^\^ W'hitlatch. The present membership is sixty-six. 

Ivanhoe Camp, No. 3951, was organized at Utica in June, 1897. Tiie 
first venerable consul was William Hobson, the present is Aaron Scott. The 
present membership is twenty-six. 

Jeffersonville Camp, No. 12587. was organized at Jeffersonville in July, 
1907. The first venerable consul was C. T. Brightwell, the present is C. T. 
Brightwell. 

New Washington Camp, No. 4408, was organized at New Washington, 
in December, 1897. The first venerable consul was A. G. Knowles, the pres- 
ent is Charles Pierce. The present membership is fifty-six. 

Ideal Camp, No. 4103, was organized at Borden, in March, 1898. The 
first venerable consul was A. E. Almstead. the present is Richard A. McKin- 
ley. The present membership is forty-five. 

Otisco Camp, No. 6406, was organized at Otisco in August, 1903. The 
first venerable consul was Dr. C. P. Meloy, the present is S. L. Stoner. The 
present membership is forty-six. 

THE KXIGHT.S OF HONOR. 

This fraternal and beneficial order was organized in Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, on June 30, 1873. ^^ was originally composed of men only, but of late 
years members of both sexes are admitted, the age limits being eighteen to 
fifty-four years. The order soon spread to Clark county, and Eureka Lodge, 
No. 3, was organized in Jeffersonville November 6, 1873. Soon after this, 
on August 24, 1875, Barbarossa Lodge, No. 146, was organized in Jefferson- 
ville. It was followed by Hope Lodge No. 308, organized at Charlestown, 
June 15, 1876: Ohio Falls Lodge, No. 405, organized at Ohio Falls Novem- 
ber 15, 1876; Silver Creek Lodge, No. 1171, was organized at Sellersburg 
on August 8, 1878. 

Up to the present date the Supreme Lodge has paid out death benefits 
for the following amounts : 

Eureka, No. 3—36 deaths $58,000.00 received. 

Barbarossa, No. 146 — 29 deaths 55,000.00 

Hope, No. 308 — 14 deaths 26,000.00 " 

Silver Creek, No. 11 71 — 8 deaths 13,000.00 

Making a total of one hundred fifty-two thousand dollars paid to bene- 
ficiaries in Clark county. 
IS 



226 BAIRD's HISTORV of CLARK CO., IXU. 

GERMAN AID SOCIETY. 

This society was organized ]\Iay i6. 1887. Its object is as its name im- 
plies — aid to its various members as they may need it. It is composed of the 
most prominent German citizens of Jeffersonville, and since the date of its or- 
ganization in 1887, to 1908, has received as dues and interest, nine thousand 
five hundred sixty-one dollars. There have been paid out as benefits, seven 
thousand one hundred fifty dollars, leaving two thousand four hundred eleven 
dollars in the treasury. A weekly sick benefit is paid each member, while ill, 
and in case of death of either a member or his wife a substantial sum is do- 
nated. Alatthew Kilgus was the first president, F. X. Kern, the first secre- 
tary, and Herman Preefer the first treasurer. The presidents who have served 
since the organization are as follows: Alatthew Kilgus, 1887-1888; G. T. 
Englehardt, 1889; F. X. Kern, 1890: Matthew Kilgus, 1891 to 1901 : An- 
drew Kilgus, 1902 to 1908. The secretaries have been Frank X. Kern. Adam 
Laun, Hugo Alben and August Happel. 

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF HONOR. 

Mystic Tie Lodge, N^o. 7, Knights and Ladies of Honor, was organized 
in Jefifersonville, December 12, 1877, with thirty-three charter members. At 
present it has a membership of ninety-eight. 

Eden Lodge. No. 240, Knights and Ladies of Honor, was organized in 
Jefifersonville December 31, 188 1, with twenty-five charter members. At pres- 
ent the membership is one hundred seven. 

The railroad men of Jeffersonville have three organizations, as follows: 

The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen have one lodge. Jeffersonville 
Lodge, No. 689. This organization is composed of railroad conductors, 
brakemen and yardmen, and the objects of the order are mutual protection 
and insurance. The lodge was organized in the eighties, and at present has 
one hundred sixty-five members. 

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen have one 
lodge, Clark Lodge, No. 297. This lodge was organized in 1886, and at 
present has one hundred twenty-five members. Its membership consists of 
Pennsylvania engineers and firemen, of the Louisville division. Its objects 
are mutual protection and insurance. 

The Brotherhood of Locomtive Engineers have one lodge. Engineers' 
Division No. 712. It was organized in 1907, and at present has fifty members. 
Its objects are mutual protection and insurance. The Pennsylvania has fitted 
up a reading room and billiard room in the depot at Wall street and Court 
avenue, where their employes may spend their leisure time. The above named 
organizations meet regularly in the Elks" hall, on Spring street. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 227 

IMPROVED ORDER OF RED MEN. 

Kwasind Tribe, No. 268, Improxed Order of Red Alen, was organized in 
Jeffersonville April i, 1898, with a membership of fifty. The tribe has grown 
until it now has a membership of over three hundred. Harry Pfeiffer is the 
prophet. Thomas Hodson, a member of Kwasind Tribe, is district deputy 
grand sachem. 

Okenuck Tribe, No. 476, Improved Order of Red Men, was instituted at 
Memphis, Indiana, August 22, 1908, with a membership of forty. Jack 
Cleveland is the prophet. 

Mengive Tribe, No. 376. Improved Order of Red Men, was instituted at 
New Washington, Indiana. Januan* 23, 1904, with twenty-three charter 
members, and Charles H. Jones as prophet. The trilie at present has a mem- 
bership of thirty-two. 

Agawan Tribe. No. 272. Improved Order of Red Men was instituted at 
Sellersburg July 8. 1899. with thirty-six charter members. John M. Meloy 
was elected sachem. The present membership of the tribe is eighty-six. 

Abenaki Tribe, No. 367, Impr(i\-ed Order of Red Men, was instituted at 
Bethlehem, with thirty-six charter members. E. D. Giltner was the first sa- 
chem, and W. H. Patterson, the prophet. July i, 1908, there were one hun- 
dred fifteen members. 

There are councils of the Degree of Pocahontas at Charlestown and 
Bethlehem. The Bethlehem council is known as Silver Heels Council, No. 
260. This degree of the order admits women, and these two localities are 
in a flourishing condition. 

THE EAGLES. 

Jefifersonville Aerie. No. 1527. of the Order of Eagles, was organized in 
1907 with Lyman Parks, past worthy president; James Fortune, president, 
and Heniy Miller as vice president. This order is a social and convivial or- 
ganization and its popularity has resulted in a roster of over two hundred 
names. 

THE ROYAL ARCANUM. 

Clark Council, No. 12 16, Royal Aixanum, is located in Jeffersonville. It 
was organized on December 9. 18S9, with Herman Preefer as regent. At 
present it has a membership of forty-five. Clark Council is the only council 
of the Royal Arcanum in Clark county. 

THE P.\THFINDERS. 

Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 403. was organized November 20. 1905. by 
Jacob Hoffman. George Kopp was the first president and the following have 



228 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

sen'ed as such: George Kopp, 1905-6; Emil Rauth. 1906, six months; Levi 
EngHsh. 1907, six months; Walter Grant, 1907. six months; Charles Clayton, 
1908. The Pathfinders is an insurance and social organization. The lodge 
in Jefifersonville. the only one in the county, has at present eighty-five members. 

UNITED ORDER GOLDEN CROSS. 

The Grand Commandery United Order Golden Cross was instituted in 
Jefifersonville April 29, 1891, at which time William H. Buckley was elected 
past grand commander; Rev. E. L. Dolph, grand commander; Kate W. Daw- 
son, g'rand prelate ; W^illiam S. Tucker, grand treasurer ; John C. Loomis and 
S. W. Evans, grand trustees ; all these being residents of Clark county. The 
Rev. E. L. Dolph is at present prelate of the supreme commandery, and re- 
sides in Jefifersonville. Previous to this date there had been several com- 
manderies in Clark county, Bain Commandery being the pioneer. This com- 
mandery was the first one to be organized outside the state of Tennessee. 

Bain Commandery, No. 15, was organized on February- 28, 1877, by the 
late George W. Bain, Kentucky's great temperance lecturer. Since its or- 
ganization the commandery has had nearly five hundred members, sixty or 
more of which have died. At present the membership is one hundred fourteen. 

Perpetual Commandery, No. 724, was organized at Ohio Falls, November 
10, 1894, by Samuel Swartz, of Jefifersonville, who was the grand com- 
mander of the state. The commandery was organized with twenty-five charter 
members and since that time there have been initiated one hundred nineteen 
new members. At present the membership is forty-two. 

Clark Commandery, No. 57, was instituted on June 7, 1877. At present 
the membership is thirty-six. 

Charlestown Commandery, No. 454, of Charlestown, was instituted Oc- 
tober 6, 1890. It is not a strong organization, having only ten members. 

Banner Commandery, No. 456, was instituted October 28, 1890 It has a 
membership of ten. 

Welfare Commandery, No. 746, was instituted February 3, 1897. It has 
a membership of twenty-three. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S PARISH, jEFFERSOXVILLE, INDIANA, 
THE ONLY EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE COUNTY. 

Few there are who do not take an interest in the beginning of a family, a 
town or parish : is it not interesting to know who were the first church people 
of Clark county, where they worshiped and who first administered to them 
of the Word and Bread of Life? The slow growth of the church in Indiana 
is no criterion to judge of its founding and growth elsewhere. 

It is a matter of history that the first religious service in the English 
tongue, on this Western Continent, was that of the Church of England, con- 
ducted by the Chaplain of Sir Francis Drake on the California coast, in 1579, 
in commemoration of which George W. Childs has erected on the spot a 
beautiful Celtic cross of mammoth size. 

The prayer-book services of the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia, 
were the first in the English language on the Atlantic coast. 

The first religious sen-ice in Kentucky was a prayer-book sen-ice held 
under the trees, during the erection of the fort at Boonesborough. 

The majority of tlie signers of the Declaration of Independence were 
members of the Church of England. Thomas JefTerson, who planned our city, 
was a regular attendant upon the services of the church. 

In 1823, the Rev. Amos G. Baldwin, of New York, was sent here by the 
Domestic and Foreign IVIissionary Society. His report says he found in 
Jeffersonville, "members who welcomed him gladly." In 1835, the saintly 
Bishop Kemper paid Jeffersonville a visit, and also a second visit in 1836. 
The fonnation of the parish followed these visitations. The Rev. James G. 
Britton, who was assistant at Christ church during this time gave occasional 
services. The Rev. Benjamin O. Peers, a prominent presbyter and educator, 
officiated prior to this visitation of the bishop, and was present and pre- 
sided at the organization of the parish, August 14, 1836. The record stands 
thus in the old register: 

"Organization of St. Paul's church, Jeffersonville, Indiana. 

"At a meeting of those desirous for the formation of an Episcopal 
parish in the town of Jeffersonville on Sunday, the 14th of August, 1836, the 
Rev. Mr. Peers was called to the chair and Mr. G. Stearns appointed secretary, 
the following preamble being adopted." etc. The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper 
was bishop of the diocese and the signatures were as follows : Robert Weinmer, 



230 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Charles Fisk, Samuel Merriwether, Francis Barnes, W. D. Beach, George- 
Stearns, Christopher Peaceley, Andrew Fite, David Grisamore, Ira Robinson, 
Georgiana Buchannan, Ann Idell, Mary Ann Idell. 

At the first election of vestrymen, the Rev. Mr. Peers in the chair, the 
following were chosen: Charles Fisk, Andrew Fite, Francis Barnes, George 
Stearns, Ira Robinson. Mr. Stearns was elected secretary. In November 
of the same year, the Missionary Board appointed the Rev. Mr. Steele as 
First Missionan^ to the parish; he also had charge of St. Paul's parish. New 
Albany. 

The congregation first worshiped in a school-house on Market street, 
but soon the lower room of the court-house was fitted up and afforded a 
convenient accommodation. 

The Sunday school was organized in that year. 

January i, 1837, the Ladies' Guild was formed. 

Januaiy, 1837, Rev. Mr. Steele removed to New Albany and confined 
his ministrations to that city ; he was succeeded by Rev. Samuel R. Johnson. 

In 1837 the primary convention to organize the diocese was held in 
Madison, and the Rev. Robert Ash is reported as pastor from Jeffersonville. 

The first confirmation service was held July i, 1838, when the following 
persons received the Apostolic Rite at the hands of Bishop Kemper: ^Irs. 
Ira Robinson, Mrs. N. Kerms, Miss Mary Buchannan and Miss Mary A. V. 
Idell. 

The first vSt. Paul's church was erected on a leased lot on Spring street, 
at what is now No. 238. Later a debt of three hundred dollars was paid ofif 
W'ith the very kind aid of the ladies of Christ church, Louisville, Kentucky. 

The Rev. Charles H. Page, who resided in Louisville, had charge of this 
parish from 1839 to 1840. He was a godly man and left his imprint upon 
the parish. He writes in the old parish register: "In 1839 the house of Ira 
Robinson was the only house where the minister was entertained, but now 
in 1849, there are eight families where the minister is kindly entertained. 
Upon the Rev. Mr. Hickox, my successor, may grace, wisdom and strength 
be multiplied." 

Rev. Air. Page says in the first published report of the parish, the Sunday 
school has twenty-five children and the church twenty communicants. The 
assessment for convention expenses was two dollars. 

In 1 84 1 there were twenty-six communicants. 

Bishop Kemper consecrated St. Paul's church in 1840, the debt having 
been removed. 

In May, 1843, the bishop says in his address, "The remainder of Sunday, 
January 15th, was devoted to Jefifersonville, where I found the congregation 
in a flourishing condition." He confirmed eight persons. 

Rev. Mr. Page writes later. "A Sunday school has been reorganized. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



231 



whicli commenced with twenty-five children." It is evident from tliis tliat 
the Sunday school formed in 1836 hatl died ont, and from a resolution by the 
vestry at this time, we conclude that our parents were \-ery bad children, or 
else that the vestry held very high notions with regard to the sancitv of the 
building. The resolution was, "That the church be not used for the purpose 
of a Sunday school, it being considered by the vestry that the sanctuary should 
not be used for that purpose." 

In 1843 a special meeting or convention was held in Indianapolis for the 
purpose of electing a bishop, and for the first time the parish had a represen- 
tation in the person of Doctor Collum. 

Bishop Kemper in 1844 writes, "I went to Jeitersonville with several 
clergj'men November 30th, and preached to an attentive congregation." 

During the winter the Rev. Mr. Hicko.x, of ^ladison, took charge of the 
parish and also of New Albany ; but not receiving the encourag'ement he 
hoped for, he determined to go South for the benefit of his health, as he had 
an afliection of the throat. He was. however, suddenly attacked by sickness 
which in three weeks' time proved fatal. He died Sunday morning May 5th, 
and was interred at New Albany. 

In 1845 ^Messrs. Bottorff, Cookerly and Collum were appointed a com- 
mittee to purchase a lot upon which to remove the church from Spring street, 
where it stood on leased ground. They purchased on Chestnut street, be- 
tween Spring and Pearl streets, on which, still in 1897 stood the original 
building used for a kindergarten school. A vestryroom large enoug-h to ac- 
commodate the Sunday school was erected and the church painted, all costing 
about four hundred dollars. 

Mr. Page's report for 1844 was: Baptisms seven, confirmed four, com- 
municants thirty-one, Sunday school teachers five and scholars twenty. 

Report for 1846. Communicants twenty-eight, Sunday school scholars 
twenty-five. He regrets that the ground upon which the church stands has 
not yet been paid for, owing to the divided estate of the population, there being 
five different denominations and the too prevalent apathy to eternal things. 

In 1845 the Rev. Mr. Page regrets that he cannot report the prospects 
of the church essentially improved. The congregation varies from thirty to 
fifty, teachers four, scholars twenty, communicants twenty-six, marriages five. 

In 1848 he reports that it was difficult to sustain the Sunday school ; 
teachers three, scholars twenty, communicants forty, contributions for mis- 
sionary work fifteen dollars, diocesan assessment, two dollars, not paid. At 
the diocesan convention the apportionment made on Jef¥ersonville for the 
support of the bishop was twenty-five dollars or one thousand dollars to be 
raised. 

In 1849 the Rev. R. M. Chapman came to the parish as rector. He was 
a man of fine character and education. In 1852 for the first time the parish 



232 EAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

was represented among the clerg}\ In 1854 the convention was held in New 
Albany, the Rev. Dr. Chapman and two lay delegates, \V. F. Collum and H. 
P. Murry being present. Report : diocesan assessment or bishop's salary, 
twenty dollars; missionary fund fifteen dollars. Now the parish is beginning 
to show real life. In 1854 Doctor Chapman resigned his charge and confined 
himself to his duties as principal of a ladies' seminaiy. 

On January i, 1855, Rev. James Runcie took charge of the parish. He 
reports thirty-three communicants. Sunday school thirty-four, contributions 
thirty-three dollars. Rev. Air. Runcie was elected alternate delegate to the 
general convention. 

In 1855 the first convention was held in the parish, being that of Central 
Indiana, at which time the bishop ordained Rev. John B. \\'akefield, who was 
chosen as rector of St. Paul's. Richmond, and as priest the Rev. W. G. 
Spencer, rector-elect of St. Stephen's, Terre Haute. This was the first or- 
dination service held in the parish, offering for missions at convocation, 
thirty dollars. 

In 1857 Mr. Runcie was appointed chaplain at the penitentiary. In 
1858 a fund was started by the Ladies' Guild looking towards a new church, 
and the amount of one hundred and fifty dollars placed to its credit. The 
Rev. Mr. Githens assisted the rector during this year. In 1859 Rev. Mr. 
Runcie resigned the parish but still remained chaplain at the penitentiary. 

The Rev. R. A'\'. Trimble, deacon, officiated from April to November. 
1859. This year the Ladies' Guild contributed two hundred and five dollars, 
most of which was used to repair the church. Deacon Trimble speaks of the 
Sunday school as being increased fourfold, and of the ofifering as being taken 
up weekly instead of monthly. The Rev. Mr. Runcie was a man of genial 
personality, and upon his departure left none but friends. 

Januai-y 9, 1862. the Rev. P. Chariot took charge of the parish, init his 
stay was short as he was appointed chaplain of the Twentv-second Indiana 
Volunteers. 

January i, 1864, Rev. C. \V. Fitch, D. D., took charge of the parish, 
rendering as his report says such services as did not interfere with his duties 
as chaplain to a L^. S. Amiy hospital. In his time a committee was appointed 
to procure subscriptions for the erection of a new church, and four hundred 
and ten dollars was raised. Communicants thirty-eight. Sunday school fifty, 
burials three hundred and thirty-six. This extraordinary large number of 
burials was from the army hospital, where Mr. Fitch was chaplain. In 1866 
Doctor Fitch removed to the diocese of Michigan. 

March, 1867, Rev. F. G. Carver officiated in the parish, and then Doctor 
Davidson as hy reader. The latter was a Presbyterian minister, who came 
from New Albany. He was ordained deacon March 31, 1867. 

November 4, 1867, Rev. Thomas R. Austin, LL. D., assumed the rector- 



BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 233 

ship, being then only a deacon. He came from the Methodists and was or- 
dained priest in New Albany, April 15, 1868. The vestry decided to pur- 
chase the Government chapel at Camp Joe Holt and a lot was procured from 
the Baptists on Mulberry street. They gave one hundred dollars for the old 
church and there was an even exchange of lots. For the chapel three hundred 
dollars was paid, and Hiram Wright received four hundred and fifty dollars 
for moving the building-, repairs, furniture, etc., making the total cost two 
thousand eight hundred dollars. The Ladies' Guild gave one thousand three 
hundred and twenty-six. Judge Read one hundred dollars, INlrs. Childs two 
hundred and five dollars. Mr. Willacy one hundred dollars, Mr. Shryer one 
hundred and fifty dollars. Mrs. Merriwether one hundred dollars, the Misses 
Shryer eight}'-five dollars and many smaller amounts. The church was 
consecrated by Bishop Talbot, April 16, 1868. 

May I, 1870, the pews were declared free. In this year the Rev. Dr. 
Austin we!it to St. Stephen's, Terre Haute, and the Rev. Thomas B. Bacon 
took charge of the parish; but in 1872 he went to Ohio. In 1872 Rev. 
Richard Totten took charge, but in i87_i. went to the diocese of Easten. 

On December i, 1874, Re\-. Dr. Chapman returnetl to the parish, but 
his health obliged him to remove to California. 

December, 1875, Rev. G. \\\ E. Fisse was sent as locum tcncns; he left 
in 1876. The parish being vacant for some time, the services were supplied 
by Rev. Dr. Chapman. Rev. John Girlow, of Xew Albany, and Rev. Dr. Fitch. 
At this time a bell was placed in the church, being borrowed from the 
Government Depot. 

Rev. G. C. Waller, of Louisville, officiated part of 1878, until Rev. 
Charles A. Cary, of Mississippi, took charge as rector and remained five 
years, the longest pastorate to date. A reed organ was placed in the church. 
^Ir. Frank Burke being organist. 

In 1 88 1 the first rectory was purchased principally with the bequest of 
one thousand dollars left by Mrs. Buchannan ; it stood on Mulberry and 
Chestnut streets. In 1883 Rev. Mr. Cary resigned and went to Florida, when 
Rev. J. R. Bicknell took charge until 1885. In his pastorate the congregation 
began to look toward a new church, and a fund was commenced of one 
hundred and fourteen dollars. 

In 1884 Bishop Knickerbacker, of blessed .memoiy, was elected to the 
diocese. It was in the year of the great flood, and the first note of relief 
came from him ; he sent fifty dollars and telegraphed, "How much more do 
you want?" Rev. Mr. Cary also sent a donation. In all the money dona- 
tions aihounted to five hundred and twenty-five dollars, which placed the 
church in good repair. There was over ten feet of water on the site of the 
present church. During the flood services were held on board the steamer. 
Grey Eagle, and in the O. F. Hall on Market street. Our services and those 
of our Roman Catholic brethren were the onlv ones held in those davs. 



234 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

December, 1885, Rev. F. C. Jewell, of the diocese of Chicago was called 
and assumed charge. The endowment fund of the diocese was started and 
this parish gave its bond for eight hundred dollars, which was paid in full in 
seven vears. New additions were constantly made to the building fund. The 
parish was honored by the appointment of its senior warden, E. \V. Fitch, as 
supplementary deputy to the General Convention. 

A lot on which the present church now stands was finally purchased from 
James Burke, at a cost of two thousand five hundred dollars, five hundred 
dollars of which was provided by Miss Hannah Zulauf and five hundred 
dollars more provided in a manner unknown to the vestry, but which was 
supposed to have come from the same generous family. In 1889 the parish 
lost two old and valued communicants, Mrs. J. G. Reed and her daughter, 
Mrs. Merriwether. They remembered the parish liberally in their wills. 

February, 1890, the old church and rectory were sold for two thousand 
dollars, with the privilege of using the church for two years and the owner- 
ship of the furniture. A terrible cyclone struck the town March 27th. causing 
loss to eleven church families, amounting to over twenty thousand dollars. 
Rev. Mr. Jewell resigned July, 1890, the state of the church being as follows: 
Communicants ninety-eight, Sunda}^ school sixty, current expenses seven 
hundred and fifty-nine dollars, total expenses, one thousand three hundred 
and nine dollars and seventy-one cents. 

October 12, 1890, Rev. W. H. Bamford became rector and remained for 
one year. Mr. Bamford insisted that the building of a parish house and rectory 
were of equal importance with the building of the church. 

The Rev. A. F. Todrig succeeded Mr. Bamford as rector. 

July, 1892, the plans of Arthur Loomis for church and parish house 
were accepted and the offer of Captain Ed. J. Howard for both, for the sum 
of fourteen thousand f(jur hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty cents, was 
accepted ; this did not include the furnishing of the church which was about 
one thousand five hundred dollars. October 6, 1892, the corner stone was laid 
with appropriate ceremonies. The list of principal contributors to the new 
church, St. Paul's: Mrs. S. C. Ransom, four thousand dollars; Captain E. J. 
Howard, five hundred dollars ; Joseph V. Reed, five hundred dollars ; R. M. 
Hartwell, five hundred dollars; Mrs. Wilhelmina Zulauf, five hundred dollars; 
Miss Hannah Zulauf, five hundred dollars ; John C. Zulauf, five hundred dol- 
lars ; Mrs. John Read, five hundred dollars ; E. W. Fitch, five hundred dollars ; 
Misses Ellen and Georgiana Shryer, three hundred dollars each ; Captain John 
Hoffman two hundred and fifty dollars; Ladies' Guild, three thousand six 
hundred and twenty-seven dollars ; Arthur Loomis, the architect, contributed 
all the plans and superintendence of the work, which was in itself a large con- 
tribution. Words should fail to express the gratitude of the congregation 
to Mr. Loomis. Some of the other contributors were : 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 235 

Thomas Sparks, !M. Z. Stannard, P. C. Donovan, J. A. Jenkins, J. C. 
Lewman, S. D. Oglesby, IMrs. E. :\L :\Iyers, L. C. Baird, Mrs. C. Poindexter, 
H. Peter, G. W. Lewman, John Adams, Mrs. I. J^Iyers, ^Irs. S. Simmonds, 
Louis Girdler, J. D. Stewart, Eugene Frazer, J. E. Burke, Rev. Mr. Hutchin- 
son, Mrs. J. L. Lewman. 

Much praise is also due to Capt. Ed. J. Howard, tlie contractor, who has 
saved the congregation one thousand five hundred dollars or two thousand 
dollars in the cost of the church, and given more honest work than any other 
would. 

]\Larch i, 1894, Rev. Dr. C. Graham Adams accepted the rectorship of 
this parish, and came at a time when a pilot at the helm was sorely needed. 
A handsome rectorv was erected next to the church at a cost of five thousand 
dollars. 

Should the dead who took such an interest in the beginning and progress 
of the parish, but revisit the scenes of their toils and trials, or the familiar and 
cherished places which they loved on earth : should they be with us in the 
Holy Temple, and listen to the prayers and sermons, the chants and hymns, 
they w^ould not think they labored in vain. 

Easter, 1897, a beautiful pipe organ was placed in the church by the 
munificence of that ever-liberal and truly Christian lady, Mrs. S. A. Ransom. 
It was built by the Pibcher Organ Company, of Louisville. In the sanctuary 
of the church stands the beautiful white marble altar, the noble gift of the 
Zulauf family. The Stealey family placed a fine memorial window in the 
church. ^lany other gifts were given, as an altar rail, literary desk, pulpit, etc. 

Comparison — A. D. 182 1, church property, three thousand dollars; 
communicants, seventy-one; Sunday school average, forty; offering, eight 
hundred and eighty-three dollars. 

A. D. 1891, church property, two thousand five hundred dollars; com- 
municants, one hundred ten ; offerings one thousand three hundred and nine 
dollars ; Sunday school average, sixty. 

A. D. 1893. church property, nine thousand eight hundred dollars; com- 
municants, one hundred fifteen ; current expenses, nine hundred and eighty- 
five dollars ; Sunday school average, forty-six. 

A. D. 1897, church property twenty-seven thousand five hundred dollars; 
communicants, one hundred eighty-five ; Sunday school, the 28th of November, 
sixty-two present on the rolls ; current expenses, one thousand five hundred 
and seventy-five dollars ; total offering, three thousand six hundred and fifty 
dollars. 

February 5. 1900. the Rev. C. Graham Adams resigned the rectorate, 
and the Rev. Frank N. Chapman, of Kirksville, Missouri, was called June 8th. 
Mr. Chapman served the parish about four years, resigning June i, 1904. In 
October of this same vear the Rev. ]\lr. Bamford, who had ser^-ed the pari.sh 



236 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

in 1891, but who had been in cliarge of St. Paul's at Madison since that time, 
was called to the rectorate. He remained in charge of the parish until 
February, 1908. During the two succeeding months the Rev. E. A. Xeville, 
rector of St. Paul's, New Albany, gave such time as he could spare from his 
own church. The Easter offering while Mr. Neville was temporarih' in 
charge, was a large one. 

The Rev. A. O. Bailey was called from Hartwell, Ohio, to assume the 
rectorship and took charge in April, 1908. Mr. Bailey seemed to be able to 
enthuse a new life in the people, and under his tactful and wise administration 
the church is building up and strengthening itself in all the different phases 
of parochial work. The vestry at present, 1908, is: J. Howard Fitch, senior 
warden: Thomas Sparks, junior warden: Thomas Bohon, treasurer: Lewis 
C. Baird, clerk ; John C. Zulauf, A. T. Allmond. \\'. J. Schwaninger 

The church societies of St. Paul's, the St. Ag-nes Guild, the Woman'' 
Auxiliary and the Ladies' Guild are earnest and enthusiastic bodies. The St. 
Agnes Guild was organized by the Rev. W. H. Bamford, during his first 
rectorate and was strictly an altar guild, but it became ambitious and branched 
out into other work Ijesides its altar duties. This guild erected the brass 
railing- in front of the organ, and also gave the stone wall around the church 
property. Part of the money for the wall was raised by entertainments, the 
remaining one thousand dollars being a bequest to the St. Agnes Guild for 
that purpose, by Miss Hannah Zulauf. Much of the best work (if the jjarish 
has been accomplished by this guild. It has been a society of unmarried 
women, so the members were expected to leave as soon as they changed their 
names. The following are the officers at present: ]\Iiss Nora \\'liitesides, 
president: Miss Bess Hoffman, treasurer; Mrs. Bettie Allmond, secretary. 

The Woman's Auxiliar}' of St. Paul's was organized diu'ing the rectorate 
of the Rev. F. C. Jewell. It is the missionary societv of the church. After 
several years of activity it was discontinued, but was revived again bv Doctor 
Adams. During the rectorate of Mr. Chapman it became a live factor in the 
activities of the parish and the diocese. At that time the officers were : 
President, ]\Irs. J. V. Reed : treasurer, Mrs. Thomas Sparks : secretary. Miss 
Lila Jewett. This society has the reputation of being one of the most active 
in the parish, and of being one of the best and strongest auxiliary branches 
in the diocese. It has given twenty-five dollars each year to the arch-deacon's 
salary, it has sent a number of very good boxes to different mission stations, 
besides responding to many special appeals. It has distributed missionary lit- 
erature and in many ways has endeavored to interest the parish in missions. 
At present the work is being carried on by twenty-five members, with the fol- 
lowing ofificers: President. Miss Lila Jewett: treasurer. Mrs. C. E. Poindex- 
ter; secretary. Mrs. Lewis Girdler. 

The Ladies' Guild of St. Paul's was first organized January i. 1837. and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 237 

with very few breaks in its service has had a continuous history to the present 
day. This body of earnest women has accomplished a great deal for the 
parish in various ways. It has raised much money for different church pur- 
poses and is one of the strongest societies in the parish. 

St. Paul's Sunday school has the most modern organization of any Sun- 
day school in the county. The new method of adopting the graded system of 
the public schools for Sunday school work has worked wonders 
in the school, and the systematic study of the Bible, the church and 
the prayer book is carried on up clear through a high school course. The use 
of this new method and an excellent staff of enthusiastic teachers presages a 
bright future for this school. A system of home study for those who cannot 
attend regularly has just been organized, and will afford an opportunity to 
many to take up a study of church subjects and learn more of the church and 
her ways. 



THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 
(By J. V. Biggert.) 

The history of the Baptists in Clark county, Indiana, is most peculiar and 
sad. but withal, very interesting. It is peculiar and sad because of its many 
trials, discords and divisions, thereby weakening the local strength of the Bap- 
tists and their doctrines of faith and practice ; interesting because of its early 
date in the history of the country, its continued existence through its many 
trials, and its influence for good in the cause of Christianity. 

In the year 1765 representatives from Baptist churches met at Phila- 
delphia and adopted what is commonly known among Baptists of today as the 
"Philadelphia confession of faith." 

In the brief space alloted in this work it is impossible to give in detail the 
facts contained in this document, but it is probably sufficient to say that it de- 
clares the "Bible to be the only infallible, sufficient, certain rule of all saving 
knowledge, faith and obedience," and teaches the doctrine of regeneration as 
prerequisite to salvation, a principle peculiar to the Baptists and the promulga- 
tion of which relieves the Baptists of the unkind and unjust criticism of the 
term, "close communists" (communionists). 

On November 22, 1798, the first evangelical church organized in the 
territory west of Cincinnati, Ohio, was called into existence by the announce- 
ment of the following constitution, which is copied from Elder William H. 
McCoy's pamphlet entitled, "The oldest church in Indiana" : 

"We. the church of Christ, on Owens creek in the county of Knox, and 
territory northwest of the Ohio river, in the Illinois grant, were constituted as 



238 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

a churcli on the principles of the Baptist Confession of Faith, adopted at Phil- 
adelphia in the year of our Lord 1765. Being constituted by Brother Isaac 
Edwards, we have hereunto set our hands this twenty-second day of Xo\-em- 
ber. 1798. John Fislar, John Pettet. Sophia Fislar, Cattern Pettet." 

Thus two men and their wives constituted the first e\angelical church in 
the Northwest Territory, "A Baptist Church," originally known as "Fourteen 
Mile Church." because of its location on Owens creek, which was soon after- 
wards and to this day, known as Fourteen Mile creek. 

The church was subsequently called the Charlestown Baptist church and 
is now known more commonly as the Silver creek Baptist church, Isaac Ed- 
wards, who organized the church, was a Baptist preacher from Kentucky, but 
the records of the church show no further reference to him immediatelv fol- 
lowing the organization. 

The first recorded meeting of this church following its organization was 
held on Februaiy 16. 1799, at which time William Kellar was chosen mod- 
erator and John Pettet church clerk. 

The former was at this time pastor of the chuixh, being a Baptist preach- 
er from Kentuck}-. On July 16, 1799. the first additions to the church are 
recorded, viz : James Abbett and Margaret Abbett by letter and Ste]ihen Ship- 
man by experience and baptism. 

James Abbett was chosen pastor on ]\Iarch 13, 1802, and tlie same day 
the church "agreed to attend to communion and washing feet." However, 
at the meeting in the following June the records read, "that as considerable 
light was shown upon the thirteenth chapter of John by several of the mem- 
bers present, the matter of washing feet was deferred." 

On December 11, 1802, James Abbett, the pastor, was excluded for the 
"heinous and abominable crime of falsehood." 

On July 8, 1801. Elisha Carr was received by experience and baptism. 
For some time following, the meetings of the church were held at the resi- 
dence of Elisha Carr, on Silver creek, near the present location of the Charles- 
town or Silver creek church. In April and May, 1803, the matter of building 
was considered and in December, 1804. an amount had been secured suffi- 
cient to erect a comfortable log house on "Silver creek, near the mouth of 
Sinking Fork," on ground donated for the purpose. 

In 1818 the house had become too small and too old to be sen-iceable and 
it was agreed to build a brick house on a piece of ground donated by Elisha 
Carr, near the old house. This house was forty-six by twenty-eight feet and 
it was completed and ready for occupancy November 27, 1824. the trustees 
at the time of building being John McCoy. John Bowel and Jonah Harris. 
The church prospered greatly for thirty years, and was the leading church of 
all denominations in Clark and adjoining counties. It was also the "Mother 
Church" in all the surrounding territory, the following named churches in 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 239 

Clark county being organized by members of the Charlestown church : Xew 
Providence (Borden). 1820: Jeffersonville. 1839: Utica (probably), 1844; 
Memphis, 1858. In addition to these, many of the Baptist churches in Wash- 
ington and Scott counties as well as the church at New Albany were the re- 
sult of aggressive work on the part of this church. In 1829 the first serious 
problems confronted the church in dealing with the questions advocated in the 
"Christian Baptist," edited by Alexander Campbell. The articles of faith on 
which the church was constituted were voted out. and a split resulted, the di- 
vision taking place on May 23, 1829. 

Each party met at the church, but the minority being aggrieved at the 
action of the majority and its continued persistence, on April 23. 182c). with- 
drew to the "shade" near a large basin not far from the church, and here it 
was that this minority received the approbrious epithet, "The Sink-Hole 
Elect." Here in the shade, with prayers and tears, they prepared a remon- 
strance and detemiined to stand fast, maintain the Baptist faith, ask their con- 
stitutional rig-hts and declare themselves. "The Silver Creek Baptist church." 

The two branches continued to occupy the house, alternately, until about 
1834. when the majority built a commodious and neat house in Sellersburg 
and styled themselves the "Silver Creek Christian church." On December 4. 
1858, the majority gave its entire right and title in the old meeting-house to 
the Charleston Baptist church. The schism of 1829 caused by the propaga- 
tion of the principles advocated in the Christian Baptist resulted in the adop- 
tion of extreme views by those of the minority. However, the strict adher- 
ence of these few to what they believed to be the scriptural teaching regard- 
ing missionary activity soon led to renewed growth and for a number of years 
the little church was again prosperous. We find also that from this early 
church went out as missionaries to the Indians, Rev. Isaac McCoy, Christiana 
McCoy, Eliza McCoy and Sarah Osgood. At present the church house still 
stands, but is used very little except for funeral ser\'ices. The location is 
rather isolated, the settlement being now along the railroad and in Sellers- 
burg, and there is probably little future for the church. In Jeffersonville the 
Baptist church was organized on June 22, 1839, the meeting being held on 
Sunday afternoon in the Presbyterian church, the following being the con- 
stituent members : Mason J. Howell, Eleanor Howell, by letters from Spencer 
county, Indiana : Judith Halstead, by letter from Cincinnati, Ohio : Asa 
Marsh, by letter from Madison. Indiana; \\'i]liam ]\IcCoy. by letter from 
Charlestown, Indiana : Levi Hall, Esther Hall. Sarah Shrj-er. James Gill, 
baptized in the Ohio river at foot of Pearl street. Sunday. June 22. 1839. 

Besides these there were present seven ministers and five laymen from 
points in Kentucky. Indiana. Missouri and Louisiana. Rev. William C. Buck 
was the first pastor, and the church met regularly on Saturday afternoon of 
each week in the Presbyterian church until a house was built on the southwest 
comer of Pearl and Market, where subsequent meetings were held. 



240 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Whether or not this house belonged to the organization or was only 
leased could not be learned, but some time later the organization built a house 
on leased ground on the south side of Market street between Wall and Locust 
streets, but owing to what was termed an exhorbitant rental for the real estate, 
the church bought a lot on the opposite side of the street where the residence 
of Capt. William Howard now stands, and the house was moved to this lot. 
]\Ieetings continued here until some time in 1866, according to the best infor- 
mation, when the house was destroyed by fire. It is presumed that the records 
of the church were destroyed in this fire, as nothing can be found between 
October 21, 1856, and January 15. 1869. It is rather a peculiar coincidence 
that on the night of the fire a business meeting was held in the church and the 
matter under consideration brought about a division of the church, the minor- 
ity organizing the Enon Baptist church. This latter organization held meet- 
ings for some time in the old engine house on W^est Maple street, until the 
present house on the square below was built in 1868. 

This organization of the Enon Baptist church was wholly uncalled for 
and the church was doomed to failure. The pastor of this organization, tak- 
ing advantage of the opportunity, solicited aid to rebuild the church which 
was destroyed by fire and used the money for the Enon church, and while the 
buncHng was completed and occupied, the church was not sufficiently strong 
to live. 

In the meantime the original organization had held meetings at various 
points throughout the city and soon purchased the property of the Episco- 
palians on West Chestnut street, near Pearl. Here many overtures were made 
to secure a union of the two churches, but all to no avail, as both sides were 
unwilling to make concessions, and finally after most of the Enon member- 
ship had returned, few at a time, to the parent church, the house passed to the 
control of Capt. Ed. J. Howard, from whom it was purchased by the First 
Baptist church on June. 1880. 

Wliile still holding meetings in the Chestnut street property the First 
church called to its pastorate a young man then at the Seminary in Louisville, 
Rev. Nelson B. Rariden, and during this pastorate perhaps greater progress 
was made than at any time in the previous history of the church. 

The Rev. Mr. Rariden is now one of the prominent men of the denomina- 
tion, being District Secretary of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, 
having charge of the work west of the Mississippi river. 

Notablv among the men who have served this church are the following: 
Rev. E. F. Strickland, who together with George C. Lorimer, was an actor 
plaving an engagement in the old Third Street Theater in Louisville, when 
thev were visited by a couple of the women and prevailed on to attend a serv- 
ice then being held in one of the Louisville churches. They were both con- 
verted and immediately went into the ministn,-. Rev. Strickland sen'ing the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 24I 

church in Jeffersonville during his term in the seminary. He is now one of 
the prominent men in the denumination. Rev. F. C. ^VlcConnell, at present 
pastor of one of the largest cliurches in Kansas City and considered one of 
the ablest men in the Southern Baptist convention, served the First Baptist 
church in this city about 1880-1. With all of the difficulties and trials which 
the church appears to have experienced the organization is at the present time 
in a very prosperous condition, and, in fact, this is true with respect to the 
Borden church, which has had a seemingly peaceful existence. A peculiar 
thing is the fact that along the entire northern bank of the Ohio river in 
the state of Indiana, the Baptists are as a rule weak. Located as they are at 
Jefifersonville and the immediate surrounding country' in the very pale of the 
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, it appears that they 
should be very strong, but for some unknown reason the seminary appears to 
have been a hindrance rather than a help. But with all the struggles and dis- 
couragements, the several churches are not satisfied : they seek enlargement ; 
they desire to do even greater things for the cause of Christianity. They have 
been cast down, but not forsaken ; discouraged, but not despondent. Through 
it all the spirit of the Master has inspired and lead, and with an unwavering 
faith in Him, they pray, labor and wait, looking forward with hope to the 
time, "when Christ shall come the second time without sin unto salvation." 
16 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

METHODISM IX CLARK COUNTY. 

Early in 1801 there came to Clark's grant a young man named Samuel 
Parker. He was not yet licensed to pi each but deep in his soul he had felt the 
call of God to cross the river from his native Kentucky and preach the gospel 
of peace and love to the settlers in Indiana. He went from house to house, 
preaching and exhorting. Later he was joined by Edward Talbott. another 
earnest young Kentuckian. and the two held a great camp meeting at Spring- 
ville. then the only town in the county, except Clarksville. This was the first 
seed sown. 

The next year Benjamin Lakin. a traveling preacher of the Salt River 
and Shelby circuit of Kentucky, visited the Methodists in the grant and or- 
ganized societies at Gazaway's, Robertson's and Jacob's, Gazaway's is now 
Salem, three miles southeast of Charlestown: Robertson's, Bethel, three miles 
northeast, and Jacob's, New Chapel on the plank road. These three societies 
were added to the Salt River circuit, which already embraced all of Kentucky. 
Northern Tennessee, and most of Illinois and Indiana, a district covering hun- 
dreds of miles of almost unbroken wilderness, and all traveled by one man. 
What his salary was we do not find recorded, but in 1S15 the circuit preacher's 
munificent stipend was fifteen dollars and ninety-seven and one-fourth cents, 
and the presiding elder's nothing. Verily those were the days when men 
preached truth for truth's sake and esteemed the reward of conscience higher 
than the praise of men. 

In 1803 Rev. ^Ir. R. Lakin was given entire charge of the circuit and in 
1804 was succeeded by the noted Peter Cartwright. At the close of the year 

1806 the grant was made into a separate circuit and named Silver Creek. In 

1807 the first church was erected, old Bethel meeting house. It was a rude 
log cabin built on the farm of Nathan Robertson, one of five brothers, who 
were pioneers of Methodism in Clark county. Bethel meeting house is still 
in existence. It was used for fift}^ years, then sold and removed to the farm 
of John Stanger, where for many years it served as a stable. Fast falling into 
decay the old house was purchased in 1902 by a committee appointed by the 
Indiana Conference of the Methodist church, the intention being to place it 
on the old site and restore it as nearly as possible to its original condition. On 
the brow of the hill it stands again, while below on the sloping hillside sleep 
the men and women who long ago traveled the wilderness roads, gun in hand. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXU. 243 

to worship God in the old log church, and thus it serves as a fitting memorial 
of the days that are past and calls to the minds of the new generation, the 
sacrifices and toils of the fathers and mothers of Methodism. 

In 1803 Ralph Lotsprech, a traveling preacher, was sent into the grant to 
assist Benjamin Lakin. and soon after A\'illiam Huston was also employed in 
traveling and preaching in the grant. 

Quoting from a letter of the Rev. George Knight Hester to his son. As- 
bury : "It is believed that the first society that ever was formed in the state 
was organized at old Father Robertson's. It has sometimes been supposed that 
the first society was formed at Gazaway's, but Brother Hezekiah Robertson 
distinctly recollects that the first society was formed at his father's, and Sister 
Gazaway has often been heard to say to female members when excusing them- 
selves for their neglect in attending class-meetings on account of distance that 
she had uniformly gone to Nathan Robertson's to class every two weeks, a 
distance of four miles, which makes it evident that the first class was organized 
there. And this must have been done in the spring of 1803, when Lakin and 
Lotsprech, who were at this time tra\-eling the Shelby circuit, came over the 
Ohio river and took them into their work, for there were a few scattered mem- 
bers in the wilderness, and these faithful pastors would gather them into the 
church fellowship at the earliest possible time, and this probably was done in 
the month of April or !May of 1803." 

These brethren were succeeded the following conference year by the 
Revs. A. McGuire and Fletcher Sullivan. Following these preachers came 
Benjamin Lakin and Peter Cartwright. Peter Cartwright was in Capt. David 
Robb's company at Tippecanoe. He was the man who ran against xA.braham 
Lincoln for membership in the Illinois Legislature and defeated him. 

In 1805 Lakin and Cartwright were succeeded by Asa Shin and Moses 
Ashworth, and they continued in charge until the fall of 1806. 

In 1807 Joseph Olesley and Frederick Hood were the regular preachers. 
Hood did not continue long as there was some objection raised against him 
on account of his connection with slavery. He declined traveling in this circuit, 
but Olesley continued. At the close of the year 1807 it was thought best to 
strike off the Illinois grant into a separate circuit, and Moses Ashworth was 
sent to take charge in 1808. A two weeks' circuit was established and this was 
soon after changed to a three weeks' circuit. The boundaries and work of the 
circuit continued to grow until in 181 5 it was an eight weeks' circuit, yet had 
only one traveling preacher. Ashworth's last year on Silver Creek circuit, as 
it was called, closed with a great camp meeting held near Robertson's. It was 
a novel afifair and was attended by great multitudes of people. 

The old Bethel meeting house, erected in 1807. was the first IMethodist 
church erected in Indiana, and in this church the first Christian meeting per- 
haps ever held in this part of the state was held this year. James Garner 



244 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

preached on the occasion from the following text: "We have seen His star in 
the East, and have come to worship Him." 

Up to 1809 local brethren supplied the newly settled country, but in 1809 
and 1810 there were marked revivals of religion. Preaching was introduced 
into Charlestown in 1809, and strange as it may seem, at this day, no house 
could be found large enough to accommodate the crowds. The early camp 
meetings of those days were occasions where scenes were enacted which seem 
strange to those of our time and age. The nervous and hysterical state to 
which many of the hearers were wrought produced an excitement which was 
intense. Men and women often rolled on the ground and lay sobbing or shout- 
ing. An affection called the "jerks" prevailed at many meetings, and while 
under the influence the victim would plunge and pitch about with convulsive 
energy. The nerves of many became uncontrollable, and they became affected 
with what was called the "holy laugh," in which the mouth was distorted with 
a hideous grin, while the victim gave vent to a maniac's chuckle, and every 
muscle and nerve of the face twitched and jerked in horrible spasms. The ex- 
hortations of the workers moving among the audience, and the shoutings of 
hysterical enthusiasts or "converted" sinners, produced an indescribable con- 
fusion and excitement. Scenes such as these, or sometimes worse, prevailed 
at most of the religious meetings of this kind in those days. Happily they 
have disappeared and a quiet and more serious reflection has superseded the 
nervous hysteria which marked the great assemblages for public worship in 
the early years of the nineteenth century. 

The War of 181 2, and the incident brutalities and butcheries, which our 
British cousins incited the Indians to commit, was a setback to the spread of 
the Gospel throughout the whole state of Indiana. The traveling preachers 
continued to travel some time after the Indian disturbances began, but at last 
they gave it up and left the country, and local preachers supplied. One quar- 
terly meeting, held about this time, within five miles of Charlestown, had 
neither presiding elder nor circuit preacher, and but a handful of people. 

In 18 1 9 occurred the second great revival, and its results were felt 
throughout the whole of the circuit. Such a thing as a Sunday school was 
unheard of for many years by the first settlers of the county, and the first pro- 
posal to start one was met with great opposition, and by some too, who were 
official members of the church, as being a reflection on the citizens and citizen- 
ship of the locality, as not being able to school their own children. 

In 1825 the Illinois Conference was held at Charlestown. and embraced 
the whole of the states of Indiana and Illinois. Bishop McKendree and 
Bishop Roberts were in attendance, as was also Peter Cartwright. About 
182 1 the Silver Creek circuit was united with the Charlestown circuit. James 
Armstrong served this circuit for about two years, but it had grown so large 
that it was impossible for one man to perform the work. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. 245 

WALL STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, JEFFERSONVILLE. 

The churclies in the circuit were gradually becoming stronger, and in 
1833 the church in Jeffersonville was separated from the circuit and made a 
station, of which the celebrated Edward R. Ames became the first pastor. 
During the pastorate of Reverends Moore and ^IcMurray, trustees had al- 
ready been appointed for the First Methodist church, namely ; James Keigwin, 
Charles Slead, Andrew Fite, David Grismore, Aaron Applegate and Nelson 
Rozzle. The date of the appointment of the trustees is June 25, 1833, but the 
deed^of the first church was not made until after 1840, by \\'illiam Heart to 
James Keigwin. Charles Slead, David Grismore, Leonard Swartz and William 
D. Beach, as trustees. The church was finished in 1835. This church stood 
on Wall street, between Chestnut and Market streets, south of the alley. 
James Keigwin laid all the brick in the building as his subscription. 

In 1840 Wall street church had grown so that an addition was built, 
making the building like a "hemp rope factory," as Dr. T. M. Eddy, one of 
the early pastors, remarked. In 1858 the necessity for a larger and more com- 
modious house of worship becoming apparent, the question was vigorously dis- 
cussed and January 1 1, 1859, at a quarterly meeting, on motion of William L. 
Beach, a committee was appointed to report a plan and estimates for a new 
church. The question of a site was a ver\' absorbing one, and many places 
were considered, especially the lots upon which St. Augustine's Roman Cath- 
olic church and George H. Holzbog & Bros." carriage factorv now stand, but 
at last all agreed upon the lot where stood the house in which the first society 
was organized. The deed was given by Mrs. Ann Tuley on May 6, 1859. and 
June 6, 1859, the corner stone was laid. In October of the same year the brick 
work was completed, and April 22, i860 the basement was dedicated by 
Bishop Thomas Bowman. In November, 1863, the steeple, including belfry, 
clock tower and spire, surmounted by a cross, was erected. The erection of 
this cross caused considerable dissention among the members as it was un- 
fortunately not usual for Protestant churches to be surmounted by the Chris- 
tian symbol. The main auditorium was not dedicated until July 16, 1865, 
under the pastorate of the Rev. J. K. Pye. The dedicatory sermon was 
preached by the Rev. Dr. Thomas M. Eddy upon the subject, "Now is the 
Judgment of this ^'\'orld : Now Shall the Prince of this W^orld be Cast Out." 

The total cost of the new edifice was near twenty-five thousand dollars. 
The Board of Trustees was composed of B. C. Pyle. \^''illiam D. Beach. R. S. 
Heiskell. Peter Myers and W'illiam S. Jacobs, of whom i\Ir. Jacobs is the sole 
sur\nvor. and to this day a trustee and a member, whom everyone delights to 
honor. Tlie present edifice was enlarged by the addition of an organ loft in 
1892. 

The church has had two parsonage properties. The first was erected 



246 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

during the pastorate of Dr. T. M. Eddy in 1850, and consisted of four rooms. 
It was built upon the west half of the lot at the southwest corner of Wall and 
Chestnut streets and the east half was sold to satisfy a claim for brick work 
on the house. A number of years afterward the house was remodeled and en- 
larged and is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Elizabeth Liston. The last 
parsonage was erected during the pastorate of Rev. V. W. Tevis, and is one 
of the most modern and beautiful homes in the city. Upon the death of Felix 
Lewis, the church was able to obtain the lot adjoining the church on the corner, 
and the whole is now a very valuable piece of property. 

The pastors of the Wall Street church, beginning with Benjamin Lakin, 
are as follows : 

Benjamin Lakin 1802 

■ Adjet McGuire 1803 

Peter Cartwright 1804 

Asa Shin and D. Young 1805 

Frederick Hood 1806 

Moses Ashworth 1807 

Josiah Crawford 1808 

Sela Payne 1809 

Isaac Lindsey 1810 

Gabriel Woodfill 181 1 

\\'illiam AIcMahon and Thomas Nelson 1812 

James Garner 1813 

Charles Harrison and Elijah Sutton 18 14 

Shadrack Ruark 1815 

Joseph Kincaid 1816 

Joseph Purnal 1817 

John Cord 1818 

David Sharp 1819 

Calvin Ruter and Job W. Baker 1820 

Calvin Ruter and William Cravens 1821 

James Armstrong 1822-23 

Samuel Hamilton and Calvin Ruter 1824 

James Thompson and Isaac Verner 1825 

Allen Wiley and James Randle 1826 

Allen Wiley and James Gamer 1827 

George Lock, Calvin Ruter and Enoch G. Ward 1828 

I. W. ]\IcReynolds and James Scott 1829 

James Scott and I. W. McReynolds 1830 

James L. Thompson , 183 1 

\\'illiam Moore and D. M. Murray 1832 



BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



247 



Edward R. Ames 

W. V. Daniels 

Zech Gaines and John \V. Eayless 

John W. Bayless 

John Kearns 

William H. Good 1838- 

T. C. Holliday 1840- 

William V. Daniels 

Hosier Durbin 

William Morrow 

James Jones 

\\'alter Prescott 1846- 

T. M. Eddy 1848- 

James Hill 1850- 

Jiles C. Smith 

Enoch G. Wood 1853- 

F. A. Hester 1855- 

S. B. Falkenberg' 

J. ^^'. Sullivan 1858- 

J. S. Tevis 

T. G. Beharrel 1861- 

Elijah D. Long and John K. Pve 1863- 

John K. Pye '. 1864- 

\\'illiam H. Harrison 

G. P. Jenkins 1867-1868- 

J. G. Cheffee 1870- 

T. \\'. Locke 1872- 

^^■. \\'. Snyder 1874- 

Rev. E. L. Dolph 1876-1877- 

John S. Tevis 1879-1880- 

George L. Curtiss 1882- 

G. P. Jenkins 

R. Roberts 1885-1886- 

J. H. Doddridge .\ 1888- 

Virgil W. Tevis 1890-1891- 

Charles Tinsley 1893-1894-1895- 

James T. O'Neal .\ 1897-1898- 

George D. ^^'olff 

Charles E. Asbury 1901-1902-1903- 

John S. Ward 1905-1906-1907- 



833 
834 
835 
836 

837 
839 
841 

842 

843 

844 
845 
847 
849 
851 

852 
854 
856 

857 
859 
860 
862 
864 
86^ 
866 
S69 
871 

873 

875 
878 

881 
883 
884 
887 
889 
892 
896 
899 
900 

904 
908 



Among the most prominent men who have been pastors of Wall Street 



248 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

church may be mentioned Edward R. Ames, who laecame missionary secre- 
tar\- and later bishop. 

The Rev. Moses Ashworth buih the Bethel meeting house, and the Rev. 
James Garner preached the first Christmas sermon in this part of Indiana. 
During the pastorate of the Rev. J. \Y. Sullivan the present church building 
was begun. 

The greatest revival ever held in Wall Street church was in the year 
1867. and continued for one hundred days, during which time there were two 
hundred sixty confessed conversions and three hundred forty-nine accessions 
to the church. 

Among the early class leaders were Andrew Fite. James Keigwin, Robert 
Heiskell and Charles Slead. 

Among the members who contributed much to the success of the \\'all 
Street church was Dr. Robert Curran. Doctor Curran was a holv man and 
one who took a lively interest in the church. 

Robert Heiskell^ William D. Beach, B. C. Pile, John \\' Ray, I. N. In- 
gram, Rev. Samuel Bottorff, Jonathan Johnson and wife and others were 
prominent in the affairs of the church for many j'ears. 

\\'all Street church has had several off-shoots : Port Fulton was organized 
in 1849: the German ^lethodist Episcopal church had its first members, men 
and women, from Wall Street. In 1868, twenty-two members of Wall Street 
organized Morton Chapel, later on called Morton Memorial Church South. 
Wesley Chapel in Ohio Falls, and Harrison Avenue Chapel, in Howard 
Park are also offsprings. 

In 1867 the first organ was placed in the church and although its advent 
was the cause of much talk, yet no division nor withdrawals took place. In 
1891 the Epworth League was organized. In 1859 the Woman's Mission- 
ary Society was organized by Mrs. Seymour. The Young Ladies' Mission- 
ary' Society was organized a few years later, and the Standard Bearers, a 
societv for voung folks, still later. As far back as 18^0 there was a flourish- 
ing sewing society. 

At present Wall Street church has seven hundred forty full members, 
twenty-nine probationers and four hundred thirty scholars in the Sunday 
school. The church building is valued at fifteen thousand dollars and the 
parsonage at five thousand dollars. 

PORT FULTON METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

The church was organized in the year 1849. Among its first members 
were the following: Rev. E. L. Dolph. Nancy French, Mrs. Ault. Henr}' 
French. Ann Buckley. William Prather and Ann Prather. There were early 
circumstances that led to the formation of this church that in this space it 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 249 

will be impossible to print. At the session of the Indiana conference of 1850. 
Rev. F. \\'. White was appointed to Port Fulton charge, which embraced the 
following appointments : Fort Fulton. Asbuiw chapel, Louisville, Kentucky, 
(known as the Point) and Preston Street church, three appointments. 

The stewards met in Asbury church and fixed the amount of the pastor's 
salary at one hundred dollars, besides an allowance for board and traveling 
expenses, which was raised outside of the membership. 

The second Sabbath of May, 1850, the first Sunday school was organized 
in the east end of the "double house on the hill," as it was then called. At 
'that time it was nwned l)y Henr\- French, Ijut is now owned liy the ^loore 
family. 

It was seated with seond-hand school benches while a nicely covered 
drv goods box was used as a pulpit. E. L. Dolph was chosen as the tirst super- 
intendent, a position he held for a number of years. 

The teachers were the following: ]\Irs. JMartha Howard Baird, Miss 
Sallie French, Miss Mary Prather, Miss Frank Ault, nuw :\rrs. Josiah Dor- 
sev, ;\Irs. Lightcap, Mrs. Mary Prather Holmes. 

Although the room in which the church was organized was small, yet 
a verv successful revi\'al meeting was held. 

One of the first converts was Aaron \\'ootan, whose conversion was so 
wonderful that its influence affected the whole community. 

Reverend \Miite took up a subscription to build a church, and so success- 
ful was he that early in the spring of 185 1 the erection of the church was com- 
menced and was completed in time for dedication in the following July. The 
dedication sermon was preached by Rev. Thomas M. Eddy. The building 
cost one thousand six hundred dollars. In 1851 Port Fulton was attached 
to Wall Street. Revs. James Hill and F. S. Potts were appointed to the 
charge. From that time on the church began to grow in numbers and 
financial strength. 

After this came the following pastors: Sheets, Collins, Curtis, Marlatt, 
Wood, Maule, Sargent, Sheets, O'Beyrne, Ruddell, Machlan, Kinnear. Sheets, 
IMendall, Beharrell, McMillan, Kennedy, Farr, ]\Iurphy, Reynolds, Jones, 
Grigsby, Thomas, Smidi, Henninger. Stout, Dolph and Jerman, now serving 
his third year. 

In June, 1899, subscription lists were opened for the purpose of raising 
money to build a parsonage, and with the generous assistance of Capt. E. J. 
Howard, of the ship yards, who gave them a fine lot, the parsonage was soon 
completed. Captain Howard was also the donor of the bell which hangs in 
the belfry of the church. In ^Nlay, 1900, the semi-centennial of the founding 
of the cliurch was most appropriately held. 

At present the membership of Port Fulton church is about one hundred 



250 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

sixty-five. Its Sunday school lias one hundred and twenty-five scholars and 
sixteen teachers. The church building, on the northwest corner of ]\Iarket 
and Jefferson streets, is worth two thousand four hundred dollars and the 
parsonage at No. no Market street is worth about one thousand five hun- 
dred dollars. 

CHARLESTOWN. 

The town of Charlestown has a very prosperous and influential congre- 
gation of i\Iethodists. Of the later history of the Charlestown church but 
little can be learned, but its earlier history is that of the grant, as the earliest 
ser\'ices held in this locality were held near Charlestown. The church here 
is one of the three full stations in Clark county, Wall Street in Jeft'ersonville, 
and Port Fulton being the other two. The church building at Charlestown 
is a substantial brick structure. It was dedicated in 1854 by Bishop Ames. 
There is also a good parsonage, offering a comfortable and convenient home 
for the pastor. It is valued at three thousand dollars. The congregation 
numbers about three hundred souls. 

NEW W'A.SHINGTON CIRCUIT. 

The New Washington Circuit at present consists of six chapels: New 
Washington, Mount Zion, New Hope, Bethlehem, Saiem and Shiloh. Salem 
Chapel is about three miles southeast of Charlestown and was originally Gaza- 
ways, one of the first three societies organized in the county by Benjamin 
Lakin. The congregation now numbers sixty. The New Washington church 
at New Washington is not very strong, having only thirty-seven members 
reported at the last conference. Mount Zion was reported as having ninety 
members; New Hope, twenty; Bethlehem, seventy, and Shiloh, fifty. 

Shiloh lays between Westport landing and Hibernia. It is one of those 
temples which we all turn to intuitively ; one whose history awakens the hap- 
piest and tenderest emotions. Its first members w-ere Thomas Allen and wife, 
John Lever and wife. Job Ingram and wife, Jacob Bottorff and family, John 
Hutchins and wife. Calvin and John Rutter were the first preachers. They 
were brothers, men devoted to the work they had chosen. In 1854 the old 
house of worship was replaced by a better building. This society is fairly 
prosperous. 

The church at Bethlehem is the only one in the extreme east end of the 
county. The Methodist church in this end of the county sprang from a long 
series of successful revivals. On the same section where Jacob Giltner ran his 
horse mill in 1808, but on the northeast corner, lived Melsin Sargent. His 
house stood on the road which led to New Washington, one and one-half 
miles from the present post-office of Otto. Sargent was one of the first ]\Ieth- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 25I 

odists in this end of the county, and at his house the services of the denomina- 
tion were held for many years. His house was always open to preaching, and 
was the regular place of worship up to 1836. Sargent moved to Jefferson 
county, Indiana, and died many years ago. The people who gathered at 
Sargent's were of various religious professions. ]\Iany of the richest experi- 
ences of this class were enjoyed there, while the church was just beginning 
to feel the healthful currents of a sound body politic. From these meetings 
the New Hope ^Methodist Episcopal church sprang into existence : l)ut during 
the time which elapsed previous to 1836, the }ear the church building was 
erected, services were often held in the dwelling houses of Michael Bern- and 
Eli Watkins. The church was erected in the year above mentioned, and was 
the first church of this denomination put up in the township. The old house 
was used until 1871, when it was replaced by another frame, thirty bv forty- 
two feet. Rev. Calvin Ruter was probably the first preacher. He was a man 
of great influence among the members, and afterwards became presiding elder. 
Rev. Samuel Hamilton succeeded Mr. Ruter as presiding elder. He also was 
much admired for his excellent character. Rev. James L. Thompson, John 
McRunnels, Thomas Scott, Allen Wylie, James Garner and George Lock came 
in succession after Hamilton. Then came Enoch G. Wood, a person of great 
influence and possessed of an unblemished character. Rev. Joseph Tasking- 
ton and John Miller were here in 1833 ^^'^'^ 1834, the latter a man of many 
fine parts. Rev. Zachariah Games and Thomas Gunn came next, Mr. Gunn 
preaching in 1835. Revs. George Beswick and McElroy (the latter an Irish- 
man and by profession a sailor), John Bayless, W. V. Daniels, were all here 
in 1836-37-38. Rev. John Rutledge ser\'ed one year. After him came Rev. 
Isaac Owens, who preached in 1839-40-41. In 1843 Charles Bonner served 
the people. Rev. Constantine Jones was their circuit preacher for one year. 
Rev. Lewis Hulbert, assisted by Elisha Caldwell, was the preacher in 1844. 

Then came Revs. ^^'ilHam McGinnis, L. V. Crawford. John Malinder, 
Doctor Talbott. E. Flemming. Amos Bussey, and William jNIaupin. These 
latter persons bring it down to 1854. The first members were Eli Watkins, 
Melsin Sargent, John Tyson, Daniel Ketcham, Levi Ogle, Michael Berry, 
John ^^^ Jones and Samuel ^^'hiteside, all with their wives and a portion of 
their families. 

HEXRYVILLE CIRCUIT. 

The Henrvville Circuit consists of five chapels and is at present under 
the charge of the Rev. W. H. Thompson. The chapels are located as follows : 
Henrvville at Henryville, ^Memphis at ^Memphis, Underwood at Cnderwood, 
Mount Olive and Xew Chapel in the adjacent country. The first preaching 
place in this cummunity was Little Union, a school-house, which was built 
about the year 1830. It was a hewn log building with an old-fashioned fire- 



252 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

place. This building we are told was used by all denominations then worship- 
ping in this community. This house was built about one-half mile northwest 
of Henryville. on the ground now known as the Little Union graveyard. 

About the year 1835 the Methodists organized and built what was known 
as the Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal church. It was built on the farm of 
the Rev. Seymour Guernsey in the plat of ground now known as the Mount 
Zion cemetery. This house was built of hewn logs, many of them poplar, and 
was perhaps twenty-four by thirty-six feet in size. In 1839 the west end of 
the house was sawed out and an addition of frame added. This house was 
used as a preaching place until some time in the sixties. Henrvville had 
grown to have enough members of the Methodist church to reasnnablv expect 
that sen-ice should be held in the town, so by the consent of the Presbyterians, 
the Methodists used the Presbyterian church, a frame structure, standing on 
the bank of Wolf Run, a few rods east of the preserit Henrvville seminary. 
The old Mount Zion church underwent some repairs about this time, and 
was used for a number of years as a shelter in time of storm for those who 
came to bury their dead. About the year 1871 the society got together and 
concluded to build a church in Henryville. They selected a mechanic, known 
as Uncle Sammy ^^'illiams, as foreman, and the house was dedicated early 
in the vear 1872 with the name of Williams Chapel. In this house the people 
worshiped until the year 1908. The church having been remodeled through 
the instrumentality of the pastor. Rev. Lit Peck, was re-dedicated April 26. 
1908. 

The Mount Olive Methodist Episcopal class was first known as the ]\Iount 
Moriah class, which was organized in 1828 some three and a half miles south- 
east of the present town of Henryville. In 1859 or i860 the class was moved 
nearly a mile from the former place to Oakland school-house, where the people 
worshiped regularly until 1871, when Mount Lebanon Presbyterian church 
was built. The Methodists worshiped with them in the same building until 
1899 under Rev. U. G. Abbott, when the people began building the present 
frame building called Mount Olive church about one mile north of the 
Mount Lebanon Chapel, and three miles southeast of Henryville. It was com- 
pleted under Rev. J. L. Cooper and dedicated in 1900. 

Willey's Chapel, Methodist Episcopal class, was organized in 1885, in the 
Forest Grove school-house by Rev. J. M. Norton, where the people worshiped 
until 1886, when the present frame building was erected and dedicated. It 
stands about five miles southwest of Henn-ville. The class around which the 
people at Willey's chapel rallied was a few survivors of the old "Boweiy 
Chapel" church, erected in early times about one mile west of Memphis. W'hen 
Bowery ceased to be used for church purposes this class erected the old "Gum 
Log" meeting house at Blue Lick, which served as a place of meeting for 
manv vears, but at this time, 1886. had gone to decav. and most of the mem- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 253 

bers had either died or scattered. The few remaining ones constituted the 
first class at Wihey's chapel. The leaders were Joel Rose and John King. 

The Underwood JNIethodist Episcopal class was organized in the year 
1883. and was known as the Summit class. During this same rear the frame 
church building was erected, where the people worshiped regularly until No- 
vember, 1908, when under the pastorate of the Rev. W. H. Thompson, Ph. 
B., the church was enlarged and completely remodeled. This building was 
re-dedicated by the Rev. M. B. Hyde, D. D., the district superintendent of 
Seymour district. 

Memphis Methodist Episcnpal church was built by the Baptist society 
in 1870, but was sold the same year at Sheriff's sale to Daniel Guernsey, who 
turned it over to the Methodist congregation, which was at that time worship- 
ing in the schonl-house. It stands in the present town of jMemphis, having 
escaped the fire in 1901, which destroyed nearly the whole town. 

HISTORY OF THE OTISCO CHURCH AND CIRCUIT. 

The Otisco society was organized early in 1870 in the school-house, with 
only eleven members, none of which are now living. It was organized by 
Rev. Peter H. Bottorff, as local elder. He is now living on a farm in ITica 
township, near Utica, Indiana. At that time Enoch G. ^^'ood was presiding 
elder. The following pastors served while they worshiped in the school-house : 
In the fall of 1870 Rev. W. H. Widman was sent on the work; his year was 
completed by Rev. Jacob Ruddle. Rev. A. M. Louden served one year, from 
1871 to 1872. Rev. Thomas Brooks served one year, from 1872 to 1873: 
Rev. A. G. Aldridge one year, from 1873 to 1874. Rev, Henn.' Morrow, 
one year, from 1874 to 1875. Then came the Rev. W. H. Burton, who 
served three years in all, from 1875 to 1878. During his first year's 
work in the school-house, he, with the help of others, erected and com- 
pleted the church which is now standing, and in June, 1876, on the 25th 
day of the month, the church was dedicated for the public worship of God, 
by the Rev. F. A. Hester. D. D. Brother Ed Covert is now the oldest living 
member uniting with the Methodist Episcopal church, in March of 1870. 
Sister Emma Nevelle, being the next oldest living member, both of these 
united during the pastorate of Rev. P. H. Bottorff. Brother J. A. Kirk, now 
living at this place was licensed as a local preacher in 1878, during the pas- 
torate of Rev. J. T. O'Neal, D. D., who ser\'ed as pastor two years, from 
1878 to 1880. Brother Ed Kirk was given an exhorter's license by Rev. 
George Church, who served one year, from 1901 to 1902. The following 
pastors have served the church faithfully and well : 

Rev. W. H. Burton, three years — 1875 to 1878. 
i Rev. James T. O'Neal, two years — 1878 to 1880. 



254 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Rev. T. W. Conner, two years — 1880 to 1882. 
Rev. D. T. Hedges, two years — 1882 to 1884. 
Rev. Isaac J. Turner, one year — 1884 to 1885. 
Rev. J. M. Norton, tliree years — 1885 to 1888. 
Rev. J. P. Maupin, two years — 1888 to 1890. 
Rev. J. T. Davis, part of one year — 1890 to 1891. 

Rev. J- S. Campbell, two years and remainder of J. T. Da\-is's year from 
1891 to 1893. 

Rev. A. R. Jones, three years — 1893 to 1896. 

Rev. U. G. Al>bot, one year — 1896 to 1897. 

Rev. W. P. Wallace, one year — 1897 to 1898. 

Rev. T. J. Tone, one year — 1898 to 1899. 

Rev. Charles Rose, two years — 1899 to 1901. 

Rev. George Church, one year — 1901 to 1902. 

Rev. J. P. Maupin, two years — 1902 to 1904. 

Rev. D. G. Griffith, two years — 1904 to 1906. 

Rev. James W. Trowbridge, two years — 1906 to 1908. 

Rev. James O. Scott came in 1908 and is the present minister sent by 
the conference held at Shelbyville, Indiana. 

The church has continued to grow from her infancy with only eleven 
members until now, during the present minister's pastorate. Rev. J. O. Scott, 
she has reached almost one hundred members. 

Other chapels in the Otisco circuit are: Pleasant Ridge, a class of sixty- 
five members; Beswick chapel, a class of thirty-nine members; Nabb's chapel 
at Nabbs, with a class of thirty-five members ; New Bethel, a class with ninety 
members, and Lexington, a class with thirty-five members. 

The church at Sellersburg and Pleasant Grove are in charge of the Rev. 
E. F. Schneider. Sellersburg has a well built frame church and a parsonage 
of a total probable value of six thousand dollars ; two hundred ninety-four 
members of the church and two hundred and thirty members of the Sunday 
school. Pleasant Grove has a class of fifty-five members. 

Sellersburg circuit consists of chapels as follows : Jacob's chapel, situated 
on the New Albany road between Sellersburg and New Albany, fifty-six 
members. 

Ebenezer church stands three miles west of Memphis and fourteen miles 
west of New Albany. This church was built in 1842 and re-built in 1888. 
It has sixty members. 

Bennettsville JMethodist Episcopal church stands in the town of Bennetts- 
ville, ten miles northwest of New Albany, on the Monon Railroad. • This 
church was built in 1852 and re-built in 1891. It has sixteen members. 

Asbury Methodist Episcopal church stands five miles north of Jefferson- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 253 

ville on the Baltimore & Ohio Raih-oad. and two miles east of Cementville. 
This church was built in 1879. It has thirty-eight members. 

The Jeffersonville circuit comprises chapels on Harrison Avenue in 
Howard Park, and \\'esley Chapel, in Ohio Falls. Both of these chapels are 
flourishing and give promise of being influential factors in the growth of these 
localities. 

UTICA CIRCUIT. 

The Utica circuit consists of three chapels: Utica. New Chapel and 
Union. The date of the New Chapel church is not exactly known, but it is 
given as veiy near the date of 1800. It belonged to the oldest circuit in the 
state. As early as the year 1793 preaching had been lield about a mile above 
Utica, and several IMethodists from Louisville had their membership here on 
account of there being no church class at home. 

The organization of the Utica class was effected at the residence of Basil 
R. Prather. whose house for a number of years before had furnished a place 
of worship. Bishop IVlcKinley was the minister in charge on the day of or- 
dination. About 1804 a round-log house was erected on an acre of land in 
tract number thirty-seven, deeded to the Methodist Episcopal church by Jere- 
miah Jacobs ani Walter Prather. It was built by subscription, and worth, 
when completed, alx)ut two hundred and fifty dollars. It had but one window, 
clap-board roof and the old style of stone chimney. In 181 1 the house was 
torn away, and a new hewed-log house erected twenty-two by thirty-six feet, 
one and one-half stories high. It had four windows, a shingle roof, stove, 
pulpit, comfortable seats, and so on. This house was also built by subscrip- 
tion, and cost two hundred dollars. In 1836 the hewed-log house was torn 
away and a third, built of brick, forty-five by fifty-five feet, took its place. 
It had eleven windows, was one and one-half stories high, had three doors, 
and an altar and pulpit. This house was also built by subscription, and cost 
one thousand three hundred eighty-two dollars. In 1867 the chapel was re- 
paired at a cost of one thousand four hundred dollars. 

Among the first preachers at the new chapel of the Methodist Episcopal 
church were Revs. Josiah Crawford in 1808, Silas Payne in i8og. Isaac 
Lindsey and Thomas Nelson in 1810-11, William McMahan and Thomas 
Nelson in 1812, James Garner. Elijah Sitters. Shadrick Rucker, Joseph Kin- 
caid. Joseph Powel. John Schrader, David Sharpe, C. W. Ruter, Rol>ert M. 
Baker and William Cravens, all before 1820. 

The Utica Methodist Episcopal circuit was fomied in 1843, with Wil- 
liam V. Daniels as the first presiding elder. Rev. Charles Benner was the first 
traveling preacher. He was followed by Emmaus Rutledge in 1845 ^^^^ 
James Hill in 1846: Rev. Elijah Whitten was in charge in 1847, and then for 
one year each the following persons : Revs. Lewis Hulbert, John A. Brouse, 



256 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Jacob ]\Iyers and Jacob Bruner. These men were all here before 1852. Rev. 
J\Ir. Daniels served as presiding elder until 1850, when he was succeeded by 
Rev. John Herns, who acted for one year. Revs. C. R. Ames and \\'illiam 
Dailey were presiding elders in 1851-52. 

Connected with the New Chapel church is a handsome cemetery, enclosed 
by a stone wall on the east side and at both ends. A number of fine monu- 
ments are scattered about. The graveyard looks decidedly neat, more so 
than any other in the county as far from Jeffersonville. The vard is a rec- 
tangle ; has about four acres of land, and is in keeping with the church of 
which it forms a part. There is also a good Sunday school carried on at this 
point during the year. This church and Sabbath school are fair exponents 
of the people in this region. They are located about one mile northeast of 
Watson post-office. 

N^ew Chapel has at present one hundred twenty-two members. It was 
originally called Jacob's Chapel and was one of the three first classes or- 
ganized by Benjamin Lakin. 

Tlie Union ]\Iethodist Episcopal church, in the northwest corner of the 
township, was composed formerly of members from the Lutheran church, by 
whom really the Methodist church was formed. Among the first members of 
the Lutheran church were Jacob Grisamore and wife and David Lutz, Sr., 
and wife. Rev. ^Ir. Frenimer, of New Albany, who traveled the entire 
country, was one of the first preachers. The original church building was a 
log structure. Some few years after 1830 a brick church was erected by the 
neighborhood, the old Lutheran members having moved ofif or died in many 
instances. This church derived its name from the fact that all denominations 
worshiped in the first house. After forty-odd years of use and much repair- 
ing, a proposition was made to buy or sell by both the Christian and Meth- 
odist Episcopal people, who were the leading denominations. At the sale the 
Methodists paid two hundred fifty dollars for the undivided half. The church 
was then repaired and used for a few years more, until it needed repairing 
again. At last a movement was made to build a new house. Money was 
solicited, a kiln of brick was burned on the ground, and now a handsome 
building is situated almost on the old site. The property is worth, including 
the cemetery, about eight thousand dollars. The land on which the church 
stands was originally deeded to the Lutheran denomination by Jacob Gris- 
amore, but it has since become the property of the IMethodists. Mathias Crum 
and wife, David Spangler and wife, Charles Ross and wife, were some of 
the first members of the Methodist class. For preachers they had, before 1810, 
Revs. Josiah Crawford, Silas Payne, Thomas Nelson and others, who preached 
at the New Chapel church. This class has now about ninety members. 

In the western part of the county in the fall of 1891, Pomona ChajTel 
was built as the result of a series of meetings held in the school-house near by. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 257 

MORTON MEMORIAL CHURCH, SOUTH. 

For several years during tlie latter part of tlie sixties a little band of 
eleven Alethodists met regularly and held services in the old engine house on 
Maple street between Pearl and Mulberry, and called themselves Southern 
Methodists. The names of the eleven charter members of the church are JNIan,' 
E. \\'elburne, Edwin H. W'elburne. J. R- Lingenfelter, Esther F. Ling- 
enfelter. Sarah Potter, Martha Campbell, Caddie Bosworth, Judith 
A. Bellis. George McKensie, G. W. Baxter and Anna L, Guernse}\ Of 
these four are still living, and are Mrs. Potter. ^Irs. Bosworth, G. \\ . 
Baxter and Esther F. Lingenfelter. This was in 1868, and Rev. Samuel 
W. Speer, D. D., was the pastor from Xovemljer 8, 1868, until July, 1869. 
At that time Rev. Silas Xe^vton became pastor and remained until 
October of the same year. Rev. Jacob Ditzler was sent as pastor in 1869, 
but did not serve. In the year 1869 the idea of building a church edifice was 
conceived and carried out, and the first Southern ]\Iethodist church 
in Jeffersonville was erected at Maple and Mulberry streets and was dedicated 
March 13, 1870, by Bishop Kavanaugh. The first pastor for this new church 
was the Rev. R. D. Pool, who came July 21, 1870, and remained until the 
conference was held four months later, when the Rev. Thomas G. Bosley was 
sent October i, 1870, to become pastor and he remained five months. 

Irregular supply was furnished from March, 1871, for three months, 
and on July 30, 1871, John Lewis came as pastor and served three months. 
In October, 1871, Rev. F. G. Brodie became pastor and he remained six 
months, and was followed by Rev. J. E. Martin, who occupied the pulpit 
for six months also. 

In October. 1872. Rev. Samuel Lovelace was installed as pastor and he 
served the church faithfully for three years and was followed by Rev. J. M. 
Phillips in October, 1875, who was pastor for two years. Rev. George 
Brush became pastor in October, 1877, and remained two years and the Rev. 
George Foskett came in October. 1879. and was pastor for four years and 
was greatly loved by all the members. 

Rev. Granville Lyons served one year, coming in October, 1883, and 
he was followed by the Rev. John M. Crow in September, 1884, and he in 
turn was followed by the Reverend Gaines. 

About this time the Big Four bridge was planned and the railroad com- 
pany purchased of the church trustees the old building and the members con- 
cluded to build a larger and better church. For some time after the building 
was abandoned the church was used by a religious sect who called themselves 
the Feet Washers, or All Saints. Later, when a split occurred in the Chris- 
tian church, some of the members secured the building and held services there 
for about two years, calling themselves the Second Christian church. 
17 



258 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

After this the colored people held church services in the buililing. 

In 1893 the Morton Chapel ^Methodist Episcopal church was erected 
on Locust street, between iNIaple street and Court avenue, and the following 
ministers have served as pastors in the new edifice : Revs. Charles Crow, G. 

B. Overton, George Campbell, B. F. Bigg, J. RI. Lawson, J. F. Cherry, J. B. 
Butler and S. M. Miller. In 1887 the membership consisted of three hun- 
dred sixty members and now over four hundred are enrolled on the church 
books. 

At the time when the old church was in use the parsonage was at 100 
Ohio avenue, at the foot of Maple street. \Mien Morton chapel was erected 
a parsonage was erected adjoining the church. 

The name Morton Memorial church was given after the death of Dr. 
David Morton, who was secretary of the church extension. He had been 
veiy active in raising funds for this church. 

THE GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, JEFFERSOXVILLE. 

This congregation was organized in 1845 by the Rev. Conrad Muth. 
The first church building was erected on Locust street in 185 1 by the Rev. 
G. Heller. The second church building was erected on the site of the present 
building in 1877, at the corner of Maple and Watt streets by the Rev. Jacob 
Brockstahler. The congregation was organized originally from among the 
early German settlers, and it is still largely composed of the descendants of 
these people. At the present time the church is really more English than 
German. German preaching being retained only in the Sunday morning ser- 
vice. Its present membership is one hundred three. In 1908 a beautiful 
pipe organ was installed. The officers of the church are Jacob Schwaninger, 

C. C. Prinz, Charles Strauch, Charles Roth, John Francke, William Seibert, 
Albert Schwaninger, Albert Peters and Alfred Holzbog. 



'I 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IX CLARK COUNTY. 

THE CH.\RLESTO\VX CHURCH. 

Presbyterianism in Clark county began with the organization of the cliurch 
at Charlestown in 1812. by the Rev. Joseph P. Lapsley. This was the second 
Presbyterian church in the state, the first being "The Presbyterian chnrcli of 
Indiana," organized near Vincennes in 1806. 

It is impossible to give any of the particulars of the early days of the 
Charlestown church, as there is no record of the first eight years of its life. 
The first book of records in possession of the church contains this statement 
on its first page: "Charlestown church was organized in the year 1812: but 
no record was kept of its proceedings until April, 1820, at which time there 
were thirty-nine members, of whom fourteen were the heads of families." 
The first minister was the Rev. John Todd, but of his origin or end we know 
nothing. He came out of the mists of obscurity, labored well in this field for 
a few years and then disappeared. He probably began his ministrv in Charles- 
town in 1815 or 1816 and closed it in September, 1824. The Rev. John T. 
Hamilton came in the fall of this year and remained until April. 1827. In 
the spring of 1827 the Rev. Leander Cobb was called and remained until 1838. 
During his pastorate the church prospered and increased in meml^ership from 
sixty-eight to ninety-three. In March, 1839, the Rev. \\'illiam Orr took 
charge and remained until March, 1841. In August. 1843. th^ Rev. H. H. 
Cambern was installed as pastor and remained in charge until 1853. He was 
a man of strong character and made his influence felt in educational as well 
as spiritual matters. Under his leadership the "Barnett Academy" was built. 
This school was in existence for a number of years and during its life did much 
for the mental growth and advancement of the community. 

In July, 1853, the Rev. John S. Hays came and remained until March, 
1857. Mr. Hays was a young man, fresh from the seminars-, this being his 
first charge. He was a genial, popular and earnest man and made a strong 
impression upon the community. His departure was regretted by all. 

The Rev. Henry E. Thomas held the pastorate from 1837 until September, 
1859. In his manner he was dignified, in his habits, studious and scholarly, 
and was careful and faithful in the discharge of his pastoral duties. The 
church was ministered to until October, 1862, by the Rev. J. L. Matthews, 



26o BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

when he was succeeded by the Rev. C. B. Davidson. Mr. Davidson remained 
until the fall of 1864. The Rev. Henry Keigwin was in charge from April, 
1865, until October, 1867. Mr. Keig\vin was a brother of the late Col. James 
Keigwin, of the Forty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantiw, during the War of 
the Rebellion. 

In November, 1867, the Rev. William Torrance took charge of the church 
and remained until October, 1871. He was a man greatly beloved by all, both 
as a man and as a minister. Faithful as a pastor and elocjuent as a preacher, 
he impressed himself most powerfully upon the church and community. 

In Januaiw, 1872, the Rev. J. W. Blythe was called to the charge, and 
he sen-ed until his death in 1875. 

The Rev. Samuel Barr came in November. 1875, and remained until the 
fall of 1879. Under his leadership the church prospered, the greatest result 
of his labors being the erection of the present beautiful and commodious brick 
church in 1877. The old church which this building replaced was built upon 
ground deeded to the Presbyterian church by John Work, one of the 
pioneers of Clark county, and one of the very early members of the church. 
The old building served for more than fifty years as a house worship and at 
one time was one of the best church edifices in Indiana. Among the promi- 
nent men who shouldered the burden of building this first church may be 
mentioned Samuel McCampbell. Judge James Scott, James McClung and 
Jacob Simmers. 

Since the time of Air. Barr the following ministers have served the 
Charlestown church : The Revs. M. E. McKiflip, W. E. B. Harris, W. M. 
Cutler, J. C. Garrett, B. W. Tyler, S. D. Young. F. R. Zugg, E. O. Fry. 
The church has at present one hundred sixty-one members and a Sunday 
school of seventy-five scholars. 

THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN JEFFERSONVILLE. 

On February 16, 1816, a church of Presbyterians was organized at Jeffer- 
sonville, called the Union church of New Albany and Jeffersonville, and com- 
posed of residents of both places. It was organized by the Rev. James Mc- 
Gready, under commission of the General Assembly. In this church the Hon. 
Thomas Posey, Governor of Indiana, then residing here, was a ruling elder. 
The organization was only temporary and by the removal of the members to 
New Albany was afterward transferred to become the First church of that 
city. 

The First Presbyterian church of Jeflfersonville was organized by a com- 
mittee of Salem Presbyten.^ May 22, 1830, with twelve members. Samuel 
Merriwether was elected ruling elder. On June i, 1830, the Rev. Michael 
Remley was received as stated supply, and remained with the church until 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 261 

September 28, 183 1. Many of tlie members were lost by death and removal, 
but not being discouraged, the remaining ones began the erection of a small 
brick church on lower Market street, now occupied by the German Reformed 
congregation. The church lot was donated by Dr. Samuel Merriwether. and 
the means to build the house were contributed by him in a large measure. 
James Keigwin, of the Methodist church, aided materially, and the corner- 
stone was laid September 24. 1832. by the Rev. Mr. Fleiner, pastor at that time. 

Up to December, 1833, the church seems to have had no permanent min- 
ister, but on December i, 1833, the Rev. Edward P. Humphrey, D. D., was 
called as stated supply, and served until the summer of 1835. At this time 
the membership was eighteen, only two of whom were male members. 

On January i, 1836, the Rev. P. S. Clelland began his ministry in this 
church, and remained until the troubles of 1837-1838, known as the New 
and Old School controversy, began. The pastor and two of the elders, 
Messrs. Heiskell and Rodgers, adhered to the new school body, and they carried 
with them almost the entire membership : but it was not long before they began 
■to take letters to the churches of the other denominations in the town. Doctor 
Merriwether fitted up a room in his residence for the members of the old 
church to worship in. This bodv of Presbyterians finally purchased the church 
from the new school party, who had kept possession of it, and called the Rev. 
H. H. Cambern as pastor. He was an energetic, active, faithful man and 
ser\'ed until the winter of 1841, when he resigned to accept a call to Charles- 
town. The Rev. John Clark Bayless was called and entered upon his labors 
here October 9, 1842, and was ordained and installed as pastor June 30. 1843. 
He resigned his pastorate in the summer of 1844. Mr. Bayless was a splen- 
did preacher, strong mentally and a successful pastor, who endeared himself 
greatly to his congregation. The Rev. W. H. Moore was stated supply from 
1845 to 1848. From the fall of 1848 to the fall of 1851 the Rev. W. W. Hill, 
D. D., of Louisville, supplied the church. On November 18, 1851, the Rev. 
R. H. Allen accepted a call as stated supply and on November 6, 1S53, was 
called as pastor. The regular quarterly communions were established under 
his ministry and in 1853 the church had one of its greatest revivals. It was 
during these meetings that Doctor Merriwether died. April 13, 1856, Mr. 
Allen resigned and the Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Thomas supplied until November 
8, 1856. 

On ]\Iay 13, 1857, the Rev. S. F. Scnvel, a graduate from the seminary at 
New Albany was called as supply, and on September 6, 1857. was elected pas- 
tor, his ordination and installation taking place October 18, 1857. He had a 
prosperous pastorate, and it was during his ministry here that the present 
church was built. The fecundations were laid in August, i860, and the lecture 
room was dedicated to the worship of God in December, i860. The complete 
building was dedicated in October, 1864, Dr. James Wood, of Hanover Col- 
lege, preaching the dedication sermon. 



262 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

In the latter part of December, i860. Air. Scovel resigned, but regular 
services were kept up until the Rev. Thomas F. Crowe, D. D., began his min- 
istiy May i, 1862. The pastorate of Doctor Crowe lasted until his death, 
January 13. 1871, and was one of healthy growth in numbers and influence. 

Shortly after Doctor Crowe's death the Rev. J. M. Hutchinson was invited 
and on April 26, 1871, he was installed. Mr. Hutchinson's labors were abun- 
dantly rewarded, and his long pastorate lasting until his death. April 2, 1896, 
was one of sound growth in all lines of church work. His untimely death 
was a loss not only to the church, his family and his wide acquaintanceship, 
but to the city as well. 

On June 10, 1896, Rev. J. P. Hearst, Ph. D., was elected pastor, and was 
installed October 7, 1896. Doctor Hearst resigned on the nth day of April, 
1899. On the i6th day of August, 1899, Rev. John Simonson Howk, D. D., 
was elected pastor and was installed October 19, 1899. 

A church manse was begun February, 1900, and completed in the summer 
of that year. This building is- situated in the rear of the church at No. 222 
Walnut street, and furnishes the pastor a commodious, convenient and beautiful 
home. 

Doctor Howk resigned as pastor October i, 1908, and on the 23d day 
of December, 1908, Rev. C. I. Truby was elected pastor and occupied the pulpit 
for the first time January 31, 1909. 

Among those who have taken prominent parts in church work may be 
mentioned Henry E. Thomas, an elder in the forties ; ^\'ilIiam Lackey, an elder 
in the fifties, and Elders James W. Gilson, John G. Fenton, Charles Paddox, 
Abraham Carr, Dr. O. S. Wilson, W. H. Fogg, John S. Hall, Thomas Caise, 
George C. Zinck, William Smart, Prof, R. L. Butler and Charles D. Kiernan. 
But of those who bore the burden when it was heaviest and who labored the 
hardest for the upbuilding of the church no names can be written higher than 
those of Dr. Samuel ]\Ierriwether in early days, and James H. McCampbell. 
in later ones. Capt. Addison Barrett, an elder, and for many years the super- 
intendent of the Sunday school, was an example of dignified Christian man- 
hood and loval)le character seldom encountered. 

PISG.AH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The (lid Pisgah Presbyterian church on Camp creek, tlrree miics east of 
New Washington, was organized on the 27th day of February. 1816, at the 
house of Alexander \\"alker by the Rev. James !McGready, a missionaiy under 
the direction of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church. The Pisgah 
church was supplied by missionaries until the year 1819, when the members 
of the Pisgah church with the Rev. Samuel Shanon presiding, elected the Rev. 
John M. Dickey pastor, and appointed two of the elders to confer with the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 263 

New Lexington churcli in preparing- a call. This call was laid before the 
Louisville Presbytery of Kentucky in April by I\Ir. Walker and accepted by 
Rev. John AL Dickey, who was a regularly installed pastor of the two churches 
on the first Saturday of August, 1819, at Lexington, Scott county, Indiana, 
Rev. Isaac Reed preaching the installation sermon. Rev. David C. Banks pre- 
siding and giving the charge. J. M. Dickey settled in the bounds of New 
Lexington church and continued there until January, 1827. About the year 
1837 the Presbyterian church di\-ided, forming two separate congregations 
known as the Pisgah church, Xew School, and the Xew Washington church, 
Old School. The new school congregation retained the old church building, the 
old school going to New Washington. The early memliers of the Pisgah 
church were true, devoted Christian men, who were guided by a conscientious 
regard for law and justice. AniDug these earh- members were Alexander 
Walker, John Henderson and John Matthews, with their wives and families. 
The early life of the church was prosperous, but it received a set-back after 
the controversy arose which divided it into two parts, and Presbyterianism 
has never been very strong in that part nf the county since. 

THE MOUNT VERNON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW MARKET. 

The Mount Vernon Presbyterian church at Xew Market was organized 
in June, 1833, with fourteen members. The Rev. Enoch Alartin preached 
to the settlers in this locality about the year 1830. Peter Amick and John 
Cortner were the first ruling elders and they also acted as deacons. It was 
owing to the labors of such men as these that the unity of the Presbyterian 
church was preserved, and the code of morals which she so untiringly main- 
tains, kept to a respectable grade. 

In 1839 the first Sunday school was started with John Covert and George 
Stith as superintendents, but the school has been allowed to die out. During 
the history of the church there have been received into membership about four 
hundred fifty members. At present the membership is forty. The present 
church was built in 1874, and it stands on the site of the old church. The list 
of the fourteen charter members of the Mount Vernon church represent some 
of the oldest families around X^ew Alarket. They were Abraham Cortner, 
Levi Amick, John Covert, Gideon Amick, Daniel Cortner, Margaret Amick, 
Barbara Cortner, Mary Amick, Elizabeth Cortner. Catharine Cortner, Fama 
Cortner, Sophia Amick, Gilbert Ray and Elizabeth Ray. 

THE OWEN CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. ' 

An application was made to Salem Presbytery in 1840. The Presbytery 
appointed a committee consisting of the Rev. James Wood and the Rev. Wil- 
liam Orr, and William McAIillan as elder. These men met on Saturday. Tune 



264 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

13, 1S40, and (irganized Owen Creek Presljyterian church, with Uie follf.iwing 
charter members : William Crawford and his wife. Jane ; Mary Ann Crawford, 
Catherine McNulty, William McGhee, father of the Rev. Clark McGhee, and 
his wife, Tamar, Charlotte Henderson, ^Martha McGhee, Jacob Bare and his 
wife, Polly ; Harriet Taggart, Rebecca Ray, James McGhee and Joseph Bare. 
William Crawford and Jacob Bare were elected elders at that time. The 
Presbvterv appointed the Rev. Samuel Orr as supply for the year, from May 
I, 1840, and he was succeeded by the Rev. Josiah Crawford, who served from 
1841 to 1848. The Rev. H. H. Cambern came next and supplied from 1848 
to 1852, when the Rev. Josiah Crawford returned and sen-ed until 1887. 
The Rev. E. B. Harris came in 1887, Rev. William A. Cutler in 1889. Rev. 
\\\ B. Brown in 1892, Rev. J. M. Oldfather in 1896. 

During the life of this church it has had three ^-oung men brought up 
under its care: Rev. C. R. McGhee. Dr. J. F. Baird and Dr. ^^'illiam Baird. 
The present brick church ^vas erected about 1842, and the Sunday school Avas 
also started about this time. The present elders are C. L. Bare. W. W. Tag- 
gart and S. E. Taggart. The congregation numbers seventy-five. 

THE NEW WASHINGTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The early history of the New ^^"ashington church is identical with that 
of Pisgah. The memorable pastorate of the Rev. John 'M. Dickey is dear to 
to the New Washington church as well as Pisgah. It was under his 
pastorate that the commodious brick church was built, and his resi- 
dence, a substantial hewed log house, plastered and weatherboarded, 
built in 1827, still stands in a good state of preserA-ation on the farm 
now owned by his grandson, W. A. Britan. It was also under his pastorate 
that the branch church was erected at Bethlehem. He was a great believer in 
higher education and induced Thomas Stevens, a wealthy member of his 
church, to build a seminary or boarding school on his farm near Bethlehem. 
Teachers were brought from the East, and Mr. Dickey lived here for a num- 
ber of years and boarded the teachers and some of his pupils. He was also 
instrumental in the founding of Hanover and W'abash Colleges. In the un- 
happy division of the Presbyterian church in 1838, about one-third of the 
membership of old Pisgah withdrew and formed another church under the 
name of the Old School church. Their first pastor was the Rev. James A. 
McKee, who was instrumental in building their church in 1841. It still 
stands, the home of the united church and a monument to their fidelity. The 
old Pisgah church building having become much cracked it was considered 
dangerous, and it was torn down, the brick being used in the home of W. A. 
Britan. The New School division also built a chtirch in New Washington, a 
church and seminary building combined, the lower part for the church and 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 265 

the upper rooms for the scliool. It was used as such for a numljer of years 
until the pubHc schools were started when it was sold to the township and 
for many years used by it for school purposes. The present high school build- 
ing stands on its site. Mr. Dickev served this church faithfully fur thirty years, 
until his death in 1849. He rests with many nf his fold in the old Pisgah 
cemetery. A simple marble slab marks his grave, on which is inscribed : 
"Rev. John M. Dickey ; died May 21, 1849. aged fifty-nine years, eleven months 
and five days. A pioneer preacher of the Presbyterian church. He was a 
good man, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and many people were added 
unto the Lord." Some of the pastors after him were his son. Rev. N. S. 
Dickey. Rev. Enoch ]\Iartin, Re\-. John Gerrish, Rev. Josiah Crawford, Rev. 
John Creath, Rev. Isaac More. Rev. ^^^ H. Brown and the Rev. J. M. Old- 
father, D. D. In 1870 the two divisions were happily united, taking the name, 
"New ^^'ashington Church," antl in 1902 the Bethlehem branch became a 
separate church, retaining the old church name. Pisgah. Since its organization 
eight hundred ten persons have been connected with it. and some of its mem- 
bers have become distinguished ministers of the Gospel, among these being 
the Rev. N. S. Dickey, whose son the Rev. S. C. Dickey. D. D., is the promoter 
and manager of the \\'inona Chautauqua: the Rev. J. L. Taylor, D. D., of 
Fairmount Park, New Jersey : the Re\-. Joseph Taylor Britan, of Yonkers, 
New York, and the Revs. Homer and Virgil Scott. 

Sunday schools were organized about 1850. and have continued until the 
present time, the membership being about forty. The church membership is 
now sixty-five. 

Henry F. Schowe. James Graves and ^^'. A. Britan are the elders, and 
John H. Ferry and Robert Brentlinger are the deacons. 

THE BETHLEHEM PRESBVTERL\N CHURCH. 

The Bethlehem Presbyterian church was founded some time in the 
thirties, while the Rev. John M. Dickey was pastor of the Pisgah church, near 
New Washington. Mr. Dickey had founded his seminary and boarding school 
on Mr. Stevens' farm near Bethlehem, and it was in active operation at an 
early day. The church building there must have been completed in 1842. 
In 1902 the Bethlehem branch became a separate church and it retained 
the old church name of Pisgah. 

THE PRESBYTERL\N CHURCH AT N.\BBS. 

In March, 1885, the session of the Lexington church decided to send the 
Rev. Frank M. Gilchrist to establish a preaching point here. He began by 
holding sen-ices in the school-house until the Rev. Georg-e Ernest came and 



266 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

held a series of protracted meetings. About t\venty-ti\'e persons were received 
intci membersliip and tiie ciiurch was organized Deceml^er 5. 1885. The follow- 
ing were the charter members : Anna Belle Tilford. Lizzie Lukenbill, Rose Cole, 
Alary Izzard, Robert Henderson, Sarah Alice Henderson, Franklin Hender- 
son, Addie Henderson, James C. Bussey. Jolm AI. Graves, William L. Tilford, 
John Boyd, Frank Bussey. Edwin Lukenbill, (ieorge Cyrus Bussey, Ella Bus- 
sey, John Tilford, Alary Tilford. Hugh R. Ursher. Alary Ursher and Alary 
E. Tafflinger. 

August 19th, preceding the organization of the church, William Gray 
deeded a lot to the church and subscriptions were started toward erecting a 
building. With about four hundred and fifty dollars raised locally and fur- 
ther assistance from the board of church extension, a church was built and 
opened Saturday night, June 18, 1887. Rev. F. AI. Gilchrist preached to a 
large congregation, but the happy anticipations of the dedication the next day 
were rudely broken by the complete demolitiiin of the building by fire that 
night. Plans for rebuilding were made immediately and in ALav, 1888. the 
second church was dedicated, the Rev. T. G. Bosley preaching the dedicatory 
sermon. The following pastors have served this church since its organization : 

Rev. George Ernest 1885- 1886 

Rev. F. M. Gilchrist 1886-1887 

Rev. James Gilchrist 1887-1889 

Rev. J. AL AJontgomery 1889-1890 

Rev. T. G. Bosley '. 1890-1891 

Rev. W. C. Broady 1892-1900 

Rev. D. B. Whimster 1901-1903 

Rev. Trigg Thomas 1903-1904 

Rev. W^ D. A'lalcome 1904 

The present church building was erected in the years 1887-1888. Tlie 
Sunday school was started in 18S4. 

Previous to 1901 this church had been a branch of the Lexington church, 
but on Alarch 25th of this year it was organized into a separate church with 
a membership of thirty-nine souls. A series of protracted meetings held at 
this time resulted in twelve additions. The first elders were John Kennedy, 
\V. D. Tilford and Sanford K. Peck. 

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT I"TICA. 

April 10. 1839, when G. C. Zinck came to Utica. there was a small 
Presbyterian church here, consisting of Robert AIcGee and wife. Theophil- 
ias Robinson and wife, Jacob Aliddlecofif and w'ife and daughter, Elizabeth 
and Aliss Sallie Byers. Alessrs. Robinson, AIcGee and AIiddlecof¥ were then 
acting elders. The division in the Presbyterian church had taken place just 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 267 

before this in 1838, into the New and Old School. Air. Robinson had identi- 
fied himself with the New School church just before he moved here from 
New Washington, and after being elected elder here, attended Salem Pres- 
bytery, it being a New School Presbytery, and had this church enrolled with 
Salem Presbytery. The other members of the church were Old School in 
sentiment, and the New School Presbytery being short of ministerial strength, 
were not able to supply the church with preachers but very rarely. About 
1841 John C. Bayless and family moved here from Louisville, he having been 
an elder in the First Presbyterian church for years and Dr. William Orr and 
family moved here from Covington, and being in the regular enjoyment of 
the means of grace felt the loss of it and would have been satisfied if the New 
School Presbytery could have supplied the church with preaching, but that 
could not be done. Mr. Bayless drew up a petition to the Old School Pres- 
bytery, of New Albany, which was signed by all the members of the church 
to be organized into an Old School church. New Albany Presbytery granted 
the request and appointed a committee to eiYect the organization and ap- 
pointed Rev. Josiah Crawford the stated supply. He continued preaching 
here for seven years, every other Sabbath. Mr. Bayless and Doctor Orr 
were also elected elders in the new organization. Mr. Robinson declined to 
unite with the new organization. The church prospered and God visited the 
little church with a revival of wondrous power : by it the church more than 
doubled itself as to the eldership in the church. In the absence of the church 
records, the writer must speak from memory. Dr. Robert Sprowl came here 
from the Charlestown church. Some of the former elders having moved 
away, Doctor Sprowl was elected elder and was also a verj' efficient one. G. 
C. Zinck was elected shortly after and George Summers was elected in due 
time. N. B. Wood and Moses W. Tyler and a Mr. Patterson were the next 
called to the eldership and Marion Gunter followed. John Tyler is one of 
the present elders. 

MOUNT LEBANON PRESBYTERL\N CHURCH, HENRYVILLE. 

The [Mount Lebanon church was organized on May 22. 1853, in the 
Steuart meeting-house near the Lexington road, and moved to the Mount 
Lebanon church in 1871. There were ten charter members, all from the 
Mount Vernon church : Mrs. Polly Nicolls was received by profession of faith. 
A committee of two, the Rev. J. G. Atterbury and Elder Haines, from the 
Salem Presbytery, assisted in the organization. William Hartman was 
elected ruling elder and Cyrus Park, deacon. 

The Sunday school here was organized in the earlv forties, bv the Cum- 
berland church, and has continued down to the present day. The present 
church building was erected in 1871. There have been two hundred fourteen 
members of this church, all told, with a present membership of forty-five. 



268 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

THE OTISCO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

Tlie Otisco church was organized December ii, 1875, with eighteen 
charter members. There have been received into membership of this church 
one hundred sixteen persons, with fifty on the roll at the present time. The 
building now occupied by this congregation was built by the German Luther- 
ans in i860. In 1882 the Sunday school was organized, its membership being 
fifty now. The following ministers have served this church since 1875 : 

Rev. John McCrae until iS/Q 

Rev. Engstrom until 1880 

Reverend Buck until 1881 

Rev. M. E. McKillip until 1882 

Rev. George Ernest until 1886 

Rev. James Gilchrist until 1889 

Rev. I. I. St. John until 1890 

Rev. Alexander Hartman until 1891 

Rev. W. C. Broady until 1900 

Rev. D. B. Whimster until 1903 

Rev. F. A. M. Thomas until 1904 

Rev. W. D. Malcome until 1906 

Rev. E. Fry, present pastor. 

The first elders were William Hartman, M. J. Lewelln. and the first 
deacon was Francis Watt. The present elders are W. R. Hunter, M. J. 
Lewellen, W. T. Montg'omery and P. R. Lewellen. The present deacons are 
P. C. Hartman, Phillip Dayes, W. T. Montgomen,' and John W. Bower. 

MOUNT ZION PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The Mount Zion church was organized at Pleasant Hill in 1876 with 
thirteen charter members. The church building was erected at this time, but 
it burned down in the fall of 1892, and was rebuilt at Mount Zion in 1893. 
It was dedicated November 12, 1893, by the Rev. Mr. Vandyke, of New Al- 
bany. The Sunday school was organized in early days. This church was 
first organized at Henryville, and its building was used as a place of worship 
for a great many years until the members became so scattered that it was 
abandoned. It was in after years that it was reorganized at Pleasant Hill 
by the Rev. John McCrae. The following ministers have served ]\Iount Zion 
church : Revs. John McCrae. Theodore McCoy, George Ernest, W. C. 
Broady. W. E. Prather. Clinton H. Gillingham, John Engstrom, I. I. St. 
John, William Lewis, R. H. Bateler, J. M. Oldfather, D. D., and the Rev. 
L. V. Rule. The first elders were Thomas Lewellen, David Cass and Wil- 
liam T. McClure. The first deacon was Charles Franke. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 269 

Since 1876 tliere have been received into this church about one hundred 
members, and at present the roll shows forty-three. The membership of the 
Sunday school is forty. The present elders are George F. Guernsey, Michael 
Fetter and T. J. McClure. The present deacons are C. S. Dunlevy and 
Charles Fetter. 

HEBRON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The Hebron church was organized about three miles east of Underwood 
on November 17, 1894, with fifteen charter members. The first elders were 
William F. Zeller, Fred Ester, and the first deacon was Charles Does. There 
have been received into membership here sixty-six persons. The membership 
is at present thirty-eight. The Sunday school was organized in 1895, and has 
an average attendance of forty children. The pastors who have served Hebron 
are Rev. W. C. Broady, Rev. R. C. Hartman, Rev. W. C. Prather, Rev. R. 
H. Bateler. Rev. J. M. Oldfather, Rev. J. Gillingham and Rev. Lucien Rule, 
the present incumbent. The present building was erected in 1896. The 
present elders are William F. Zeller and J. W. Gladden. The present deacons 
are Joseph Clak and Edward Bolly. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

HISTORY OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

There are many difficulties in the way of writing an accurate history of 
the Catholic church in Clark county, since its organization as a countv in 
1801. Ever since 1783. when the State of Virginia ceded one hundred and 
fifty thousand acres of land to Gen. George Rogers Clark and his soldiers, 
for their \-alor in reducing the British Post at Vincennes, in February. 1779. 
there have been members of the Catholic faith resident in Clark countv. 

In Clark's "army" of one hundred seventy men. there were seventy pri- 
vates and eighteen officers of Irish birth or descent, and quite a number of 
French. It is but fair to presume that many of these were of the Catholic 
faith. They took up the lands allotted to them by a grateful state, in what 
is known as the "Illinois Grant," which comprises most of Clark county, soon 
after 1784, when the lands were divided and alloted to each officer and soldier. 
Both the surname and Christian name of these soldier settlers, in many in- 
stances, indicate that they were of the Catholic faith. 

Jesuit and other missionaries frequently passed through Clark county on 
their way from Bardstown to Vincennes. It is recorded that Father Bene- 
dict Joseph Flaget, afterward the first Catholic Bishop of Kentucky, read 
mass in a log church located at the foot of the Knobs, at St. Mary's, in what 
is now known as Lafayette township, Floyd county, soon after the year 1800. 
This was then a part of the county of Clark, for Floyd county was not or- 
ganized until 1819. Father Theodore Stephen Baden, also made trips thmugh 
Clark county on his way to Post Vincennes along about 1800, but whether 
he stopped to minister his divine office, or to shrive those of his communion, 
history does not record. There were Catholic churches, or at least Catholic 
priests, all the time in the early days, between 1702 and 1850, in Vincennes 
and Bardstown and at Louisville, Kentucky, and the devout Catholic residents 
of Clark county, in all probability either went to Kentucky or to Vincennes 
when they desired to perfonn their annual religious obligations. 

It was not until 1850 that the Catholics of JefTersonville requested the 
church authorities to send them a priest to offer up the holy sacrifice of the 
mass. In response to their request the Rev. Father Daniel Maloney came to 
the city and read mass at what was known then as the Hansley House, on 
the river front. It belonged to Capt. James Wathen, who operated the ferry 
line, and who was at that time the most prominent Catholic in the town. In 



271 

August, 185 1, the Rt. Rev. ^Martin John Spaulding. Bishop (jf Louisville, 
laid the cornerstone of the first Catholic church in Jeffersonville. It was 
located on what was then known as Canal street, now Meigs avenue, near 
Maple street, and was a hrick structure twenty-fi\-e by fifty feet. It was named 
in honor of St. Anthony. The first mass was said by Rev. Father Otto Jair, 
a Franciscan priest, from Louisville. In this church the English-speaking 
and also the German Catholics worshiped for years. Among the pastors of 
this unpretentious church, and who was really the first Catholic pastor in 
Jefi^ersonville, was Father August Bessonies, who afterward became vicar 
general of the diocese, and who took a prciniinent part in the civic affairs of 
the city of Indianapolis and of Indiana until his death. Father Bessonies 
came to Jeft'ersnnville in ^larch, 1834, and was accompanied by Bishop de 
St. Palais, who begun to take a deep interest in the spiritual welfare of the 
Catholics of Jeft'ersonville. Father Bessonies, who also attended seven other 
stations in Clark and Floyd counties, remained until 1857. when he was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. ^^'illiam Doyle, who remained a year, and was succeeded by 
his brother. Father Philip Doyle, who remained until October, i860. After 
that date the spiritual wants of the congregation were attended to by Fran- 
ciscan priests from Louisville until December, 1861. when the Re\'. G. Ost- 
langenberg was appointed pastor. B)- this time it became apparent that the 
little church on Canal street was inadequate to accommodate both the Ger- 
man-speaking and English-speaking Catholics, and by direction of Bishop de 
St. Palais, Father Ostlangenberg took steps to build a new church for the 
Irish or English-speaking Catholics, on ground donated by the Bishop and 
Father Bessonies, at the corner of Chestnut and Locust streets. On October 
10, 1863, Rt. Rev. Bishop Martin John Spaulding, of Louisville, laid the 
cornerstone, and the Veiy Rev. Bede O'Connor preached the sermon. Father 
O'Connor, by the way, was an Irishman, educated in Germany, and a mem- 
ber of the Benedictine order. He spoke German with great fluency and 
pow'er, and on several occasions gave missions in Jeffersonville, converting 
many to the faith and bringing back wayward church members to a sense of 
their religious obligations. 

Father Andrew Michael became the pastor April 16, 1864, having suc- 
ceeded Father Ostlangenberg, who left in December, 1863. the interim being 
filled by the Rev. William Doyle. As soon as Father Michael took charge 
he set to work to complete the foundation of St. Augustine's, and he accom- 
plished the task during this year. In the meantime small-pox broke out 
among the soldiers in Jeffersonville, and in ministering unto them, he contract- 
ed the disease, but recovered, but his sister who was his housekeeper died of 
it. In 1866 the Bishop directed the Rev. John Mougin, of New Albany, to 
attend to the pastorate in connection with his other duties, and under his di- 
rection the walls of St. Augustine's were completed, and the first mass was 



272 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

said within the unfinished building by Rt. Rev. Bishop de St. Palais, on March 
17, 1868. Rev. Father M. Fleischmann became pastor of St. Augustine's for 
a short time in that year, when the Bishop appointed the Rev. Ernest Audran, 
rector, on December 3. 1868. who remained pastor until his death, December 
II, 1899. The name of Father Audran will forever be an inspiration to the 
Catholics of Clark county. For thirty-one years he looked after the spiritual, 
and at many times the temporal affairs of his flock. Born in France, of dis- 
tinguished ancestry, Father Audran came to Vincennes when a young man, 
and studied theology under his uncle, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Celestine de la 
Hailandiere. For fifty-four years he was a priest, laboring incessantly in the 
cause of religion and morality. When he came to Jeffersonville there was 
nothing but the bare church walls. He built up schools, beside practically re- 
building the church. He was a man of strong individuality ; firm, but kind- 
hearted. He had the respect of the entire community, and was loved by 
Catholic and non-Catholic alike. At his death there was widespread sorrow 
throughout the city and throughout the county of Clark. 

On the night of December 9, 1903, fire destroyed the church building" 
completely, causing a loss of about forty thousand dollars, but Father O'Con- 
nell and the trustees, John B. Murphy, Dennis O'Heam, Martin Fogarty, Red- 
mond Stanton, James Marra and Thomas Donahue, pushed the movement to 
rebuild, and the result was the present handsome building designed by D. X. 
Murphy, of Louisville. The building is commodious and will seat about nine 
hundred persons. It is in the Spanish Renaissance style. The beautiful tow- 
ers in the front are seventy-four and ninety-six feet high. On Sunday, Oc- 
tober 2. 1905, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Francis Silas Chatard conducted the ser- 
vices of dedication, and once more the congregation of St. Augustine's had a 
home. 

The little church of St. Anthony continued to prosper. In 1871 Rev. Ave- 
lin Szabo took charge, and during his time did much in the way of reducing 
the indebtedness contracted in the purchase of the new building site. In 1875 
Father Leopold Mozygamba, who succeeded Father Clements Luitz, com- 
menced the erection of the present place of worship on Maple street, just 
above Wall street. The church was built at a cost of between eight thousand 
and nine thousand dollars, under the supervision of Henry Nagle, Ferdinand 
Voigt. George Unser, Michael Recktenwald, Engelbert Spinner and Theobald 
Manny, building committee. The priests after Father Leopold came in the 
following order: Caesar Cuchiarian, 1877-78; Joseph Liesen, 1878-79; Pius 
Koetterer, 1879-81 ; Anthony Gehring, 1881-83; Bernard Ettensperger. 1883- 
87; Avelin Szabo, 1887-96; Francis Newbauer. February, 1896, to July. 1896; 
Lucius Matt, 1896. 

Two school-houses, one for boys and the other for girls, have been built 
on the church lot, and the schools are flourishing under the supervision of the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 273 

Franciscan Sisters. I'here are at present aliout one lumdred schcjlars for the 
two teachers. 

During the pastorate of Father Liesen the cemetery just above the east- 
ern cemetery was purcliased. and also the lot at the corner of Maple and Wall 
streets. 

In 1889 the church had ninet}'-nine families, and in 1909 has one hundred 
twenty-five families. The societies are the Knights of St. John, the Ladies' 
Sodality, the Poor Souls Sodality and the Young Ladies' Sodality. The 
Spanish has furnished two members to the priesthood, both of whom have 
joined the Franciscans, O. M. C. One is the Rev. F. M. Voigt and the other 
is the Rev. Otto Recktenwald. 

St. Joseph's Hill, cjr St. Joe, as it is called, is situated near the di\iding 
line of Clark and Floyd counties in Grant 146. 

The early settlers were from Gennany, coming to this countrv in 1846, 
and by their industry gained a Imme. .\fter having p'"ovided for their bodies, 
they provided for their souls, mindful of the words of our Savior, "What does 
it profit a man. if he gain the whole world and loses his own soul?" by erect- 
ing a church in their midst. The building was of frame, eighty bv thirty 
feet: it was commenced on the iith day of June, 1853, and finished the same 
year. Martin Koerner and Joseph Eringer were the carpenters and contrac- 
tors. They received for their labor two hundred seventy-fi\-e dollars. The 
leading men were Peter Biesel, Sr., Peter Renn, Sr., Frank .\ckerman, An- 
drew Rank, Sr., Philip Strobel and Ludwig Herbig. 

Rev. Father Neyron, the well known priest and physician, was the first 
missionary attending to their spiritual wants. He resided at St. Mary's, Floyd 
knobs. Father Bessonies, vicar general, attended to them afterwards. St. 
Joseph's was then attended by Rev. Ed Faller. of New Albany. After the 
congregation numbered about seventy families, they petitioned the Right Rev. 
Bishop for a residing priest, but their petition was not heard immediately, for 
the want of priests. Li the year i860 the first resident priest. Rev. Andrew 
Michael, arrived at St. Joseph's Hill. His arrival was announced by the 
ringing of bells, and the people rejoiced at the arrival of their spiritual direc- 
tor. He remained with them for four years. During his time he erected a 
large two-story brick parsonage, valued at one thousand five hundred dollars, 
he himself working like a laborer quan-ying rock. His successor was Rev. 
Father Pauzer. He remained with them nearly nine years, and erected two 
large frame buildings, the one for a school-house, and the other for a teacher's 
dwelling. 

In the year 1873 Rev. Joseph Dickman. a native of Indiana, took charge 

of the congregation. He paid all outstanding debts, and made preparations to 

erect the present splendid church, the old one having become too small. In 

1880 he took up a grand subscription towards that building. He next had the 

18 



/'/ 



2/4 r.AIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

members to quarry rock for the foundation and haul logs to Peter P. Renn's 
mill, only a few hundred yards from the church, where all the lumber for the 
building was sawed. On the i8th day of October, 1880. the cornerstone was 
laid of the new church with great solemnity, by the Right Rev. Bishop. The 
foundation was completed that fall by Joseph Zipf. of Clark county, and Louis 
Zipf, of Floyd county. The new edifice, which is one hundred fourteen by 
fifty-two feet, and crowned by a spire of one hundred and thirty feet, was 
completed in 1881. It was dedicated by the Right Rev. Bishop, assisted by 
Rev. Joseph Dickman, the pastor: Rev. J. Stremler, D. D., of St. Mary's; 
Rev. J. P. Gillig, of St. John's, Clark county; Rev. Ubaldus, O. S. F.\ of 
Louisville, and Rev. J. Klein, of New Albany, on the 20th day of November, 
188 1. The cost of the building is estimated at twenty-seven thousand dollars. 
The congregation numliers one hundred families. The trustees who assisted 
the pastor deserve credit for their activity. They were Mathias Renn, Jacob 
Strobel, Lorenz ^Veidner, Joseph Zipf, Max Zahner and J. C. Schmidt. 

St. Joseph's is the largest Catholic church in the county, outside of JefYer- 
sonville. The situation is well adapted for regular religious growth. Every- 
thing is in a prosperous condition. Industry and public-spirited enterprise 
have made for St. Joseph's Hill a name which many other religious com- 
munities may well strive to attain. 

The schools at St. Joseph's are taught by the Sisters of St. Francis, and 
about one hundred ten children attend them. There are over one hundred 
thirty families in the parish, mostly German. 

ORDERS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH IN CLARK COUNTY. 

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERICA. 

Branch No. 54 was organized in Jeffersonville April 4, 1879. The follow- 
ing is a list of presidents since that date: Dennis Kennedy, 187Q-1880: T. J. 
Gilligan. 1881-1882-1883 : Maurice Coll, 1884-1885 : John B. Murphy, 1886- 
1887; John Miller, I888^ J. E. Thicksrun, 1889-1890: Patrick Tracy, 1891- 
1892-1893; John Miller. 1 894-1 895 : Jacob Sedler, 1896-1897; J. E. Thick- 
stun, 1898; Patrick Tracy, 1899-1900: J. E. Thickstun. 1901-1902: B. A. Coll, 
1 903- 1 904- 1 905 : Maurice Coll, 1906-1907: John Kenney, 1908. 

Since the organization of the branch the beneficiaries of deceased mem- 
bers in Jeffersonville have recei\-ed fifty-eight thousand dollars. At present 
the membership is about fifty. 

The Catholic Knights and Ladies of America Branch No. 13 was organ- 
ized in Jefifersonville March 19, 1892. The following members have served 
as president since that date: John B. Murphy, 1892-93-94-95-96-97 and 98: 
Patrick Tracy. 1 899-1 900-1 901 and 1902; Miss Maggie Ash. 1903; L. Con- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 275 

stantine, 1904-1905: Mrs. Mary Burke, 1906-1907; Mrs. Ella Brooks, 1908. 
At present the membersliip is small. 

THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS. 

Division No. i of Clark county was organized in Jeffersonville September 
15, 1890. William McDonald was president: John Donahue, vice-president: 
George O'Neil, recording secretary: Stephen Hogan, financial secretaiy and 
Richard Flood, treasurer. 

Since the date of organization the presidents have been as follows : \\'il- 
liam McDonald, 1892: John Mooney, 1893-94-95: James Cavanaugh. 1896- 
97: William P. Reilly, 1898- 1899- 1900; Robert Gleason, 1 901 -1902- 1904- 
1905: Frank W. Hogan, 1903: John A. Kennedy, 1906- 1907- 1908. At pres- 
ent the membership of the branch is about one hundred. 

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. 

Jefifersonville Ciiuncil No. 1348 was organized June 28. 1908, with a 
charter membership of fifty-four. It is a subordinate council of the Knights 
of Columbus, incorporated at New Haven, Connecticut, March 29, 1882, and 
whose purpose is to more closely unite practical white, male members of the 
Roman Catholic church. It has insurance as well as social features, \\nien 
organized Jeffersonville council elected the following officers, who are still 
holding office : Grand knight, James W. Fortune : deputy grand knight, John 
A. Kennedy : chancellor, John J. Hines : financial and recording secretary, 
Conway C. Samuels: warden, Lawrence Ford; advocate, Matthew Dolan; 
lecturer, Frank A. Lang : treasurer, Frank J. Braun : trustees, Martin Fogarty, 
Richard J. Kennedy, IMartin A. Conroy : guards, Thomas F. O'Hern, John E. 
Cole, Jr. 

KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN. 

St. George Commandery, No. 141, Knights of St. John, was organized 
May 2, 1882, with Anthony P. Karbel as its first president. This society 
is a semi-military, social Roman Catholic order, offering benevolent and in- 
surance rates to its members. It has a present membership of fifty-four of 
the leading German Roman Catholics in Jeffersonville. It has paid out a sum 
exceeding eight thousand dollars for sick benefits to its members, besides doing 
a vast amount of charitable work. Its members belong to St. Anthony's Ro- 
man Catholic church. August Gatterer is the present president. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH— THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH 

(By. F. E. Andrews.) 

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

The Christian church, or the Church of Christ, began in Jerusalem at the 
great Pentecost, wlien the first Gospel sermon was so grandly proclaimed; but 
the current restoration movement began on September 7, 1S09, at which time 
the famous address of Thomas Campbell was issued. 

This movement has spread until it now numbers UKire than one million 
communicants. Its chief distinctive tenets are : 

1. The urgent need of the union of God's people. 

2. N'o government except God's word. 

3. The restoration of apostolic teaching and practice in all church ordi- 
nances and government. 

In Clark county, Indiana, there are congregations at the following points : 
Jeffersonville, Charlestown, Borden, Pleasant Ridge, Muddy Fork, Sellers- 
burg, Memphis, Blue Lick, Bethel, Hibernia, Olive Branch, Marysville, New 
\\'ashington, New IMarket, Utica, Bethany, Stony Point. Several other con- 
gregations have been started in the county, but they disbanded and the mem- 
bers entered the other congregations near them. 

One of the earliest organizations of this faith in the county was perfected 
July 7, 1832, on Camp Run, near Belknap's mill. It was organized by the 
adoption of the following resolution : Resolved, therefore, that we give our- 
selves to the Lord and to one another by the will of God and from this 7th 
day of July, 1832, consider ourselves standing in the relation of a church of 
Jesus Christ, professing to be built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; mutually agreeing 
and receiving the Scriptures of Divine authority and as such the only infallible 
rule, in both faith and obedience and agree to be governed thereby. The 
following were the charter members : 

Joseph Cunningham, George B. Campbell, Clevias Poinde.xter, John 
Adams, Mary Littell, Charles Vandyke, Elizabeth Wilson, Jane Vandyke, 
Samuel Tilford, Ann Tilford, Francis Widener, Rachel Campbell. 

In 1837 a meeting house was built in Hamburg. Some years after this 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 277 

the congregation moved to Sellersburg and of late years has not affiliated with 
the other churches of this name because of opposition to instrumental music 
and organized missionary work. 

Another early church was organized at Stony Point, April 22, 1837. 
This congregation still meets near the point where it was organized, about 
midway between Memphis and Charlestown. 

The earliest congregation of which any records can be found was organ- 
ized in Jeffersonville on March 7, 1830. in the court-house. Elder Benjamin 
Allen, of Goose Creek church, Kentucky, was the organizer. The follow- 
ing were the charter members : Nathaniel Field, Christian Bruner, Elizabeth 
Bruner, Mary Phillips. Elizabeth Bennett, Eleanor Wright, Francis Mc- 
Garrah, Maria McGarrah. To these were added liy baptism the same day, 
Sarah Ann Field, Elizabeth Field and Elizabeth Knight. The original book 
of this organization is now in the possession of Henry Burtt. It is in a fair 
state of preservation, and is quite interesting to read. In those days many 
members were excluded for living in an unbecoming manner. 

A congregation was started at Charlestown at a ven,' early date but the 
exact time is not known since the records have been lost. In 1834 a member 
was received by letter in Jeffersonville from the Charlestown congregation; 
but how long before that the church was in existence is not known. 

The Christian church is congregational in its government : but there is 
an annual meeting of the various county congregations, at which co-operative 
work is often considered. This meeting is held on the fourth Lord's Day in 
August. 

THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

Differences regarding doctrine in the Christian church having arisen 
in the early forties Dr. Nathaniel Field and eleven members of this church 
withdrew April 11, 1846. Shortly after this they organized a new church in 
the old court-house, on Market street, between Spring and Pearl. In 1850 
Calvin Cook gave the new congregation a lot on Watt street, near Maple, and 
Doctor Field furnished the material and built the church. Doctor Field re- 
mained pastor of this church until his death, in the late eighties, and during 
the long time of his service never received pay. C. C. Anderson, Daniel Lan- 
ciskes and Mr. Wooley were the first trustees. 

During the year 1897 and 1898 most of the members took their letters 
and united with the Advent Christian church in New Albany, at Silver Grove. 
After the death of the Rev. M. A. Stevens, who was pastor of both churches 
at that time, the members of the old church came back, reorganized, and in 
1899 rebuilt the present church building, on Watt street. The Rev. Mr. Gar- 
berson is the present pastor. 



' ■ ■ CHAPTER XXVIII. 

GERMAN REFORMED CONGREGATIONS, JEFFERSONVILLE AND SELLERSBURG. 

ST. LUCAS GERMAN EVANGELICAL REFORMED CONGREGATION, JEFFERSON- 
VILLE. 

On May 13, i860, a call was issued b)' a number of German citizens, 
signed by John A. Bachman, Daniel Ever. Heniy Sittel, I. L. Rockstroh, Wil- 
liam N'anz, John Reuhl, Daniel Rieth, Christian Heyn, Valentine Wuergler, 
Ludwig Henzler, Jacob Angst, John Greiner, Henry Pfiester, Herman Pree- 
fer, Jacob Spielman, Joseph Stein, August Reipschlaeger, Jacob Ever, Andrew 
Bauer, Christian Schlosser, Melchior Brtendly, Fried, Renz, Philip Gcebal, 
Christian Hoffman., for the organization of a German Protestant church. At 
that first meeting officers were elected to perfect the organization : J. L. Rock- 
stroh, president; John A. Bachman, secretary, and Henty Sittel, treasurer. 
As a result on June 22, i860 the congregation bought the Presbyterian 
church, opposite the present city hall, for the sum of one thousand two hun- 
dred dollars. 

At a regular legal meeting on July 12, i860, the first officers were duly 
elected as follows : J. L. Rockstroh, president ; Ludwig Henzler, secretary ; 
John A. Greiner, treasurer. Henry Sittel, Valentine Wuergler, Christian 
Heyn, ^^'illiam N^anz and John Ruehl, trustees. In October, 1861 the first 
constitution and by-laws were adopted, signed by John L. Rockstroh, Henry 
Sittel, Ludwig Henzler, John Greiner, Christian Hejai, Valentine Wuergler, 
William X'^anz, John Ruehl, Christian Selimer, Jacolo Angst, Daniel Rieth, 
Andrew Bauer, John A. Bachman, Melchior Brjcndly, Christian Schlosser, 
Karl S. Spielman, John Best, Conrad Seelbach. 

The first pastor to be called was a Reverend Grassow, and the congre- 
gation was known as "The German Evangelical." The next pastor was called 
on September 21. 1862, Reverend Hartly. In March, 1863, he was succeeded 
by Rev. I. N. U. Bradsh, of New Albany. On December 6, 1864, Reverend 
Wiehe was called, who was followed by the Rev. Carl Becker, of New Albany, 
who served to January 30, 1870. Then came a decided change, the congre- 
gation voted to affiliate with the Reformed Church, and called a graduate 
of the Mission College, Rev. Christian Baum. on May i, 1870. Then began 
a new era. The new officers under Reformed church rules were : John Rausch- 
enberger, president: H. Preefer, secretary; Andrew Bauer, treasurer; consis- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 279 

tory, John Ehle, G. Woehrle, W. Same, Ludwig Roederer, A. Kern, W. 
Bueschemeyer. The first official action was to appoint a committee to buy a 
lot for a parsonage. The lot next to the church was secured at a cost of one 
thousand dollars, of John H. Read ; and a parsonage at a cost of one thousand 
six hundred dollars built by C. Heyn (addition was since added thereto at a 
cost of six hundred dollars). The church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1882 
at an expense of several thousand dollars. 

Reverend Baum resigned April, 1873, and was succeeded by the Rev. 
H. Rieke, who on accoimt of longing for the old country, resigned in the 
following year. Rev. H. Meiboom followed and served to July 10, 1876, to 
be succeeded by the Rev. C. F. Fleiner, who filled the pulpit to July 7, 1880.. 
Next to take charge of the pastorate was the Rev. H. M. Gersman, to May, 
1900, followed by Rev. Daniel Neuenschwander, wiio served one year, and 
was succeeded by J. G. Rees, of Chicago. In March, 1901, he resigned and 
was followed in the pastorate by Rev. W. G. Lienkaemper, who, on account 
of ill health resigned on November 13, 1903. Next, Rev. A. G. Gekler took 
charge in February, 1904. He served one year and resigned to again enter 
the mission field. On April 2, 1905, Rev. J. F. Vornholt took charge and 
served to August, 1908, and the pulpit is now filled by Rev. Ben E. Lien- 
kaemper. the brother of a former pastor. 

Over five hundred members have been taken intd the church by confirma- 
tion, making it in point of membership the largest congregation in the city. 
A strong feature is its "Woman's Society," which is saving funds, with a 
view of building a church which modem conveniences for Sunday school and 
the young people. A beautiful pipe organ has been installed less than a year 
ago. The future for this church looks very promising. The church is offi- 
cered at the present time by Rev. Benjamin E. Lienkaemper; consistory, John 
Rauschenberger, F. H. ]\Iiller, Peter Nachand, John Gienger, William Pfau, 
John Schlc-efer, Andrew Schlosser, Jacob \\'oehrIe, Charles A. Schimpfif, sec- 
retary, since 1870, continuous. A flourishing Young People's Society was or- 
ganized in June, 189 1, that has sixty-five members, whose aim is to assist tlie 
'church in the equipment of the new edifice in prospect. 

A Sunday school with an enr.ollment of one hundred sixty-five has been 
in uninterrupted regular session since 1870, with Charles A. Schimpfif as super- 
intendent, with only a slight intennission of service. Another member with 
almost the same record is J. C. Reschar, a faithful teacher. John Rauschen- 
berger has been a member of the consistory for a generation. Miss Lucy 
Steidinger has filled the position of organist for both church and Sunday 
school, continuous and faithful, since April, 1889. Great' work is anticipated 
tuider the present new energetic pastor. A fitting semi-centinnial celebration 
would be the dedication of a new church in 1910. 



28o BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

ST. Paul's German evangelical reformed congregation, sellersburg. 

St. Paul's Reformed congregation of Sellersburg. Indiana, belongs to 
tlie Reformed church in the United States, historically known as the German 
Reformed church. 

The work of the Rev. J- H. Krueger, a minister of the Reformed church, 
who occasionally held religious services for the German Protestants living in 
the vicinity of Sellersburg. Indiana, resulted in the desire on their part to 
have an organized congregation and a house of worship for regular ser\-ices. 
A meeting was held in the Baptist church at Sellersburg on March, 20, 1871, 
which was presided over by William Stickan, and of which Edward Haas was 
the secretary. An organization was effected under the direction of Rev. J. H. 
Klein, of Louisville. A constitution was adopted, and a consistory of three 
members was elected, one elder and two deacons. William Mueller being the 
choice for the office of elder and William Stickan and William Dreyer for 
that of deacons. Following are the names of those who signed the constitu- 
tion at the time of organization: J. William ]\Iueller, F. William Stickan. 
William Dreyer. Carl Schwengel. Frederic Loheide. Louis Utrecht. Christian. 
Melcher, William Matteg, Carl Loheide, George Kranz. Edward Haas, Wil- 
liam Krekel, H. Grossbach, Peter ^Mueller, August Koehler, Ernst Meyer. 

A modest frame structure, twenty by thirty feet, was soon afterwards 
erected in which the congregation worshiped and in which were also held 
the sessions of its parochial school, until almost twenty years later a new and 
more commodious church was erected. The latter, located near the site of 
the old. was built during the pastorate of the Rev. Ph. Steinhage, in 1890. 
and dedicated on December 14th of that year. 

For a number of years after its organization St. Paul's Reformed con- 
gregation, together with Reformed congregations at Charlestown and Otisco. 
Indiana, constituted one pastoral charge, these three being served successively 
by the following pastors : Revs. Julius Herold, Edward Gruenstein and 
Charles Hartmann. St. Paul's was then united with Immanuel Reformed 
congregation of Crothersville, Indiana, these together forming the Crothers- 
ville charge, under the care of one pastor, and now within the bounds of 
Kentucky Classis, Synod of the Northwest, of the Refnrmed church in the 
United States. 

Since 1882 this charge has been served by the following pastors, succes- 
sively: S. C. Barth, Ph. A. Steinhage, C. Wisner (1891-98). J. Gaenge 1898- 
1903), Caleb Hauser (1904-1906). P. G. Kluge. since ]\Iay, 1907. 

The number of young persons who have been received into the member- 
ship of St. Paul's since its organization is one hundred twenty-five. The 
membership of this congregation has at no time been large. This is due 
partly to the fact that it shares the fate of most churches in the small com- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 281 

munities, which constantly lose from their membership those who remove to 
the larger towns and cities in search of greater opportunities and more re- 
munerative employment, and also to this, that its activit}- has been more or 
less restricted to the German protestant population of the community in which 
it is located. But St. Paul's has always faithfully endeavored to discharge 
its duty of training those under its influence for a Christian life and church 
membership. Numerous members of churches in the nearbv cities have re- 
ceived their early religious training and education wh.ile under its care. St. 
Paul's has always distinguished itself by charitable liberality, contributing free- 
ly for the support of missions and other benevolent causes. With regard to 
matters of language the present is a time of transition from the German 
into the English. 

Membership (1909): Communicant members, eighty: unconfirmed mem- 
bers, sixty-nine. Organizations i'.i the congregation: Sunday school, choir. 
Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, organized in 1908; Ladies' 
Aid Society, organized 1908. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE BENCH AND BAR OF CLARK COUNTY. 

The profession of law in no part of the United States in early days had 
more brilliant intellects nor deeper students than did Clark coimty. Her 
judges upon the bench and the lawyers who practiced before them will com- 
pare with those of any other locality both as to depth and breadth of intellect. 

Perhaps the most prominent early member of the bar in Clark county 
was Jonathan Jennings, the first Governor of Indiana under the state con- 
stitution. He was a native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, and was born 
in 1784. When a youth his father emigrated to Pennsylvania, and the boy 
having obtained some knowledge of Greek and Latin, commenced the study 
of law, but before being admitted to the bar removed to the Territory of 
Indiana, and was employed as clerk by Nathaniel Ewing, of Vincennes. 

He returned to Charlestown soon after and adopted that place as his 
home. His slogan was "No Slaveiy in Indiana," and throughout his long 
and brilliant career he kept the slavery question to the front Jonathan Jen- 
nings was a man of the people and owed much of his success in politics to his 
peculiar knack of keeping close to them. Clark county has produced no more 
brilliant character. His incorruptible integrity, his refusal to bow to political 
expediency, his hospitality, his thorough understanding of the people, and his 
firmness of character place him in the front rank of Indiana's great men. 

In 1809 he was elected delegate to Congress, and remained as such until 
the formation of a state constitution. He was chosen president of the con- 
stitutional convention, and at the first state election, in 1816, was the choice 
of the people for Governor. He was again elected to the office in 1819, and 
in 1822 was returned to Congress from the Second district, continuing its 
representative until 183 1, when he failed of a re-election. He died on his farm 
about three miles west of Charlestown, in 1834. 

The following paper was written by the late Judge C. P. Ferguson, 
and is of particular value on account of his personal knowledge of the man of 
whom he writes : 

THE BENCH AND BAR OF CLARK COUNTY, PRIOR TO THE CONSTITUTION OF 185I. 

Early in the month of January, in the year 1801, William Henry Harri- 
son, then twenty-eight years of age, arrived at Vincennes and entered upon 
the discharge of his duties as Governor of the Indiana Territory. At that 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 283 

time the boundaries of the territory inchided all that immense scope of coun- 
try out of which the states of Indiana, Illinois, ^Michigan and Wisconsin were 
afterwards formed. So it remained until 1805, when Michigan Territory 
was struck off, and in 1809, Illinois Territory was organized, and from that 
time the territoiy of Indiana had the same boundaries as the state of Indiana 
now has. 

As a part of the organization of the Indiana Territory, the law pro- 
vided for an appointment by the President of the United States of a 
Governor, a Secretary and three Judges. Jnhn Gibson was appointed Secre- 
tary and served as such during the whole territorial period, and among the 
territorial judges acting under the commission of the President of 1813, and 
as United States Attorney for the territory in 1809, was a Charlestown man, 
who for a long period ranked as an important man under both the territorial 
and state governments. Of this man I have never seen in print anv biograph- 
ical sketch, and what I shall say of him I have gathered from his public acts, 
so far as they have liecome a part of the history of the state, and from what 
I knew of him personally in his old age. 

I have reference to Judge James Scott. After serving as United States 
Attorney and United States Judge for the territory his next public service 
was a delegate from the county of Clark to the convention called for the 
purpose of framing a state constitution, in 1816. That constitution provided 
for the appointment, by the Governor, to be confirmed bv the Senate, of three 
judges of the Supreme Court. Jonathan Jennings, the first Governor and also 
a Clark county man, appointed his friend and neighbor. Judge Scott, as one 
of the Supreme judg-es for the constitutional period of seven years. He served 
his first term and was re-appointed by Governor William Hendricks for a 
second term, serving altogether fourteen years and retiring in 183 1. After 
retiring from the Supreme Bench, it would seem that he did not meet with 
much success as a member of the bar, for about the period 1834 we find him 
giving attention to the editing of a newspaper called "The Comet," printed in 
a little frame building which stood on a part of his residence lot. No 55, in 
Charlestown. At the liead of his paper the following lines were kept stand- 
ing as its motto : "Ask not to what doctor I apply, for sworn to no sect or 
party am I." 

How long this newspaper was published, I am unable to say, but after 
Gen. W. H. Harrison was inaugurated as President, in 1841, Judge Scott 
was appointed as register of the land office, at Jeflfersonville. and served as 
such until removed under the administration of President Polk. 

After leaving this office he opened a school for girls in Charlestown. I 
could name several grandmothers, well known to some of you, who were 
under his tuition when they were frisky little girls. But the school did not 
last- very long, and it seems this was the last effort he made for self-support. 



284 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

He was old and poor and childless, and his wife had been dead for many 
years, but there was a lady living in Carlisle whom he had reared as an adopted 
daughter. In her house he sought a home and found it, and there he died. 
Judge Scott had the rqjutation of having a fine education and great learn- 
ing. As to his ability as a jurist, his many opinions published in the Supreme 
Court reports in the hands of every Indiana lawyer, must speak for them- 
selves. That he was an amialjle. honest and devoted Christian man. I can 
testifv of my own knowledge. 

\\'hen the Indiana Territory was established by ordinance of Congress, 
the county of Knox included all the territory embraced in what is now the 
state of Indiana. Out of Knox county the county of Clark was formed, 
which included what is now Harrison county and by boundaries eastward 
and northward covered about one-fifth of the present state and a court was 
established in the new county. Oiu^ court records show that the first court 
held in the county was held at Springvalle. April 7, 1801, by the following 
named persons as judges : William Goodwin. ]\Iarston G. Clark, Abraham 
Huff, Thomas Downs, and James N. Wood. Charles P. Tuley was also one 
of the justices of the court, but was not present. Samuel Gwathmey was the 
first Clerk and Samuel Hay the first Sheriff. 

These first officials in the organization of the county took deep root. 
During their own lives they continued from time to time to fill important 
places and after them, their descendants have often filled places of honor 
and trust in the county. It may be interesting to note that after the lapse 
of nearly one hundred years, a great-grandson of one of these judges was 
the Judge of the Circuit Court, and another great-grandson of the same person 
was the Clerk of the court, and the grandson of the first Sheriff, as well as 
grand-nephew of one of those judges, was Recorder of the county, all hold- 
ing office at the same time. 

The laws governing these local courts were made by the Governor and 
Territorial judges appointed by the President, until the county arrived at 
what was called the second grade, when it became entitled to a Legislature, 
and this happened in 1805. when the first Legislature convened. 

No trace of Spring\'ille. which was located a little more than a mile 
west of Charlestown, where the courts were held until July 6, 1802, can now 
be found, but like ancient Carthage, it has not only been destroyed, but the 
ground upon which it stood ploughed up and converted into a field. 

On and after July 6. 1802, the courts were held at Jeffersonville until 
March 3, 181 1, when the court was first held at Charlestown. These local 
county courts continued to exist for thirteen years, some new names appear- 
ing as judges from time to time: the name of Evan Shelby. Rezin Redman 
and John Miller appearing as judges at the close of 1813. 

They had both criminal and civil jurisdiction and had a grand jury 



J 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 285 

to present indictments. Xone of these judges pretended ti. be lawyers, but 
were plain, honest and intelligent men, acting under the appointment of the 
Governor, in fact, justices of the peace, with power to come together at 
certain times as a court. During the period of these courts and especially 
while they were held at Jeffersonville, the business was largely in the hands 
of Louisville attorneys, the names of Breckinridge, Harrison. Johnson, For- 
tunatus Cosby. \\'orden Pope, James Ferguson and other Kentucky names 
of distinction, often appearing in court proceedings. 

Among the Indiana lawyers of this early period the names of Henry 
Hurst, Robert A. Xew, Jonathan Jennings, James Scott, Benjamin Park, 
Gen. Washington Johnson, Thomas Randolph and others appear in the 
records. 

It may truly be said of Henry Hurst that he was in at the beginning, 
for at the second term of court held at Spring^^ille he made his appearance 
under the style of Deputy United States Attorney General, ready to indict 
and prosecute in the name of the United States all violators of the law. He 
settled himself at Jeffersonville and among the landmarks of that city still 
standing in a good state of preservation is his two-story brick dwelling, with 
high stone steps, at the top of the wharf directly fronting the ferry landing. 

Major Hurst became one of the noted men of Indiana. He was an aid to 
General Harrison at Tippecanoe, and history has it that on the morning of 
the battle, the general had risen a little after four o'clock as usual, and was 
in his tent in the act of drawing on his boots in conversation with Major 
Hurst and Major Owens, when the unexpected attack was made. When 
President Harrison was inaugurated, on the 4th day of March. 1841, he rode 
on horseback at the head of the procession, through the streets of W'ashing- 
ton, and at his request, Alajor Hurst, mounted on a white horse, rode at his 
right hand, while the officer who had been his aid at the battle of the Thames, 
rode at his left. Thus was Clark county, through one of her citizens, given 
the post of honor on a most notable occasion. Major Hurst, for a time, served 
as Clerk of the United States District Court, and in 1838 was a member of 
the Legislature from Clark county. He was of portly frame, with the digni- 
fied carriage of a gentleman of the old school, and his ivory headed cane, his 
bandana handkerchief and his snufif-box were his inseparable companions. 
He was blunt of speech, and was fond of a joke, liked his wine and delighted 
in a game of cards, but he was not a gambler. In the long ago when lawyers 
traveled the circuit he was generally with them, more for the pleasure of the 
association than the profits of his profession. The last iuiportant business 
he attended to was in settling the estate of John Fischli. as executor of the 
will. Mr. Fischli died in 1838, leaving the shortest will ever recorded in 
Clark county, the devising part occupying only three lines of record, yet 
those three lines controlled the largest estate ever disposed of in the county, 



286 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

up to that time, the settlement of which demanded the attention of the court 
for years, as well as requiring some special acts of the Legislature to preserve 
the rights of the devisees. 

In 1814 the judicial system of the territory underwent a change; the 
territory was divided into three circuits, with a presiding judge for each cir- 
cuit and two associate judges in each county, all appointed by the Governor. 

In November, 1814, Jesse L. Holman appeared in Charlestown and took 
his seat as presiding Judge imder the commission of Territorial Governor 
Posey, and William Goodwin and John Miller having also produced their 
commissions, took their seats at associate judges, and Isaac .Shelby was the 
Clerk. This was the same Judge Holman who became one of the first 
Supreme judges under the state constitution, and unless I have been wrong- 
fully informed, he was the father of William S. Holman, who was an Indiana 
Congressman almost continuously for thirty years. Judge Holman's com- 
mission being a territorial appointment, his ser\'ices came to a close at the 
November term, 1816, Indiana having been admitted as a state and adopted 
a constitution. Under the constitution the state was divided into circuits, 
each circuit to have one presiding Judge, to be elected by the Legislature, 
and two associate judges for each county, to be elected by the votes of the 
respective counties, and term of all judges was seven years. At the com- 
mencement of this new. era in Indiana history, the following named Clark 
county attorneys were permitted to continue in the practice by taking a new 
oath to support the constitution, and also the oath against duelling, -required 
by law; Alex Buckner, John H. Thompson, Benjamin Ferguson. David Floyd, 
Craven P. Hester, Henry Hurst, John F. Ross, Isaac Naylor, Isaac Howk 
and James Morrison. 

Many of the attorneys so named subsecjuently removed from the county. 
Mr. Buckner owned and kept his office on lot i, in Charlestown, and while a 
resident here he was the very head and front of the Masonic Order in 
Indiana. He went to St, Louis and became L'nited States Senator in 183 1. 

Mr. Thompson, after becoming Judge, removed to Salem. Mr. Ferguson 
retired from the practice and settled on a farm. Mr. Hester, the father of 
the late Judge James S. Hester, of Brown county, went to California. 

Mr. Morrison removed to Indianapolis, became Judge of the Circuit 
Court and filled other important offices, among which was president of the 
State Bank. Mr. Naylor removed to Crawfordsville and became Judge of 
the Circuit Court. Mr. Howk. who was the father of the late Supreme Judge, 
George V. Howk. died at Indianapolis in 1833, and had been speaker of the 
House of Representatives. Mr. Floyd, formerly of Clark county, was already 
located in Harrison county. At this period Charles Dewey attended the 
Clark county courts, but was a resident of Paoli. 

The first term of the Clark Circuit Court under the constitution was 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 287 

held in Marcli, 1817. The court records show that David Raymond was the 
presiding Judge and W'ilham Goodwin and John Beggs the associates. Isaac 
Shelby produced his commission as Clerk for seven years and took the oath 
of office and oath against duelling. The June term. 181 7, was held by the 
same judges. I have been unable to find out who Judge Raymond was and 
by what authority he held these two terms. The election for Judge should 
have been at the November session. 1816, when the United States Senators 
and state officers were elected by the Legislature. If Judge Raymon was the 
Judge elected why did he hold two terms only? So far as I ha\'e knowledge 
Judge Raymond is one of the lost judges. 

At the October term. 181 7, Davis Floyd took his seat as Judge of the 
Second Circuit, under a commission to hold the office for seven years from 
October 13. 1817. William Goodwin and John Beggs were the associate 
judges and John F. Ross Prosecuting Attorney. 

The career of Judge Floyd, if written out in detail, would read like a 
romance. From the first organization of the county he seems to have been 
the liveliest man in it. A yen* tall and dark complexioned man full of courage, 
he appears to have been in e\'erything and ready for anything, and for twenty- 
five years he was a most prominent figure in the territory and state of Indiana. 
The records show that in 1801 he was deputy for Samuel Hay, the first 
Sherifif ; was licensed to keep a tavern at Clarksville ; said tc have been a falls 
pilot and major of militia, and in 1803 was Sheriff and collector of public 
revenues, and was adjutant for Joe Hamilton Daviess at Tippecanoe, and 
admitted to the bar in 181 2. 

His name often appears in litigation in the earliest records sometimes 
as plaintiff, but generally as defendant, defending actions for debt, actions 
for trespass, suits on his official bond, and sometimes indictments preferred 
against him. The first execution issued in the county. No. i on the docket, 
issued January, 1802, was in his favor against Aaron Bowman, for fifty dol- 
lars, and the criminal records show that on account of matters growing out of 
the execution of the writ, Mr. Bowman assaulted Sheriff Hay, for which he 
paid a fine of twenty dollars. With it all he seems to have been a verv' popular 
man, for at the first territorial Legislature, in July, 1805, he took his seat as 
a member of the House of Representatives from the county of Clark. Soon 
after the close of the Legislature he became involved in the mysterious and 
supposed treasonable movements of Aaron Burr, went to Blennerhasset's Is- 
land to meet Colonel Burr and received a special visit from him at Jef- 
fersonville. and on December 16. 1806, some men he had in charge joined the 
expedition and proceeded down the river. For this little piece of fillibustering 
he was indicted in the United States General Court, held at Jeft'ersonville, 
June 2, 1807, by Judge Thomas T. Davis, tried by a jury, which found him 
guilty of carrying on a militaiy enterprise against his Catholic ]Majesty. the 



288 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

king of Spain, and was punished by a fine of ten dollars and imprisoned for 
three hours. But this did not seem to set him back in the estimation of his 
fellow citizens, for we find him taking an active part in a historic meeting 
held at SpringTille. October lo, 1807. over which John Beggs presided as 
chainnan and ]\Ir. Floyd acted as secretary, the object of which was to remon- 
strate to Congress against the scheme of Governor Harrison, Walter Taylor, 
Thomas Randolph and other pro-slavery men. for the suspension of that part 
of the Ordinance of 1787, forbidding slavery in the territory. Of how many 
inter\-ening legislatures Judge Floyd was a member, I am unable to say, but 
having been a member of the first territ(jrial Legislature, he again turns up 
as a member of the first state Legislature, which convened November 4, 1816, 
he then appearing as a member of the House of Representatives from Harri- 
son county, having previously been a delegate from that county in the con- 
vention which framed the constitution. 

At this session the Governor was directed to procure a great seal for the 
new state, and it was upon the motion of Mr. Floyd that the device adopted 
by the Legislature was the same now in use, with which the school children 
are familiar — a woodman felling a tree, a fleeing buffalo and the setting sun. 
At the next session of the General Assembly he was elected Judge of the 
Second Circuit and after ser\ing seven years on the bench went to Florida 
under the commission of President Monroe, to investigate some troubles 
growing out of land titles. Of his career afterwards scarcely anything is 
known with certainty, but old citizens of Harrison county are emphatic in the 
assertion that he never returned to Indiana. The Sheriffs of Clark county 
who served under Judge Floyd were John \\'eathers. Joseph Gibson, James 
Curry and John S. Simmonson. 

Judge John F. Ross, a resident of Charlestown, was the successor of 
Judge Floyd. His first term of Clark Circuit Court was commenced in May, 
1824, when he was thirty-six years of age. Willis W. Goodwin and Benjamin 
Ferguson took their seats with him as associates. Gen. John Carr had just 
commenced his first term as Clerk, and tien. John S. Simonson was Sheriff. 

Judge Ross, after serving one term of seven years, was re-elected and died 
about the middle of his second term, his last signature on the court record 
being May 24, 1834. He was a scholarly man, had been a soldier in 1812, 
served in a session of the Legislature, often was Prosecuting Attorney and 
of undoubted integrity as a Judge. His birthplace was Morgantown, Vir- 
ginia, but in his infancy his parents moved to near Bardstown, Kentucky, 
where his father died when he was nine years of age. After his death his 
mother was careful to see that he, as well as the other children of the family, 
received a good education. L'pon the death of Judge Ross the venerable 
Judge Scott, who had been his law preceptor, pronounced this eulogy : "His 
life was strictly moral, humility was one of the brightest traits of his Christian 



— BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 289 

character. He was one of Indiana's purest statesmen. He was a strict, un- 
compromising temperance man, and fearless in advocacy of his views. Phil- 
anthropic in his aims, he was popular with the mass of the public. He always 
thought to promote the best interests of humanity. A gallant soldier, a 
finished scholar and a true gentleman, without fear or reproach." 

During Judge Ross" administration several Clark county lawyers, not 
previously mentioned, were members of his bar, among whom were James 
Collins, father of the late Judge Thomas Collins, of Salem. Xewton Laugh- 
berry, who married the daughter of Judge Evan Shelby, and Samuel C. 
Wilson. Mr. Wilson came from New York and located at Charlestown, 
married Miss Laura Maddock and afterwards removed to Crawfordsville, 
where he became a partner with United States Senator, Joseph E. McDonald, 
in the practice of law. Also, alxiut this time, Lyman Leslis took up his resi- 
dence at Charlestown. 

The Sheriffs under Judge Ross, after General Simonson. were Thomas 
Carr and David W. Daily. When Judge Ross had been on the I)ench about 
one year he was called upon to perform a duty, the most painful of all duties 
required of a Judge of humane feelings, the pronouncing of the death penalty 
on a convicted criminal. A negro named Jerry killed ex-Sheriff Joseph Gib- 
son at Charlestown Landing, in 1825, and was indicted, tried and sen- 
tenced to death by Judge Ross within two weeks after tiie killing. But Jerry 
did not hang, the Supreme Court gave a new trial, and upon the second trial 
he was sent to the penitentiary for fifteen years. Here I will digress a little 
to state that the sentence of death had been pronounced seven times in the 
Clark Circuit Court since its organization, but only two executions have taken 
place: that of \\'illiam Hardin, who was executed by Sheriff T. F. Bellows, 
and Macy Warner, executed by Charles S. Hay. In territorial times there 
was no penitentiary and if the killing was not a hanging case, the punish- 
ment was by burning the letter ]\I in the hand with a red hot iron. 

Such was the punishment given Henry Bannister in 181 1, who killed 
Moses Phillips, in Harrison county, who was tried in Clark. And to John 
Irwin, in 1812, who killed Joseph Malott near the road leading from Charles- 
town to the Ohio river. On November 8, 1809, at Jeffersonville, Walter 
Taylor, a United States Jutlge for the territory, and afterwards Lfnited States 
Senator, passed sentence that John Ingram, for stealing a horse worth ten 
dollars, "be hanged by the neck until he is dead, dead, dead," but afterwards, 
on the day set for the execution, the prisoner while on the scaffold, was 
reprieved. 

In cases of theft generally, the punishment, in territorial times, was by 
compelling the restoration of the property, or its value, and by a designated 
number of stripes laid on the bare back. 

After the death of Judge Ross, Governor Noble, on the 5th of July, 
19 



290 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

1834, appointed Jolin H. Thompson Judge of the Second Circuit to sen-e 
until a Judge could be elected. Under this appointment, and a subsequent 
election, Judge Thompson presided for a period of over ten years. At the 
time he went upon the bench, he was a resident of Charlestown, but after- 
wards removed to Salem. In early life he had been a cabinet maker, but 
after he took to the law he became a successful practitioner at the bar and 
was Liuetenant-Go\-ernor of the state from 1825 to 1828. At the session of 
the General Assemlily, which convened in December, 1844. a Judge for the 
Second Circuit had to be elected. And Judge Thompson was a candidate for 
re-election. At that time there was living in Brownstown a young lawyer by 
the name of William T. Otto, scarcely thirty years of age. At the previous 
Legislature he had been principal secretary of the Senate, proved himself to be 
an excellent officer, and became well known and popular, and when the elec- 
tion came off, he was elected over Judge Thompson. Judge Thompson took 
the defeat very much to heart, Init it turned out to be the very best thing that 
could have happened to him. The same Legislature had to elect a Secretary 
of State, and the defeat of Judge Thompson for Judge aroused a sympathy 
for him, and he was elected Secretary' of State. This office suited him ad- 
mirably. His wife had been the widow of John Strange, the eminent Methodist 
minister, and in his family he had a step-son, William R. Strange, just 
arriving at manhood, who went into the office as deputy and relieved the 
Judge of many of its burdens. Besides, a change of residence had to be made, 
causing the Judge to sell his Salem property, and to remove to Indianapolis 
and remain there, and the advance was so great that he was put at ease finan- 
cially during the remainder of his life. 

Among the attorneys who located in Clark county while Judge Thomp- 
son was on the bench, were the following: B. F. Clark, Joseph Evans, M. Y. 
Johnson, J. M. Stagg, William Newton, John C. McCoy, Charles Hensley, 
Silas Osborn, T. W. Gibson, a Mr. Ogden, Andrew C. Griffith, Amos Lover- 
iner, and Geors:e F. Whitworth. none of whom remained in the countv verv 
long except Mr. Gibson and Mr. Lovering. Major Griffith died in Charles- 
town in 1844. 

\Miile Judge Thompson was on the bench Lemuel Ford and Joseph Work 
served as associate Judges, after the expiration of the terms of Judges Carr 
and Prather. and Henry Harrod served as Clerk, as the successor of General 
Carr, who had been elected- to Congress. Thomas Carr was the successor 
of General Simonson as Sheriff, and Joseph Moore succeeded Colonel Carr : 
then Carr came in again and was succeeded by George Green. 

Judge \\'illiam T. Otto first presided as Judge of the Clark Circuit Court 
at the May term. 1845. The associate judges were: Beverlev W. James and 
Hezekiah Robertson. Eli McCauley was Clerk, and John C. Huckleberry 
was Sheriff, succeeded by John Stockwell. At the very start Judge Otto gave 




JL'DGE CHARLES DEWEY, OF CHARLESTOW'N. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 29I 

things a general shake-up. In many respects he revokitionized the practice, 
and let the members of the bar and the officers of his court understand that 
the go-easy methods they had been pursuing would not be tolerated : in fact, 
he assumed a crabbed air. as if to say that when he put his foot down every 
person must succumb without a word. But notwithstanding his apparent 
harshness, his splendid ability as presiding Judge, his quick comprehension 
of the law and clearness in decision soon developed themselves, and the bar, 
without excepti()n, had the greatest admiration for him. It is safe to say 
that no Circuit Judge in Indiana was ever his superior. He was the last 
Judge of the Second Circuit elected by the Legislature. When his term 
expired, the constitution of 1851 was in force, and he was succeeded Iiy Judge 
Breknell, by election of the people. After Judge Otto retired from the bench 
he returned to the bar. secured a fair practice and was considered a formidable 
lawyer. But misfortune overtook him, his partner involved him into some 
financial troubles, which swept his means from him and turned him loose 
upon the world. Deciding to leave New Albany, the place of Assistant Secre- 
tary of Interior under Mr. Lincoln's administration was offered him and he 
accepted. After this he became official reporter of the decisions of the 
Supreme Court of the United States. This place he kept for many years, 
then gave it up, fickle fortune in the meantime smiled on him and placed him 
in independent circumstances. A few years ago he was living and I have not 
heard of his death. Judge Otto was never married, but in Brownstown ceme- 
tery there is a tombstone erected by himself which marks the grave of a lady, 
who doubtless would have become his wife had not death carried her away. 
[Note: — Judge Otto died in Philadelphia in November. 1905. at the advanced 
age of eighty-nine.] 

The Clark County Bar. during Judge Otto's term, was a strong one. 
The resident attorneys were: Judge Charles Dewey, Capt. T. W. Gibson, 
Amos Lovering. Charles E. Walker. John D. Ferguson, J. G. Howard, 
Charles Moore, John F. Read. W. H. Hurst, Henn,- Foster Smith, C. T. 
Solas, W. W. Gilliland, and possibly some others whom I have overlooked. 
Besides every term of court was attended by some of the best lawyers of the ad- 
joining counties. Randall Crawford, H. P. Thornton. James Collins. Judge 
W. A. Porter, Cyrus L. Dunham and Joseph G. Marshall, the sleeping lion. 
were regular in their attendance, as were also Humphrey Marshall and W. 
P. Thomasson. of Louisville, and sometimes in particular cases the most 
eminent of the Louisville lawyers would make their appearance. I know of 
one case, in 1848. memorable as the Clarksville Slip Case, in which Henry 
Pirtle. Charles M. Thurston, T. W. Gibson, James Guthrie and Randall Craw- 
ford all took their turn in making speeches to the Judge. It was a battle of 
giants. Mr. Thurston swaying like an aspen in a storm. Mr. Guthrie stood 
motionless as a statue, looked the Judge square in the face and talked to him 



292 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

as man talks to man, but made no gestures. Mr. Thurston had never seen 
the Judge before whom he was to appear. When he entered the court room 
finding Judge Otto in the act of charging a jury, he stopped in the lobby with 
the crowd until the charge was finished, then nodded his head and muttered, 
"A pretty smart Judge that." 

Among the strong lawyers at Judge Otto's bar was Judge Charles Dewey, 
who returned to the practice after over ten years' service as Judge of the Su- 
preme Court. He was a Massachusetts man and when he came to this state lo- 
cated in Paoli. He represented Orange county in the Legislature in 182 1, and 
the journals show that he was an active member, and was conspicuous as 
the special friend and defender of Governor Jennings, when an attempt was 
made to censure him in regard to some transactions growing out of the Jef- 
fersonville canal project. After this he came to Charlestown and became 
Supreme Judge in May, 1836, upon the resignation of Stephen G. Stephens. 

While serving as Supreme Judge he was by the President tendered the 
appointment of United States Judge for the District of Indiana, as the suc- 
cessor of Benjamin Parke, but declined it on account of the difference of the 
salaries of the two offices. No previous Judge in Indiana had ever attained 
the celebrity that was given Judge Dewey while on the Supreme bench. I had 
known him from early boyhood, and when I heard him so often spoken of as 
a great man I was a little slow to comprehend it, for a boy never sees great- 
ness in a person with whom he is familiar, but always looks for greatness in 
the distance. When I got older I got over that, and now, at that distant day, 
when I think of the kind of man he was, I am satisfied that no man of ordi- 
nary perception could have come into the presence of Judge Dewey without 
being impressed with the feeling that he was in the presence of no ordinary 
man. His superb frame, large features, swarthy complexion, protruding under 
lip and heavy brow indicated force of extraordinary character. 

When Judge Dewey died I walked with Judge Otto tc the family resi- 
dence to take a last look at the corpse. I well knew of the high esteem Judge 
Otto had for the deceased, and was not surprised when he turned to me and 
said, "The equal of Daniel Webster is in that coffin today " 

Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury under three administrations, 
a few years ago wrote a very interesting book in which it is stated that when 
he came West, in 1833, seeking a location, he remained at Madison for a con- 
siderable time, and while there made the acquaintance of three of the most 
distinguished lawyers in Southern Indiana, and they were Charles Dewey, 
Isaac Howk and Jeremiah Sullivan. 

x'Vnd now at the close of this feeble effort to bring to your minds the 
memory of some of the men, now dead and gone, who assisted in establishing 
and building up your county and state, I want to say a few words in regard 
to one man whose long service at the bar and close identification with the peo- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 293 

pie of the county, demand something more than a mere casual reference. I 
mean Thomas \\'. Gibson, who first came to Charlestown in 1837, over sixty 
long years ago. Young, handsome, active, full of pranks and frolicsome mis- 
chief, he soon became the life and soul of enjoyment among the young and 
middle aged people of the town, and from the start he attracted attention as 
a promising lawyer. After he became married and the head of a family, he 
soon established his reputation as an able attorney and counsellor, acquired 
a large practice and great influence among the people, which he retained to 
the last. After serving as an officer in the Mexican war he was sent as a 
delegate to the convention that framed the constitution adopted in 185 1. Not 
only did he help make the constitution but for several sessions was a member 
of the Legislature which had before them the dit^cult task of making the 
laws in conformity with the constitution so adopted. Subsequently, while 
retaining his family and residence at Charlestown he opened an office in Louis- 
ville and was recognized as a leading lawyer in that city. In the war between 
the states he did not hdld ;iny commission, but was often called in consultation 
with men of high official positions, especially in regard to the organization of 
troops, munitions of war and the gun-boat service, and his counsel was valu- 
able. He had been a cadet at West Point, a midshipman in the navy, and had 
seen service in the field. Not only was he learned in the law, but he was a 
great student and close observer, and his knowledge of things in general, small 
matters as well as great, was wonderful, and besides he had been a student of 
medicine before he turned his attention to law. As a companion Captain 
Gibson was the most entertaining of men, had a supply of jokes always on 
hand, and was as fond of a joke as Abraham Lincoln. He had a horror of 
gambling and drunkenness, was steadfast in friendship, and always on the 
lookout for an opportunity to confer a favor upon some friend or relieve the 
suffering of some fellow-being. Altogether he was certainly a remarkable man. 
Beneath the sod of Clark county are the remains of many men who were re- 
garded as excellent lawyers and jurists ; others who were distinguished as 
soldiers, and others who were justly classed among statesmen, but it might 
well be written upon the monument of this man, that the quality of the jurist, 
the statesman and the soldier were all combined in the same person. 

The following paper by the Hon. Jonas G. Howard completes the history 
begun in Judge Ferguson's article: 

THE BENCH AND BAR OF CLARK COUNTY, SUB.SEQUENT TO THE CONSTITUTION 

OF 1851. 

The Judicial District of Indiana, of which the Clark Circuit Court forms 
a part, was composed of the counties of Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Crawford, 
Orange, Washington. Jacksnn and Scott, until about the year 1876. when the 



294 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 

counties of Clark and Floj-d were formed into a Judicial District. Prior to the 
change in the districts there were but two terms a year in each district in the 
state, and the sessions for the transaction of business in each county were 
limited to trom two to four weeks. This court was in session onh- in one 
county at the same time. The time tixed for the session to be held in each 
county \\as prescribed by law. 

The Judge would go from count}- to county and hold cdurt at tl\e pre- 
scribed time, and the lawyers of the district, as a rule, wt)uld follow the court 
around the circuit and would take cases wherever ofi'ered. The lawyers did 
not then, as now, confine themselves in the practice of law to the counties in 
which they lived. Prior to 1850, when many streams were unbridged, the 
traveling was chiefly by horseback. From 1843 to the close of the year 1852, 
Judge William T. Otto presided over the Clark Circuit Court. Judge Otto 
was succeeded by George S. Bicknell, who presided over said court from 1852 
to 1876. Judge Bicknell was succeeded by John S. Davis, who presided from 
1876 to 1882, the time of his death, which occurred a few months before his 
term expired. Simeon K. Wolfe was appointed to fill out the unexpired term 
of Mr. Davis. Mr. Wolfe was succeeded by Charles P. FergusDii, who 
served on the bench from 1882 to 1894. Mr. Ferguson was succeeded by 
George H. D. Gibson, who served from 1894 to 1900. Mr. Gibson was suc- 
ceeded by James K. Marsh, who served six years and was succeeded by Harry 
C. Montgomery, the present incumbent. 

In 1852 a Common Pleas Court was created in the state of Indiana, 
with circuits composed of from two to four counties, with four terms a year. 
It had exclusive jurisdiction oi all probate business and concurrent jurisdic- 
tion with the Circuit Court in all matters of contract and tort, where the 
amount in controversy did not exceed one thousand dollars, and in matters 
arising between landlord and tenant, where the title to real estate tlid not come 
in issue. For several years after the creatirm of this court, the counties of 
Clark and Scott formed a circuit and afterwards the circuit was enlarged by 
the addition of the counties of Flo} d and Washington. Judge Amos Loxering 
was the first Judge to preside over the Common Pleas Court. He sen-ed from 
1852 to 1862, when he resigned about the middle of the third term, when 
Melville C. Hester was appointed to fill the vacancy. In 1864 Judge Hester 
was succeeded by Judge Patrick H. Jewett, who hekl the office for eight 
years. In 1872 Judge Charles P. Ferguson succeeded Judge Jewett and held 
the ofifice about four years and until the court was abolished. 

Judge \\'illiam T. Otto was the first Judge to preside over the Clark 
Circuit Court during the period above mentioned. It was claimed by Judge 
Otto's contemporaries that as a jurist and presiding judge he had no superior 
and by some that he had no eciual. 

The Honorable Alexander Dowling, Ex-Judge of the Supreme Court 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 295 

of Indiana, recently said tliat Judge Otto was tlie finest conversationalist, the 
best lawj'er and the best judge he ever met: that he could talk law as no other 
man he ever heard of did, and would ha\'e been an ornaiiieni uvr.n the bencli 
of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

The late Gen. Walter O. Gresham, Ex-United States District Judge for 
Indiana; Ex-Postmaster-General under Arthur's administratimi and Ex-Sec- 
retaiy of State under ClevelancTs second ailministrati(.)n, said of Otto as a 
jurist and presiding judge that "he had no superior and few equals." 

Judge Otto was born, reared and educateil in Philadelphia. He was 
born in 1815 and came to Indiana about 1837, settled in Brownstown, Indi- 
ana, Jackson county, and commenced the practice of law. Soon his superior 
literary and legal attainments attracted the attention of the leading men of 
the state : that at the age of twenty-se\-en years he was elected by the Legis- 
lature Judge of the Clark Circuit Court and the District of which Clark 
county formed a part. This position he held until the close of the year 1852. 
During the period of his incumbency on the bench he spent his winter vacation 
in lecturing on law at the Indiana State University at Bloomington.. While on 
the bench he won the re])utation of being the ablest presiding Circuit Judge 
that was ever in the state. \Miile on the bench his manner was imperious, 
austere and autocratic. He brooked no familiarity from young or old, and 
handled the most abtruse proposition of law as if a plaything- and astonished 
the older members of the bar with the rapidity and case with which 
he solved every legal question submitted for his consideration. Imme- 
diately after leaving the bar in 1853 li^ settled in Xew Albany in the practice 
of the law and at once his sen-ices were in demand to argue important cases 
pending before the Supreme Court. In 1855 l""^ ^^'^s employed l)y the Liquor 
League of Indiana, to test the constitutionality of tlie Maine li(|uor law, then 
but recently passed by the Indiana Legislature, in which his ettorts were 
crowned with success. In person he w-as commanding; was about five feet 
and eleven inches tall; would weigh about 175 pounds; stout, sturdy and 
symmetrically built, with a head of medium size, well shaped, with a strong 
but handsome face, with features, every lineament of which was suggestive 
of a great strength and power ; with a strong, full voice, and fine flow of the 
choicest language. In arguing before the court or jury he stood straight 
up, motionless, without a gesture or any dallying with oratory, went direct 
to the controlling- points of the case, and came down on his adversary with 
crushing power like an avalanche. His power was not in arousing the pas- 
sions or feelings, but in convincing and carrying captive the judgment. I am 
now speaking of him as a lawyer. He never appealed to the passions or feel- 
ings of the court or jury. He seemed to have no use for any weapon other 
than that calculated to convince the judgment, and enlighten the understand- 
ing. His power and influence over a jury thus exerted, far surpassed the 



296 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

effect and influence of the impassioned class of orators. The efifect of the 
impassioned speech may die \vith the passion, while the convincing power of 
logic will live. 

In 1895. less than three years after Otto had left the bench, he was pitted 
against George G. Dunn, the "Henry Clay of the West," as he was called, 
in a noted murder trial at Corydon, in which Dunn spoke eight hours. Mr. 
John F. Reed, who was associated in the case with Mr. Dunn, said that Otto 
made the most powerful speech before the jury that he had ever heard and that 
there was no comparison between the power of the men liefore a jury ; that 
Otto was by far the superior of the two ; yet Dunn stood at the head of the 
bar in Indiana, as an advocate. I have seen Charles Dewey, Joseph C. Mar- 
shall and William T. Otto at the bar in Clark county at the same time and I 
never have seen three men at the bar of any court, or on the bench of the 
Superior Court of any state, or of the Cnited States, that I thought equal to 
those three men. 

Judge Otto was appointed Assistant Secretaiy of the Interior under 
Lincoln's administration in 1862, and left Indiana and never returned. He 
served in the position to which he was appointed through Lincoln's and John- 
son's administrations and then served for ten yea^rs as Reporter of Decisions 
of the United States Supreme Court, after which he spent the remainder of 
iiis life traveling in foreign countries. He died about two years ago at the age 
of eighty-nine years. 

George A. Bicknell was born, reared and educated in the city of Phila- 
delphia and came to Indiana and settled in Scott county in about 1848. and 
was soon after elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District, 
and in 1852 was elected Judge of the same district and served for twenty-four 
consecutive years until 1876, when he was made a Representatix'e in Congress, 
when he served until 1880, then he served several years as Commissioner as an 
assistant to the judges of the Supreme Court of the state, in deciding cases 
that had accumulated in said court frum time to time, over and above what 
the regular judges could dispose of. After that he was elected Judge of the 
Floyd Circuit Court, which position he filled until his death in 1892. Here 
is a man who was scarcely ever a day out of office from 1848 to 1892, thirty- 
si.x years, yet he was never known to electioneer for any position he filled, 
a record almost, if not c|uite unparelleled in the histor_\- of the county. His 
long official career, without any apparent effort on his behalf to secure it, 
speaks volumes for the man. He was indeed a worthy successor to Judge 
Otto. Perhaps no man was ever on the bench who was more loved and 
respected b}' both bar and litigants. So popular was he upon the bench that 
it was not unusual for a wliole term of court to pass without calling upon a jury 
to try a single civil suit. The Hon. Thomas ^^^ Gil^son said of him : 
"He never decided a case that he did not convince him he was right, even 



i 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 297 

when the decision was against himself." In conclusion it may be said of him 
that he discharged every official trust reposed in him with distinguished 
ability and fidelity. 

Judge John S. Davis was not a great jurist, yet he was a very formidable 
competitor at the bar. He possessed a large fund of common sense and was 
an excellent judge of human nature. He exercised a wonderful influence 
over men with whom he came in contact. In this regard, had he been more 
fortunate in his political aspirations, he may have rivaled Jesse D. Bright. 
In politics he was a Whig until that party passed away. He then became a 
Republican, which party i-an him for Congress in i860 against James A. 
Cravens, the Democratic nominee in a district Democratic by more than 
three thousand majority, and he came within about three hundred votes of 
being elected. This race demonstrated his power before the people. Had 
he remained in the Republican party he doubtless would have attained great 
political eminence, because his \\onderful race for Congress in the strong- 
hold of Democracy gave him a commanding position in his party, but during 
the War of the Rebellion he joined his fortune with the Democratic party, 
and soug'ht the nomination for Congress in its convention, in 1870, 1872, 
1874 and 1876, and was defeated each time and for no other reasons than 
many Democrats had not forgotten the race he had previously made against 
them as a Republican. But in his own county, Fknd, where he came in 
dailv contact with the people, he absolutely dominated the Democracy from 
the time he came into the party until his death. Anything his county could 
give him he could get. In 1874 Floyd county elected him to the Lower 
House of the Legislature, where in 1875, in the memorable race for the L^nited 
States Senate, between Joseph E. McDonald and Benjamin Harrison, at a 
time when the Democracy lacked one vote of a majority on joint ballot and at 
a time when the Republicans were highly elated with the prospects of success, 
and the Democrats correspondingly depressed. In this emergency the last 
expiring hope of Democracy was centered in John S. Davis. Davis's man- 
agement secured the needed vote and McDonald was elected to the United 
.States Senate. 

The situation at the time was such that no other man than Davis could 
have secured the \()te that gave tliat importrmt \ictiiry to the Indiana Democ- 
racy ; hence it is fitting that Davis should be held in greateful remembrance by 
the Democracy of the slate of Indiana and of Floyd county as well, for 
giving to the state the only man that could have done the work. 

Simeon \\'. Wolfe served but a few months as Judge of the Clark Circuit 
Court, but long enough to show that he possessed great capacity for the busi- 
ness. Mr. \\'olfe was born in Harrison county, about 1822, and was edu- 
cated in the schools of his native county. He married at the age of twenty- 
one years and settled in Georgetown, Floyd county. Indiana. He engaged 



298 BAIR])'.S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

in making shoes and reading law until 1849. \vlieii he entered the law scIkmI 
of the Indiana State University in Bloomington, Indiana, and was graduated 
from that university in one term. He then moved to Corydon, the county 
seat of Harrison county, and commenced to edit a newspaper and to practice 
law; In 1852 he was Democratic Presidential elector for his district and 
can\assed the same with abilii\. In i860 he was a delegate to the Demo- 
cratic National Convention at Charlestown, South Carolina. In 1862 and 
1864 he represented Harrison county in the State Senate. In 1872 he was 
elected to Congress from his district and served with distinction. In 1882 
he was appointed Judge of the District, composed of the counties of Clark 
and Floyd. After that he practiced law in New Albany, until his death in about 
1889. Of all the distinguished men that that magnificent county has given to 
the state, not one surpasses Simeon ^^^ Wolfe in breadth and strength of 
intellect. If his magnetism and social qualities had been ecjual to his ability, 
history would place him high up in the ranks of the great men of our state. 
He was not an attractive speaker, but as a logician and debater he ranked with 
the very best we had in the state. In the campaigns of 1866, 1868, 1870 antl 
1872, I thought he made the ablest and most instructve speeches that were 
made. With the severest logic he always went to the very bottom of every 
subject he discussed. 

Judge Charles P. Ferguson, whose name deserves to be held bv the peo- 
ple of Clark county in grateful remembrance, for if there ever was a faithful 
servant of the people Charles P. Ferguson was one. It might have been 
truly said of him as Robert Ingersoll said of his brother, that if ever}- person 
to whom he had done little acts of kindness were to put a rose upon his grave. 
he would sleep under a world of flowers. Who can remember the poor people 
to whom in his long life he has given legal advice without money, and with- 
out price, who can number the men he has saved from vexations and fruitless 
law-suits by giving sound advice? Of the sixty years he lived, after reach- 
ing mature manhood, thirty-six years were spent in the perfonnance of ot^n- 
cial duties imposed upon him l:)y the partiality of the people. 

Mr. Ferguson was born in 1824 in Clark county, near Charlestown, 
Indiana. He was educated in Charlestown at the time wdien it was celebrated 
for the proficiency of its schools. At an early age he entered the oftice of the 
Clerk of the Circuit Court, as Deputy Clerk and as such served from 1844 
to 1852, and in 1852 he w'as elected Clerk of said court for a term of four 
years. In 1856 he was elected for a further term of four years. In i860 be 
began to practice law, and during the same year he was elected to the State 
Senate for four years. He then practiced law until 1872, when he was elected 
Judge of the Common Pleas Circuit Court and served until the court was 
abolished four years later. He then practiced law until 1882, when he was 
elected Judge of the Clark Circuit Court for six years. In 1888 he was re- 



i 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 299 

elected for six years more, and served until 1894. After that he practiced 
law until within about three years of his death. As a Judge he was able, 
faithful and conscientious. He performed every trust reposed in him with 
distinguished ability, fidelity and with an eye to the public welfare. 

While in the strength and vigor of his days Judge Ferguson probabh' 
exercised more influence over the people of Clark county than any other man. 

Judge Ferguson was well grounded in the principles (if the law and 
always took care of his clients, and was a remarkably shrewd and able prac- 
titioner. Socially he was one of the most agreeable and pleasant companions, 
and generous hearted to a fault. In person he was about five feet and seven 
inches in height and weighed about one hundred and thirty-five pounds. He 
had a large and well formed head, with light hair, high and broad forehead, 
a pleasant expression and an intellectual cast of features indicating firmness 
and will power. 

Patrick H. Je\\ett was a native of Georgia and came to Indiana ahiuit 
the year 1849 and settled in Lexington, Scott county, and commenced the 
practice of law and soon came into prominence at the bar. In the year 1854 
lie was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District, com- 
posed of eight counties. He made an active, energetic prosecutor and dis- 
charged the duties of the office with commendable ability. In 1864 he was 
elected Judge of the common Pleas Court, the circuit being then composed of 
the counties of Clark, Floyd, Washington and Scott. In 1868 he was re- 
elected and filled the office, in all, eight years. He performed the duties of 
the office well and made a proficient judge. As a lawyer he was able, energetic 
and resourceful, and in the earlier days of his life, before ill health had 
impaired his native vigor, he was a formidable competitor at the bar and one 
cf the most companionable of men. 

Amos Lovering was the first Judge who presided over the Clark Common 
Pleas Circuit Court. He was a native of Massachusetts, was graduated in 
one of its colleges. He came to Indiana and settled in Jeffersonville in 1840. 
He was well grounded in the general principles of law, but never liked to 
practice it, consec|uently had but few clients. He had a great taste for litera- 
ture and avoided the drudgery the law imposed upon him. He was elected 
Judge of the court in 1852 and served until 1862, when he resigned before 
the expiration of his third term. He made an excellent and able Judge, and 
seldom were any of his decisions reversed. He was popular with the people 
and the bar, and could have retained the office much longer had he so desired. 
In person he was six feet tall and weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds. 
He had a large, well shaped head, black hair and symmetrical and handsome 
features. He died in Louisville about 1877, and will long be remembered 
as a faithful public servant. 

Melville C. Hester, who was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of 



300 BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Judge Levering, served about two years. He made a good Judge, and was 
an able lawyer. He was a native of Clark county and was educated at the 
Asbury University, Greencastle, Indiana. He belonged to a family noted 
for its scholarly attainments, and was a brother of several distinguished 
Methodist preachers, formerly of Southern Indiana. About 1881 Mr. 
Hester left Charlestown, where he was then living, and went to California, 
where he now resides. He was a worthy successor to Judge Lovering upon 
the bench. 

Cyrus L. Dunham \yas born in Thompson county. New York, the i6th 
day of June, 18 17. He was educated and studied law in that state, and came 
to Indiana and located at Salem in Washington county, in 1841, being then 
in the twenty-fourth year of his age, and commenced the practice of law, 
and soon ranked with the best attorneys at that bar. In 1844, at the age of 
twenty-seven, he took the stump and canvassed his district for James K. 
Polk for President. In that canvass he demonstrated his ability to success- 
fully cope with any of his opponents. In 1845, at the age of twent\'-eight, he 
was elected Prosecuting Attorney for his circuit and at once established the 
reputation of an able criminal lawyer. Pie appeared at the bar of the Clark 
Circuit at its first session after he was elected Prosecutor, rather shabbily 
dressed and being a stranger in that locality he made an unfavorable impres- 
sion upon the people, all of which disappeared before the end of the first day 
of the session. On the docket for trial that day was a certain criminal case 
in which the prosecuting witness, after looking at Dunham, came to the con- 
clusion that he had better hire another lawyer to help prosecute the case, 
plucked Dunham to one side and said, "Young man, had I better employ 
another lawyer to assist you in the prosecution of this case?" Dunham 
answered : "My friend, you can do as you please about that, but I tell you 
that I can prosecute that man as hard as he ought to be prosecuted." \\'hich 
fact was subsequently verified to the complete satisfaction of the prosecuting 
witness. In 1846 !Mr. Dimham was elected to the Legislature from Washing- 
ton county and re-elected two years afterwards. In 1848 he was a presidential 
elector and stumped the state for Cass and Butler, the Democratic nominees 
for President. In 1849, at the age of thirty-two years, he made the race 
for Congress and defeated William McKee Dunn. In 1853 he was re-elcted 
to Congress over Rodger Martin. In 1852 he defeated Joseph G. Marshall, 
the "Sleeping Lion," for Congress. In 1859 he made the race for Congress 
and was defeated by George C. Dunn. This was the end of his Congressional 
career, which was most brilliant. Thus, before he had completed his thirty- 
fifth year, he had served two years as Prosecuting Attorney, four years in 
the Legislature and six years in Congress. In 1859 he was Secretary of State 
under the appointment of Governor Willard, to fill out the unexpired term 
of Daniel McClure. resigned. In i860 he was a candidate before the Demo- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 3OI 

cratic Convention for Governor, and all the southern part of the state was 
for hini. The northern part was for Hendricks and Dunham withdrew in 
favor of Hendricks and moved to make his nomination unanimous. In 1861 
he raised the Fiftieth Indiana Remigent and was commissioned its colonel and 
went into the war, served for about one year with distinction, when ill health 
forced him to resign. In 1871 he was elected Judge of the Floyd and Clark 
Criminal Court Circuit. He then removed to Jeffersonville, where he lived 
until his death, November 21, 1877. At a meeting of the JelYersonville bar, 
over which Jonas G. Howard presided, the following resolutions were 
adopted : 

Rcsok'cd : That in the death of Colonel Dunham, our profession has lost 
a member possessed of imminent personal and rare legal attainments, guided 
always by a sense of duty, justice and right. His firmness and perseverance 
and independence in maintaining his convictions, won the confidence of all who 
knew him, either in professional, public or private life. 

Unfortunately for Air. Dunham's fame, that in 1854 after he served his six 
years in Congress, that he did not open a law office and return to the practice 
of law, for which he was so well ecjuipped and admirably adapted, instead of 
spending the best years of life on a big thousand acre farm in \\'hite river 
bottoms, raising corn and hogs, a business in which he had had no experience. 

Mr. Dunham, in strength and breadth of intellect, was a great man and 
could combat successfully with any adversarv at the bar, or on the stump. 
Mr. Dunham was one of the few of our distinguished men of Indiana who 
combined the great persuasive power of eloquence with the crushing power 
of logic. As a rule these two elements are not found in a great degree in the 
same individual, as notable exceptions we will name Joseph G. Marshall and 
Jason B. Brown. 'Sir. Dunham was more than what is usually termed an ad- 
vocate. He was intellectually capable of grapling successfully with the most 
difficult subjects the human mind is called upon to solve. Mr. Dunham, be- 
fore he reached the meridian of manhood, had contracted irregular habits, 
which finally, long before his death sapped his intelluctual vigor and those who 
only knew him after he came out of the war, have but a faint conception of 
his intellectual power. Long before his death he was conscious of his waning 
strength and loss of inlluence. In a conversation with him in 1868. wlien 
he resided in New Albany, he complained that when Thomas A. Flendricks 
and Joseph E. McDonald visited his town, they never called on him ; that 
when he went to their town he ne\-er failed to see them. In that conversation, 
the writer replied to him: "Dunham, if you would just hold up and be your- 
self again, you would have no trouble with Hendricks and McDonald. They 
would be glad to meet you. but I fear that you are too excitable to control 
yourself." He said : "Yes, I am too excitable." This ended the conversa- 
tion on that subject and I afterwards felt that I ought not to have said what 



302 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., iKD. 

I had to him. About two months after that conversation I recefv^d a note, 
a few Hnes, of which I yet ha\e in my possession, which reads as foHows, 
after tlie address: "Dear Sir: — I have conckided to take your advice and 
have cut off all supplies forever. Will soon be myself again, age and loss 
of time only excepted. Yours truly, C. L. Dunham." 

In 1864, in the Indiana Legislature, ilr. Dunham was by odds the 
ablest debater in that body, as well as the most eloquent speaker, though this 
was some }'ears after his powers began to wane. He appeared at his best 
in 1852 and 1854, in making his races for Congress with those two intel- 
lectual giants, Joseph G. ]\Iarshall and George D. Dunn. Once, while making 
a speech in the Legislature, he was advising against the habit of drinking, 
some member cried out: "Do you practice that?" Instantly came the 
answer: "Does the guide Ixjard point the way any less because it does not 
travel it? In the Mexican war there was an Irish gunner named Riley, in 
General Taylor's command, who deserted and joined the Mexican army. 
Afterwards, in 1854, during "Know Nothing Times," Dunham, in making 
a speech, was eulogizing the patriotism of the Irish and Germans, when some 
one in the audience called out, "Who was Riley." Instantly came the re- 
ply: "Riley was an Irishman and Benedict Arnold w^as an American." Dun- 
liam was one of the most gifted men and by nature designed for a better 
fate. 

The names of the principal local attorneys who practiced law at the bar 
of Clark county, state of Indiana, from 185 1 until the year 1900, to-wit: 
Charles Dew-ey, Thomas \Y. Gibson. John D. Ferguson. John F. Read, 
Charles Dewey, Jr., John Borden, Jonas G. Howard, Simeon S. Johnson, 
James B. Meriweather, Cyrus L. Dunham, Patrick H. Jewett, George H. D. 
Gibson. Henry A. Burtt, James E. Taggart, Jacob Buchannan, Thomas J. 
Gillian, M. Z. Stannard, Matthew Clegg, Park Dewey, Charles P. Fer- 
guson, Melville C. Hester, James K. Marsh, James A. Ingram, George H. 
Voigt, Edgar A. Howard, James W. Fortune, Ward H. Watson, Edward C. 
Hughes, L. A. Douglas, F.'W. Carr, F. M. Mayfield, T. J. Brock, Harry C. 
Montgomery, Frank B. Burke, H. W. Phipps and B. C. Lutz 

The names of non-resident attorneys, who for many years during said 
period appeared at the Clark county bar, are as follows, to-wit : William 
T. Otto, Joseph G. Marshall, Randall Crawford, Alexander Dowling. John 
H. Stotsenburg, Thomas M. Brown, D. C. Anthony and George V. Howk. 

The bar of Clark county, between the years 1852 and 1862, was stronger 
tlian it has ever Ijeen since. At the close of that period it lost three of the 
greatest jurists, lawyers and intellectual giants that ever appeared in a court 
of justice, namely Charles Dewey, William T. Otto and Joseph G. Marshall, 
three men that in legal attainments and in intellectual grasp and power have 
never been surpassed and neither of whom has ever had an ecpial upon the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 303 

bench of the Supreme Court of the United State since the davs of John 
Marshall. 

Dewey was born in Massachusetts in 1784, and was graduated at Wil- 
liams College in that state, with first honors of his class. He studied law 
and came to Indiana in 1816 and located in Paoli, Orange count)', and en- 
tered into the practice of law, but did not confine himself in the practice to 
a single county. His great ability brought him rapidly to the front and soon 
the field of his practice extended to the boundaries of the state. As most 
lawyers do, Mr. Dewey soon took to politics, and in 182 1 was elected to the 
Indiana Legislature and served with such distinction as to attract the attention 
of the people throughcjut the state, and the next year the people of bis district 
demanded that he should run for Congress. His district at that time com- 
prised more than one-thn-d of the state. He was a Whig in politics; his 
district was strongly Democratic, and he was beaten in the race. Two years 
after that, in 1824, he moved to Charlestown in Clark count}-, where he lived 
until his death, which occurred April 25, 1862, at the age of seventy-six years. 
At Charlestown he devoted himself assidiously to the practice of law and 
had the reputation of being the ablest lawyer in the state of Indiana. In 
1852 he made the race for Congress against John Carr and was defeated, 
after which he never ran for an elective oflice. In 1856 he was appointed by 
the Go\-ernor, Judge of the Supreme Court of the state, which lie occupied 
for eleven years, and honored it as few have done, and b}' universal consent 
was placed in the very front rank ul Indiana's greatest jurists. Judge 
Dewey's associates on the bench were Judge Blackford and Jeremiah Sulli- 
van, and it is universally conceded that at no time since the organization of 
the court has it stood so high as when Dewey, Blackford and Sullivan were 
its judges, but in strength of intellect and ability to grasp legal questions, 
Dewey was far superior to either of his distinguished associates. In 1886 
Judge William T. Otto said that Judge Dewey was the equal of Daniel 
Webster, that he had never met a man that in strength of intellect and ability 
to grasp a legal proposition, was Judge Dewey's equal. That no man 
on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States, except David Davis, 
of Illinois, approximated him. It will Ije remembered that when Judge Otto 
made this statement, that it was after Dewey had practiced for twelve years 
in the circuit of which Otto was Judge and after Otto had served eight years 
as Assistant Secretarv of the Interior under Lincoln's and Johnson's admin- 
istrations, and had served ten vears as Reporter of Decisions of the United 
States Supreme Court, and several years traveling in Europe, visiting in the 
courts of England, France, Germany and other countries. 

In person Judge Dewey was large and commanding. He was si.x feet 
high and weighed about two hundred pounds, his head was large, his fore- 
head high and broad, his hair was black, his complexion dark, his face was 



304 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

large, liis features irregular but wonderfully suggestive of intelligence, 
strength and will power. Judge Dewey was a great admirer of Clay and 
Webster, but he hated Andrew Jackson. He always condemned the American 
practice of deserving and selecting military chieftains for civil offices of 
government, instead of statesmen. He believed that statesmen for the forum 
and chieftains for the field were the safest for a republic. In 1861. on the 
day the news reached here that Fort Sumpter had been fired on, Judge Dewey 
came into the court-house at Charlestown, took a seat by the stove to await 
the opening of the court. It was a chilly April morning, and he sat there 
with bowed head and gloomy and apparent distress pictured on his counte- 
nance, surrounded by a small group of lawyers all still not a word being 
spoken, suddenly he raised his crutch, which he held in his hand and broke 
the silence by exclaiming, "I wish old Jackson could be brought up out of 
purgatory just long enough to put down this rebellion, but then I would 
want him sent right straight back there again." Judge Dewey died on the 
25th of April, 1862, and was buried at Charlestown in the town cemetery. 

It was said of Marshall that in breadth and strength of intellect Indiana 
never had a superior and in ability to stir the passions and sway the feeling 
of the people he never had an equal. He was called the "Sleeping Lion" and 
fully aroused he was a lion indeed. On such occasions his oratory was like 
the hurricane that sweeps everything before it. Ordinarily this power was 
dormant, but when engaged in a case that enlisted his feelings and conscience 
his words were like hot shot from the cannon's mouth. 

In his sketches of Indiana men Oliver H. Smith says of Mr. Marshall, 
".As a lawyer Mr. Marshall stood among the very first in the state. His great 
fort as an advocate was in the power in which he handles facts before the 
jury. At times I have thought him unsurpassed by any man I ever heard, in 
impassioned eloquence." It should be remembered that Mr. Smith had sat in 
the Senate of the United States and heard speeches from Clay, Webster and 
Calhoun. Colonel Abraham W. Hendricks, who for many years had prac- 
ticed law at the Madison bar with Mr. Marshall in a recent address said of 
him, "He was the most transcendentally powerful advocate that ever figured 
at the Indiana bar in Indiana." His intellect was colossal. He seemed to 
know the lowly intuition ; his logic was surrounded by a glowing atmosphere 
of passion. He could sweep through his subject like a tempest or crash 
through it like an avalanche. He was sometimes called the Webster of 
Indiana. 

John L. King, of Chicago, once said in a letter that Mr. Marshall was 
by odds the greatest man Indiana ever produced, but Mr. Marshall himself 
and Judge Otto both believed that in breadth and strength of intellect that 
the honor belonged to Judge Dewey, but both men were too great to be 
envious of each other's fame. Marshall was large, raw-lx)ned, over six feet 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 305 

high and weighed about two hundred [xiunds. He had a large head and 
face and sandy hair. His countenance indicated strength, power and deter- 
mination. 

Josepli G. Marshall was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, on Janu- 
ary 18. 1800. He was graduated from the university in 1823. He read 
law in Kentucky. In 1828 he came to Indiana and settled at Madison, where 
he remained until his death in a town noted for strength of its bar. He soon 
obtained a lucrative practice and rose to eminence at the bar. Two years later 
after his arrival in the town he was elected Probate Judge, which office he 
filled with ability. In 1836, 1840 and 1844 he was on the Whig electoral 
ticket and each time made an active canvass of state. In 1846 he made the 
race for Governor and was beaten by James Whitcomb. In 1849 President 
Taylor appointed him Goernor of Oregon, but he declined the place. In 1850 
he was elected Senator from his county and served the legal term. In 1842 
he was nominated for Congress in his district, but was beaten by Cyrus Dun- 
ham. In addition to the offices nameil he represented his countv several 
times in the lower branch of the State Legislature. Mr. Marshall had an 
ambition to go to the United States Senate, but his ambition was never 
gratified. In the Legislature in 1844 the Whigs had the majority on joint 
ballot. They nominated him for the Senate but the Democrats refused to 
go into the election. Each party had twenty-five votes in the Senate, and 
Jesse D. Bright, then Lieutenant Governor, gave the casting vote against 
going into the election. In 1854 the People's party had a maj<.^rity of fourteen 
on joint ballot, but the Democrats had the majority in the Senate and refused 
to go into an election. Mr. Marshall was the nominee chosen of the Repub- 
lican party and had the election been held he would have been chosen, thus 
it seems that he was twice prevented from going to the Senate by the refusal 
of the Democrats to go into an election. 

John D. Ferguson was a native of Clark county, Indiana. He was b(irn 
near Charlestown in 1822. His parents were Virginians, and came to Indi- 
ana earlv in the nineteenth century. He read law and was admitted to 
practice in the Clark Circuit Court at the age of twenty-one. In 185 1, at the 
early age of twenty-nine, he had ac(|uired a large and lucrative practice and 
was regarded the best lawyer of his age in Southern Indiana. At the time 
of his death, at the age of thirty-six, he was one of the leading lawyers of 
the countv and at that time had the largest practice of any man in the county. 
He died in 1858, on the 25th day of April, with consumption. Had he 
lived until he was fifty years of age he would scarcely have had a superior at 
the bar in the state. He was a man of the very finest intellect, resourceful, 
with a wonderful capacity for work, and capable of grappling successfully 
with the most abtruse questions of law. He was not only a good lawyer, but 
he was well grounded in national politics. He studied thoroughly the writ- 
20 



306 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ings of Jefferson. Madison, Hamilton. John Adams, Calhonn. Benton, Clay, 
"W'eljster and other distinguished writers on pohtical econom\- ; hence he was 
well equipped at the time of his death for the leadership of his party, which 
leadership he had enjoyed for the ten years before his death. Absolute leader- 
ship was conceded to him by all the leaders of the W'liig part}- in the county. 
The leaders of the Whig party in Jeffersonville and elsewhere in the county 
did not know, nor care to know, any other leader than John D. Ferguson. 
Willard never had a more absolute control over the Democracy of Floyd 
county than had John D. Ferguson over the Whig party of Clark county 
from 1850 until that party ceased to exist. He died soon after the Repub- 
lican party was organized. Had he lived he doubtless would have cast his lot 
with that party, in fact the great majority of his old Whig friends went into 
the Republican party after the demise of the Whig party. Although he had 
never been a candidate for an office, yet no man in Southern Indiana was 
better equipped for the political arena than he, consequently he had a bright 
future before him, had his life been spared. He was a distinguished looking 
man, over six feet high and slender, but symmetrically made, would weigh 
about one hundred and sixty pounds when in health. He had a large head, 
a high broad forehead and a long, slim, well proportioned face, light hair, 
slightly sandy. In speech he had a good voice and an easy flow of language; 
in argument he was logical, convincing and persuasive: in temperament he 
was mild and genial. He reminded one of William McKinley in this, he 
made no enemies. Politically he was popular with both parties. He once 
said that at one time he had been an admirer of Hamilton, but that upon 
further investigation his mind had undergone a change and that he had 
reached the conclusion that Jefferson was the greatest statesman the age had 
produced. 

Captain Thomas W. Gibson was educated at the ^Military Academy at 
West Point. He first studied medicine, then law. He came to Charlestown 
when quite a young man and engaged in the practice of law and soon rose to 
distinction. He was with General Scutt in th.e war with Mexico. In 1851 he 
was elected to the Indiana State Senate. He was appointed l:)y that body as 
one of a special committee to revise the code of practice and td make a new 
code of laws under our new constituiion. These duties were discharged 
v.-ith honor to himself and credit to the state. In 1853 he opened a law office 
in the city of Louisville, but still retained his residence at Charlestown and 
attended the sessions of the court of that place in connection with his Louis- 
ville practice. His repniation had preceded him and he was employed soon 
after he arrived there in the prosecution of Mat Ward for killing Butler, a 
noted case that shook Kentucky from center to circumference, and well nigh 
turned Louisville upside down. Ward's father was a wealthy Louisville 
merchant. He was tried in Hardin county and acquitted. This so incensed 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 307 

the people of Louisville that a mob arose and stoned the father's residence, 
and the residences of some of the attorneys engaged in the defense of de- 
fendant. Upon the trial of the cause many able speeches were made on both 
sides. I read them all and reached the conclusion that Captain Gibson's speech 
was the ablest delivered on that occasion. Captain Gil)son always ranked in 
strength and intellect with the ablest lawyers of our state. Captain Gibson 
differed from nmst lawyers of the present dav in this, that outside of his pro- 
fession he was full of valuable information upon almost an}- subject that might 
be broached. Joseph G. Marshall had great admiration for Captain Gibson, 
when he came to Louisville in 1850 to arrange to fight a duel with Senator 
Jesse D. Bright, he turned his back on all the other numerous friends of his 
in Lidiana and came to Charlestown and took Captain Gibson with him to act 
as his second, but while the belligerents were getting ready for the conflict 
James Guthrie, Judge Pirtle, William O. Butler and other friends of both 
parties settled the matter so far as the fight was concerned, but the parties 
never spoke to each other afterward. In person Captain Gibson was a sturdy 
liuilt man, about five feet, ten inches high and would weigh about one hun- 
dred and eighty pounds. He had a large head and face, with regular fea- 
tures, and light hair and complexion. His countenance indicated a man that 
would brook no insult nor quail before a foe. Li 1846 and 1847 ^^ served as 
captain of a company in the war with Mexico and with distinction. In 1833 '^^ 
served Clark county in the Senate of the state and was chairman of the 
committee who made Indiana's code of practice under the constitution. 
Captain Gibson in breadth and strength of intellect ranked with the very 
ablest men of Indiana. 

John F. Read was born in the county of Davis in the state of Indiana, 
in 1822. He was a son of James G. Read, a prominent politician of Indiana. 
Mr. Read came to Indiana with his parents about 1833. He was graduated 
at Hanover College in 1843, and then read law with Maj. Henry Hurst in Jef- 
fersonville, and was admitted to the bar in 1845, and commenced practicing 
law in Jefifersonville. In 1853 be was elected to the Legislature and served 
one term. In 1833 he was appointed receiver of the land office located at 
Jeffersonville, and he filled that office for several years. After that he served 
several years as City Attorney. In 1866 Mr. Read and I formed a partner- 
ship for the practice of law and for certain enterprises in which we were en- 
gaged. Mr. Read was the most valuable man to the city of Jeffersonville 
that ever lived in it. Yes, he has done enough for the city of Jeffersonville 
without money and without price, to entitle him to a monument that would 
transmit his name in story and in song to the most distant posterity. He 
always contributed to every enterprise calculated to promote the general wel- 
fare, freelv. The following are some of the enterprises he aided to promote 
and put his money in to aid in the advancement of the city of Jeffersonville, 



308 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

to-wit : In 1859 he insisted that for the interest of Jeffersonville a turnpike 
road should be built to the county seat at Charlestown. He aided in the 
organization and building of the Charlestown pike. In 1864 he insisted on 
building the Hamburg turnpike, with a view of inviting the trade of our 
county lying north of Silver creek, which had been going to New Albany 
to come to Jeffersonville. He helped organize the company and built that road. 
In 1867 he organized the Ohio Falls Hydraulic Company with the view of 
developing the water power of the Falls of the Ohio, which resulted in the 
building of the big flour mill at the Falls. About 1865 and for several years 
previous the shipyards had been building in Jeffersonville, about twenty-five 
steamboats a year, the machinery of all were furnished by New Albany found- 
ries. Mr. Read insisted that Jeffersonville should have a foundry and have that 
work done at home and he organized a company for that purpose, with a capital 
stock of seventy-five thousand dollars, to which he subscribed ten thousand dol- 
lars. He got Dillar Ricketts, then president of the Jeffersonville, Madison & 
Indianapolis Railroad Company, and several Louisville capitalists interested in 
the enterprise, but the company failed in getting a competent man to run the 
business and the scheme was abandoned. Mr. Read then turned his attention 
to the Sweeney boys, who had started a small foundry on Pearl street, and en- 
couraged them to enlarge their business and aided in raising money to buy 
machinery. He also encouraged and aided Plumadore in raising money to 
start his wagon and buggy factory on Pearl street. He assisted Henry Same 
to raise money to start and run his flour mill on Walnut street. In 1870 he 
helped organize and put in operation the Ohio Falls Wagon Company, with 
a capital stock of seventy-five thousand dollars, to which he subscribed five 
thousand dollars. He also got Belknaps and Avery, of Louisville, interested 
in the enterprise, and each put into it five thousand dollars, which company 
gave employment to about seventy-five men for about three years and when 
the panic of 1873 swept the country like a besom of destruction the company 
had shipped south several hundred of its wagons to be sold on commission 
from which it never received any returns. It. together with over twenty-five 
thousand similar enterprises, went to the wall. Among those that failed was 
the great Ohio Falls Car & Locomotive Company, capitalized at one million 
dollars, and the other car company operated in the Indiana State Prison. South. 
After the former had gone into bankruptcy a bid was offered to the company 
to buy and remove the plant from Jeffersonville to a neightoring city, and 
after Mr. Sprague, its president, had labored in \ain for more than three 
months with the people of Jeft'ersonville to raise the money to re-organize the 
company and save it to Jeffersonville, and had given up all hope, and had con- 
cluded that it be sold and removed to New Albany, at this critical period Mr. 
Read sent for ]\Ir. Sprague and told him that rather than have the works taken 
away from this place he would take the responsibility of raising the required 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



309 



amount of money to prevent its removal. In two daj's after that interview 
with Air. Sprague the money was raised, the company re-organized and plans 
were being made for the resumption of business. This was thirty-five years 
ago and from that day to this that company has employed from fifteen hun- 
dred to three thousand men almost continuously until about one year ago. 
Again in 1876, in the hope of reanimating Jefifersonville, he organized the 
Jeff^ersonville Plate Glass Company, with a capital stock of one hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars, in which company he invested over sixty thousand dol- 
lars. He was president of the company, and at the same time was president 
of the Citizens National Bank. The company employed two hundred and 
twenty-five men for nine }'ears. forty of them were experts who received four 
dollars per day for their labor. The men were paid off every Saturday night, 
and every glass was sold as fast as it was made. It made the largest plate 
glass made in the United States. For nine years the company brought into 
Jeffersonville twenty-five thousand dollars a month. Again when Mr. Bar- 
more's big shipyard sawmill was burned and his shipyard business was lying 
prostrate and Mr. Barmore was contemplating a location elsewhere. Mr. Read 
sent for him and told him that he must not leave this city, that his mill must 
be rebuilt and that he would assist him to raise the money to do it. and he did. 
In all these enterprises through all these years Mr. Read wa^ so quiet, so un- 
assuming, so unostentatious, so undemonstrative, that the public seldom knew 
whence the power came. But this is not all, 'Sir. Read went more poor men's 
security and helped more men out of financial difficulties tlian all the other 
men in Jeft'ersonville, beside, for years he was on every Falls pilots bond, on 
the official bond of nearly every officer of the city, township and county. He 
never withheld help from the needy nor refused aid to the sufi^ering. Through 
his management and skill the government building was secured to Jefiferson- 
ville. He brought on the fight for the re-location of the county seat from 
Charlestown and lead the fight for three long vears and in it Jeft'ersonville 
had met such giants at bar as Judge Alexander Dowling, Jason B. Brown 
and John S. Davis. Jefifersonville had two lawyers besides Mr. Read. Mr. 
Brown said on several occasions that tliev would have won in the fight had 
it not been for that Ic.ng head of John F. Reafl. Be that as it may, certain it 
is that Jeffersonville would not have won without him. In 1884 it was Read 
who had the men sent to \\'ashington to get the appropriation to build the 
levee, Air. Read was endowed with a great intellect and had he given one 
half the attention to the law that he bestowed upon these other affairs he 
would have been equal to the very best. In the thirty-fi\e years that Mr. 
Read and I were associated together he spent iii these dift'erent enterprises 
not less than (ine hundred thuusand dollars, beside all these services in every 
public enterprise was given withtiut compensation. In conclusion I will say 
that Jeft'ersonville is indebted to him for the government building, for the 
countv seat, for the Car \\'orks, for the levee and for the Bie Four bridge. 



310 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

In person Mr. Read was about five feet and ten inches high, and would 
weigh about one hundred and forty pounds ; his body was symetrically 
formed, his head was large, his face well shaped with regular features, his 
hair was black, his temperament was cool and calculating. Nothing seemed 
to excite him. He never flew into passion nor used an oath.- In speech he 
was rapid, with a good flow of language. His speeches were earnest, con- 
vincing and logical and always directly to the point. In logical power I be- 
live he was unsurpassed. 

Frank B. Burke was born in Jefifersonville, Indiana, December 26, 1856. 
He was a son of the late James and Cornelia Burke, of Jeffersonville. His 
father was a native of Ireland, and came to the United States in 1848. His 
mother was a native of Louisiana; her ancestors were French. Mr. Burke 
was educated at Nazareth, Kentucky. In 1876 he began to make speeches in 
the Presidential campaign of that year, being then in the twentieth year of 
his age. He studied law in Jeffersonville and attended law lectures at the 
Law University in Louisville. He was admitted to the bar in 1878. In 1880 
he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of the district composed of counties 
of Clark and Floyd. In 1882 he was re-elected; from 1886 to 1890 he rep- 
resented Clark county in the state Senate. In 1893 he was appointed, under 
Cleveland's second administration, United States District Attorney for the 
United States, District of Indiana. While in that office he distinguished him- 
self and established the reputation of being a strong and able lawyer. In 1900 
he was a candidate before the Democratic convention for Governor and was 
defeated by John Kern. In the same year he was nominated for Congress by 
the Democrats of the Indianapolis District and was beaten by his Republican 
opponent. Burke was a great thinker, but he never spent much time with the 
books. He did not like the drudgeiy the practice of law imposed upon him. 
He liked to examine great questions and discuss them from his own stand- 
point. He disliked the idea of having to obtain the meaning of the question 
from the conflicting opinions of a dozen or more different judges and then 
figure up which side had the majority. He possessed a wonderful capacity for 
learning and an astonishing ability to grasp the controlling points in a case. 
His power to arouse the passions and stir the feelings of an audience was 
almost unecjualed. I think in that line he would have rivalled Joseph G. Mar- 
shall, the "Sleeping Lion." Once many years ago while he was making a 
speech to a jury in the prosecution of a man charged with murder in which the 
sympathies of the audience were with the defendant, at a time when he was 
coming down heavily upon him, the audience hissed him. He instantly turned 
to them and said, as no other man could have said it, "More than eighteen 
hundred years ago the multitude cried out, surrender unto us Barabas." It 
is said for ten seconds the silence was so intense that you could almost hear 
every person in the audience breath. Burke possessed great logical power as 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



2ii 



well as the gift of eloquence. In this he differed from many of our popular 
orators. As a rule the two elements are not in a marked degree combined in 
the same person. I claim that Joseph G. Marshall and Burke were exceptions 
to this mle, that Burke and Marshall's logical powers enabled them to 
grapple successfully, with any subject, however obtruse, with the ablest advo- 
cates in this country. This could not be said of the Henry S. Lane or the Ed. 
Hanigan type of orators. Cyrus L. Dunham was another of our distinguished 
men, who combined great logical and oratorical powers. In person Mr. Burke 
was commanding; he was six feet high and would weigh about one hundred 
and eighty pounds. He was stout built and symmetrically formed, his head 
and face were large, his features regular and his hair was black. In temper- 
ament he was cool, reserved and undemonstrative, and ncjthing seemed to excite 
him. In speech he had an easy flow of language and a voice that I am unable 
to describe. It differed from the voice of any other I ever heard ; and all 
that I can say about it is that I have seen the passions and feelings of an 
audience swayed by it as I never witnessed from any other human voice. 

Simecn Stephens Johnson was a nati\'e of Vermont. He was born at 
Athens, Windham county, July 22, 1836. He was educated at Newbury Sem- 
inai"y, and prepared for Yale College. His father's death changed his plans 
and he came to Jeffersonville in 1856, where his elder brother, Jonathan, 
was then located. He taught school for a year, clerked iov a while in his 
brother's drug store and then entered the law office of the Hon. Jonas G. 
Howard, to read law. Mr. Johnson was admitted to the practice of his pro- 
fession in 1859 and immediately entered into partnership with Mr. Howard. 
He later dissolved this connection and began to practice for himself. Under 
his instruction several young men of Jeffersonville, who have made their mark, 
read law, one of them being the Hon. George H. Voigt, one of the most 
prominent attorneys at the bar of the Clark Circuit Court. In politics Mr. 
Johnson was a staunch Democrat of the old school, and although he was not 
an office seeker, he served as City Attorney from 1863 to i86g and from 
1885 to 1887. From i88g to 1891 he was a member of the City Council from 
the Second Ward. His services to the city of Jeft'ersonville were pitched on 
a high plane of civic and professional pride. 

His paramount inclination was toward equity, fair dealing, kindness and 
charity. Simple and unostentatious he was recognized by all as a man of 
the most sterling character. In his professional character he was trusted 
because of his ability and strict adherence to the line of right. In his private 
relations his life was pure and unsullied. 

In 1866 he entered Masonry, being initiated into Clark Lodge, No. 40, 
Free and Accepted Masons, of Jeffersonville. From this time until his death 
his whole life was wrapped in the study and practice of the principles of the 
institution. He was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in May, 



312 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

1866, and served as worshipful master for ten years, and as grand master 
in 1898-99. He received the Capitular degree in Horeb Chapter, Royal Arch 
Masons in 1867; served as high priest in 1872-74 and as grand high priest in 
1878. 

In Jefiferscnville Council. Royal and Select Masters, he served as illustri- 
ous master thirty-seven } ears, and as illustrious grand master in 1894. He 
was knighted in New .Mljany Conimandery. Knights Templar, in 1867. and 
served as eminent commander of Jeffersonville Conimandery in 1875-76-80-86. 
He was right eminent grand commander in 1883. 

He received the Scottish Rite grades, including the thirty-second degree 
in the \'alley of Indianapolis in May, 1867, in the class with Hazelrigg, 
Howk and others. In .\ncient Craft Masonry lie was particularlv wed 
versed. He served on the committee on correspondence in the Grand Lodge 
of Indiana for four terms, from 1886 to 1890. and had the happy faculty 
to condense a report so that the average Mason could find time to read it. This 
epitome of Brother Johnson's Masonic record gives but a faint idea of his 
services for the good of ]\Iasonry for nearly half a century. His zeal and 
work did not abate in the least on retiring from official position, and he 
attended regularly all the bodies in which he held membership and cheerfull\- 
assisted in every way to promote the best interests of all of them. His 
thorough knowledge of the jurisprudence of Masonry made him a wise and 
safe counsellor at all times, both in the grand and subordinate bodies. His 
Masonic record, which has been duplicated in but few cases throughout the 
United States, indicates to what extent Masonry had entered into his life and 
to what extent it was appreciated by the craft. 

His death in January, 1909, was a loss to Masonry, to the bar of Clark 
county, and to the city of Jeffersonville. 

Sketches of the Judge of the Clark Circuit Court and his two prede- 
cessors will be found in the biographical part of this volume. Judge Mont- 
gonierv". Judge Marsh and Judge Giljson have maintained the high standard 
of service, character and attainments, which was set in earlier days, but as 
the scope of this chapter is not intended to include the present membership of 
the bar of Clark county, a future historian must record their acts. However, 
one exception may be made to this determination. The Hon. Jonas G. How- 
ard, the dean of the profession, for nearly sixty years a member of the bar. 
since 1850 prominently connected with nearly every great public movement 
in the county, and at present a vigorous and enthusiastic leader in public 
questions, deser\-es special mention. Jonas G. Howard was educated at Green- 
castle, read law with John F. Read and was admitted to the bar in 1852. In 
i860 he and Simeon S. Johnson practiced together. In 1866 Air. Howard and 
John F. Read formed a partnership for the practice of law and for certain 
enteriirises in which they were both engaged. To recount the various enter- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



313 



prises in which he and Mr. Read became interested would be to recount the 
history of Jeffersonville for the last half centur_\ . One of the most impor- 
tant undertakings with which he was connected was the movement to span 
the river with a bridge. Against overwhelming odds the promoters of this 
enterprise had to contend : every river man on the Ohio river fought it ; the 
ferry company and other transportation companies controlled the testimony 
of pilots and other employes, and this, together with affidavits and deposi- 
tions of connected interests, presented a front well-nigh insumiountable 
opposition. The Big Four bridge stands today as a monument to the effective- 
ness of the work done by its promoters. 

As a lawyer Mr. Howard will always hold a high place in the history of 
the Clark County Bar. He was especially noted for his fidelity to his clients, 
and even after an adverse verdict he was usually found redoubling his en- 
ergies in endeavoring' to secure a new trial. He was never known to give 
up a legal battle that he felt should be won. His arguments of questions 
of law were usually based on fundamental principles rather than on case 
law, and in his arginnents before the jury he was particularly effective, often- 
times in an extended argument when warmed up he would take off his coat 
and continue his speech in his shirt sleeves. He hatl great success in de- 
fending criminal cases, but would never prosecute one. In the great contro- 
versy concerning the removal of the county seat from Charlestown to Jeffer- 
sonville in the seventies he was one of the leading lawyers on the winning side. 
In the practice of law the success of his case was his first consideration, the 
matter of fees being a minor and secondary matter. During the time he 
practiced law he was extensively engaged in farming, and even at the age 
of eighty-three he would frequently ride to his farm on horseback, as erect 
as a cavalryman, where during the harvest season he would be in the field 
helping to stack his hay. He retired from the practice of law several years 
ago, but still takes an active interest in politics. He has always been a strong 
and uncompromising Democrat, and during the third Bryan campaign was 
one of the most energetic men on the stump ni the state, although in his 
eighty-third year. He still keeps posted on the political issues of the day, 
and at his present age there is not a better informed man on political affairs 
in the state. He sen-ed in Congress for four years as the Representative from 
the Third Indiana district, and has held other minor offices in Clark county. 

Mr. Howard is public spirited and is interested in all the public enterprises 
which are for the advancement of the interests of Clark county or of Jeffer- 
sonville. Personally he is a most agreeable companion, very sociable and 
always with a good story to tell. His supply in this line seems to be inex- 
haustible, and his excellent memory never fails to furnish him with scenes 
and incidents of the early history of the county and state, especially of lawyers 
and public men. Physically Mr. Howard is of medium build, a fine specimen 



314 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

of manhood, well preserved and claiming that the last twenty-five years of 
his life were the healthiest. 

(Note: Sketches of all the present members of the bench and bar of 
Clark county will be found elsewhere in this volume.) 



CHAPTER XXX. 

BANKS AND BANKING IN CLARK COUNTY. 

The first bank in Clark county was a private bank in Jeffersonville in 
1817, called the Exchange Bank of Indiana. It was owned by Beach & Bige- 
low, but the location has been lost. The currency which they issued was a 
great convenience to the people and the institution was considered a substan- 
tial one. It continued in business for several years, but was discontinued 
shortly after the canal project of the early 'twenties fell through, and strange 
as it may appear, redeemed all bills that were presented, and some came in 
many years later. It is said that r passenger on one of the ferries incjuired of a 
boatman if a ten dollar note he held on that bank was good. He was informed 
that he would do well to inquire of one of the original members of the firm, 
and on presenting it it was cashed without hesitation. 

Jeffersonville suffered through the unlimited cnxulation of "wild cat" 
money for many years. But the history of these institutions is too well known 
to need repetition here. Their day is long past, and it is devoutly to be hoped 
that the time may never again come when such a system will be allowed to 
exist. 

A few years after this bank ceased to exist a private bank was estab- 
lished by James Keigwin, Sr.. Peter Myres and Judge Davis. James Keigwin 
was the president, and the banking room was the present ferry office on 
Front street. This bank ran with varying degrees of success until early in the 
forties, when it collapsed. 

The next banking venture was the Bank of Jeffersonville, promoted by 
Samuel Judah, of Vincennes. George Savitz was the secretary of this bank, 
and the business was carried on in the room on Front street which had been 
used by the Keigwin bank. Felix Lewis, Levi Sparks, John Fry, Jacob and 
George Swartz were strick holders, and the institution was considered a sound 
one. After this bank went out of business their room was rented by the city 
of Jeffersonville for a treasurer's office on account of the vault which the 
management of the old Keigwin bank had built there. At this time it was 
the only vault in the city. 

A branch of the Bank of State of Indiana was organized in Jeffersonville 
in 1855. This was one of many branches of the Bank of the State of In- 
diana which were being established throughout the state about that time. 

The Board of Directors of the branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana 



3l6 BAIR[)'s HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

were ^Messrs. Charles Howard, president : George F. Savitz. secretary and 
treasurer; \\'. F. CoIIum, Simon Bottorff and Thomas L. Smith. After the 
office of cashier was created, \\'ilham H. Fogg became the first incumbent. 
The capital stock was $100,000.00 and it was subscribed by Alaybury, Pile 
& Company. James G. Read, James Mitchell Simon BottorfY, William F. Col- 
lum. George F. Savitz. A. S. Crothers, Levi Sparks, W. L. McCampbell and 
others. 

The bank began business in a brick building on Spring street at what 
is now 316, and continued here until the institution was nationalized and be- 
came the Citizens' National Bank of Jefifersonville. The Citizens' National 
Bank of Jefifersonville was chartered March 14, 1865, with a capital stock 
of $150,000.00. It remained in the same location until 1868, when it moved 
to 219 Spring street. The first Board of Directors was James L. Bradley, 
president; John Adams, cashier; Dillard Ricketts, James G. Read, Samuel 
H. Patterson and Andrew J. Hay. This bank is wholly commercial and its 
sound management has made it the foremost institution of its kind in Clark 
county. A savings department offers an opportunity for those of small means 
to profit by patronizing the Citizens' Bank, and its success has shown the wis- 
dom of the directors. 

In March, 1907, the Citizens' Trust Company was organized with a 
capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. John C. Zulauf is president. 
Charles Poinde.xter, vice-president, and John D. Driscoll secretarj' and 
treasurer. The directors are H. M. Frank, Ed. J. Howard. Charles Poin- 
dexter, John C. Zulauf, M. Z. Stannard and John C. Rauschenberger. The 
capital stock was paid up by a special dividend from the Citizens' National 
Bank. The shareholders of the Citizens' Trust Company are the same as 
those of the Citizens' National Bank. The Trust company does a trust busi- 
ness exclusively and their building at the corner of Spring street and Cmn-t 
avenue is fitted with the finest vault in the city, and with safety vault boxes 
for those who wish them. The building was erected in 1908, and with its 
furnishings cost over twenty thousand dollars. 

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF JEFFF;RS0NVILLE. 

The First National Bank of Jefferson\ille was organized and began 
business January 30, 1865, with a paid-up capital of one hundred thousand 
dollars. The organ.izers were James H. IMcCampbel'. president : \\'oods ^la- 
bury, \\'illiam L. McCampbell, Hiram Mabury, George ^^'. Ewing, Peter 
Myers. Levi Silberman. John F. W^illey, William W. Gilliland. Gabriel Poin- 
dexter and William H. Fogg, the latter leaving the Branch State Bank, where 
he was cashier, to become cashier of the new institution. All the directors 
were from Jeft'erson\-ille except ^^'illiam AlcCami^bell. who was a resident 
of Louisville. 



"BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 3I7 

The first place of business was on the west side of Spring street, two 
doors north of the alley between Front and Market streets, and the vault 
built for their use still remains in this room. The first bank building was 
purchased from the Lentz estate for the sum of nine thousand dollars. The 
banking hours were from lo a. m. to 2 p. m., except Sundays and holidays. 
In 1887 the capital was increased fifty thousand dollars, or to one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars, as it still remains. Air. Fogg resigned as cashier 
in 1882, and since that time H. E. Heaton has held that position. 

The present location of the First National Bank at Spring and Market 
streets is a handsome brick and stone building erected about 1870 at a cost 
of over thirty thousand dollars. The present capital and surplus is over two 
hundred and twenty thousand dollars. This bank has always operated as a 
staunch and conservative institution, extending its influence along lines of 
safety and to the betterment of all classes in the city iuid county. It is legally 
known as a bank of discount and deposit, and has lately added a department 
for savings with liberal interest rates added as accrued. 

THE BANK OF CHARLESTOWN. 

The Bank of Charlestown was chartered August 15, 1891, and opened 
for business September 9, 1891, in the room on the corner of Main and Mar- 
ket streets. Its capital stock is twenty-five thousand dollars, divided into two 
hundred and fifty shares of one hundred dollars each. The stock holders 
were M. B. Cole, J. D. Sharp. Ward H. \\'atson and eleven others. Mordecai 
B. Cole was the first president, \\'ilfred M. Green, vice-president, and A. M. 
Guernsey, cashier. The Board of Directors were M. B. Cole, W. M. Green, 
Rev. J. F. Baird, J. D. Sharp and W. H. Watson. 

This bank does a general banking business and has increased its business 
with the growth of banking elsewhere in the county. In 1898 the bank 
moved into its new location on the northwest side of the court-house square. 
This building, constructed to meet the needs of the business, has a handsome 
Hall vault, of a design similar to that in the Citizens' National Bank of Jeffer- 
sonville, and is equipped with safety vault boxes for the use of patrons. 

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF CHARLESTOWN. 

The First National Bank of Charlestown was chartered September 11, 
1903, and started in business in October of the same year at the comer of 
Main and Market streets. Its capital stock is twenty-five thousand dollars. 
The first Board of Directors was John C. Zulauf, McD. Reeves, J. S. Robert- 
son, J. F. McCulloch and George W. Lewman, and the board remains the 
same now with the exception that George H. Gibson has succeeded Mr. Lew- 



3l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

man. This bank does a general banking business, and is in a very prosperous 
condition, paying six per cent, dividends. The deposits amount to si.xty-five 
tlionsand dollars, and at present there is an undivided surplus of four thousand 
five hundred dollars on hand. 

THE HENRYVILLE STATE BANK. 

The Henryville State Bank was organized Febn.i;;ry ii, 1904, and began 
business March 17, 1904. Hardin Wilson, of Louisville; E. L. Elrod. George 
Bollinger, John Scholl, Charles Genner, John Hamm, Zach Taylor, and many 
others were interested in its organization. The capital stock is twenty-five 
thousand dollars, and its present surplus and undivided profits are five thou- 
sand dollars. The first president was Edward L. Elrod, George Bollinger, 
vice-president and W. Wayne W^ilson. cashier. The principal stockholders 
are Hardin \Mlson, John J. McHeniw, John W. Hamm, Edward L. Elrod. 
John S. Scholl, H. R. Hamacher, Henry C. Hamm, Elizabeth Corbett, 
Charles Genner, Zach Taylor and George Bollinger. 

THE BORDEN STATE BANK. 

The next bank organized in Clark county is located in the town of 
Borden, and was chartered by the State of Indiana. The Borden State 
Bank was organized October 20, 1905, with Samuel H. Karnes as president; 
G. M. Johnson, vice-president, and Murray S. Wilson, cashier, commencing 
business March 3, 1906. Opening with deposits the first day which showed 
the confidence of the public in the officers, the business of the l)ank has steadily 
grown into one of the strongest state banks in not only Southern Indiana, 
but, according to two of the state bank examiners, in the state. It has a capi- 
tal stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. 

During the first year of business the net earnings of the bank amounted 
to eight per cent, of the capital. The stockholders were paid a dividend of 
four per cent, and the remainder of the earnings carried to the surplus, it being 
the intention of the officers to put the institution on a sound basis independent 
of the stockholders' liability. At the close of business the second year the net 
earnings showed almost eleven per cent., of which amount an eight per cent, 
dividend was paid to the stockholders and the balance carried to the surplus. 
After six months of the third year it appeared that the earnings for the year 
would eclipse previous records. During the thirty months in operation not 
a single note has been accepted which has not been good for one hundred 
cents on the dollar. During the panic, so-called, of the fall of 1907 and the 
spring of 1908 the Borden State Bank did not suffer in the least from loss 
of confidence of the public, paying in full even- check presented by a customer 
or friend. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 3I9 

At the beginning of the second year of business Charles E. McKinley 

was elected president to succeed Mr. Karnes, and Mr. McKinley has since 

retained the position. For four months in 1907 Mr. Wilson was absent from 

' his post as cashier, the position being filled during that time by H. C. Woolf. 

With average deposits of sixty-five thousand dollars, the bank in excel- 
lent conditions, is managed by the following officials : Charles E. McKinley, 
president; G. M. Johnson vice-president; Murray S. Wilson, cashier, J. M. 
Shoemaker, assistant cashier. The directors are Charles E. McKinley, G. M. 
Johnson, J. H. McKinley, H. B. Payne, George McKinley, Hardin Wilson, 
Nelson Morris, Sylvanus McKinley and Ben Hanka. Jr. 

The Clark County Sentinel, of Borden, says of the Borden State Bank: 
"One of the excellent banking institutions of Clark county is the Borden State 
bank, which was established last spring. Its September statement shows strength 
and it is destined to become one of the leading financial institutions of the 
county." The officers of the bank seem to be very popular and to have the 
confidence of the people of Borden and vicinity. It has been a great con- 
venience to the berry growers. Mr. Wilson, the cashier, reports that nearly 
fifty thousand dollars of beriy money passed through the bank during the 
season of IQ07, several thousand dollars' worth of small change having been 
paid out. It is estimated that ninety per cent, of the checks were under ten 
dollars, meaning that approximately eight thousand berry checks have been 
cashed at the bank without any expense to the grower. Wlien this record is 
compared with that of the balmy days when it was a case of the odd cents ofif 
for cash, the grower can fig^ure out what has been saved. That this bank is 
anxious to sen'e its customers is shown bv it keeping open from six to seven 
in the evening to accommodate the berry growers who arrive too late for 
regular banking hours. 

THE NEW WASHINGTON STATE liANK. 

Early in igo8 the movement for organizing a state bank at Xew \\'ash- 
ington took definite form, the articles of incorporation being as follows : 

For the purpose of organizing an association to carry on the business of 
a bank of discount and deposit under the provisions of an act of the General 
Assembly of the state of Indiana approved February 7, 1873, and of the sev- 
eral acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, the undersigned 
subscribe for the stock of said association to enter into the following articles 
of association : 

Article I. — The name of the Association shall be New Washington 
State Bank. 

Article 2. — The place where the business of the bank is to be carried on 
is the town of New Washington, Clark county, Indiana. 



3^0 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 

Article 3. — Amount of Capital Stock of said bank shall be twenty-live 
thousand dollars, to consist of two hundred and fifty shares of one hundred 
dollars each. 

Article 4. — Xames and places of residence of stiareholders and number 
of shares held by each is as follows, to-wit : N. H. Linthicum, New Wash- 
ington, five : J. H. Dickey, Louisville, Kentucky, ten : J. L. Magruder, New 
Washington, thirty, and many others. 

In Witness Whereof, \\'e. the undersigned, subscribe our names, this 
3d day of March, 1908. 
Signed by — 

Henry Schowe, Marysville, Indiana, seven shares. 

A. M. Fisher, New Washington, Indiana, ten shares. 

S. K. Peck, Nabb, Indiana, five shares. 

A. R. Miles, Bethlehem, Indiana, ten shares. 

N. H. Linthicum, New Washington, Indiana, five shares. 

R. S. Taggart, New Washington, Indiana, five shares. 

J. C. Bower, Charlestown, Indiana, seven shares. 

T. N. Manaugh, New W^ashington, Indiana, five shares. 

T. R. Stevens, Bethlehem, Indiana, five shares; and others. 

Henry F. Schowe was elected president and J. L. Magruder, cashier. 
Twelve thousand, five hundred dollars of the capital stock was paid in, being 
fifty per cent, of the total. 

THE SELLERSBURG STATE BANK. 

The last financial institution in Clark county was organized and the 
articles of incorporation sworn to November 2"^, 1908. It was organized 
under the name of "The Sellersburg State Bank. Its capital stock is twenty- 
five thousand dollars, consisting of two hundred and fifty shares at one hun- 
dred dollars each. 

A directory of nine members guide the destinies of the bank. A partial 
list of the stockholders is as follows : 

Ed C. Hughes, Charlestown, Indiana, thirty shares. 

Oscar F. Lutz, Charlestown, Indiana, five shares. 

Thomas T. Combs, Charlestown. Indiana, ten shares. 

Samuel Lutz, Charlestown, Indiana, ten shares. 

C. A. Prather, Memphis, Indiana, five shares. 

Chris Weidner, Sellersburg, Indiana, five shares. 

John T. Ross, Charlestown, Indiana, five shares. 

Lemuel G. Bottorfif, five shares. 

T. A. Pass was elected president and Otis W. Scott, cashier. One-half 
of the capital stock has been subscribed and paid for. 




STEAMER lAMES HOWARD. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
THE RIVER. 

STEAMBOAT BUILDING AND STEAMBOATING FLAT-BOATING .\XU FALLS 

PILOTING HARBOR IMPRO\'EMENTS AND THE NINE-FOOT STAGE. 

The frontage of Clark cnunt}- upon the river, and the intimate relations 
between the people of the river towns and the commerce of that great natural 
highway, have brought boat building up to a high position in the business life 
of the county. 

Jeffersonville, from her location at the head of the Falls, and from the 
fact that she possesses the best and deepest harbor between Pittsburg and 
New Orleans, has been a place for water craft construction from veiy early 
times. The history of her boat-building plants and her output of water craft, 
beginning with the launching of the steamer United States here in 1819, 
would be incomplete without a description of the forerunners (if our present 
floating palaces, the keel-ljoat and tlie flat-boat. To this subject may naturally 
be added that of Falls piloting for Falls piloting was peculiarly a Jeffersonville 
business, and Jeffersonville the home and headquarters of falls pilots. 

In the latter part of the seventeenth, and the early part of the eighteenth 
centuries, the Falls of the Ohio, and the region around about, was a center of 
attraction ; alluring to explorers, travelers, traders and emigrants ; including 
agents for capitalists, surveyors, engineers and scientists. These visitors left 
copious notes of their obser\'ations, and some vivid predictions respecting the 
future growth and prosperity of the settlements. The predictions then made 
are now fully verified in the present numerous population, great wealth and 
prosperity of the three Falls Cities. For had it not been for the Falls there 
would now be no Louisville, no Jeffersonville, no New Albany. 

As early as June, 1765, a Colonel Crogan, who was in the employ of an 
English Indian agent, came down the river in small boats, called batteaux, to 
the head of the Falls, where the boats were lightened and passed over. These 
batteaux were small row-boats, and the navigators of them were sometimes 
called batteau-men. Later on boats on the river were called keel-boats. Gen. 
George Rodgers Clark in his memoirs mentions loading stores and ammu- 
nition, and embarking one hundred and fifty volunteers at Pittsburg, and 
coming down the river to the head of the Falls, where his command encamped 
on an island near the Kentucky shore, and that they left the island on June 

21 



322 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

24, 1778, and ran about a mile up the river in order to gain the main channel 
and slioot the Falls. The boats mentioned by him must have been keel-boats, 
modeled for rowing against the current, or they could not have run up a mile 
to gain the main channel. 

In Dillon's History of Indiana is a mention that in the summer of 1786 
provisions and stores were loaded in keel-boats at Louisville and Clarksville 
for the army at Post Vincennes. Obviously these keel-boats were partly load- 
ed above the Falls, and stores which had been taken by the portage route on 
the Indiana side to Clarksville were added to the cargo there, after passage 
of the Falls. 

For many years after these events, keel-boating was the only mode for 
taking cargoes down the river. They were built with a keel, sharp bow and 
stern, modeled somewhat like a canal-boat, but lighter. They floated dmvn 
with the current to destination, and were cordelled liack. Getting back was 
the laborious part of the trip. In cordelling a part of the crew w-ould walk 
up the shore, pulling the boat up stream with a long line attached to its bow, 
while others of the crew on the boat wotdd help over obstacles and keep it 
ofif shore with long poles. In this way keel-boats were brought back from 
New Orleans to the Falls and points above: consuming sometimes the better 
part of the year to make the round trip. 

Mr. James Flint, a Scotchman, was here in 1819. On Alay 19th of that 
^•ear he wrote as follows : "The steamboat. Western Engineer, and a numljer 
of keel-boats descended the Falls today." So it is in evidence that keel-boats 
were still numerous on the river at that date. And he ought to be good 
authority for he appears to have been a close obser-.'er. He also wrote that 
there "were si.xty-five houses, thirteen stores and two taverns in the town, 
and a steamboat on the stocks, measuring one hundred and eighty feet long, 
forty feet broad, estimated to carry seven hundred tons." 

Living in Jeffersonville during the era of keel-boating was a roving, 
tumultuous character, named Marble Stone, or Rolling Rock, as he called 
himself when in his cups, ^^'hen relating his river experiences in his sober 
hours, he always claimed that he had made thirteen trips on keel-boats to 
New Orleans and walked back, sometimes helping to cordelle the boats, and 
sometimes taking the shortest trail homewards. On one of these trips, the 
boat arrived at New Orleans soon after the battle had Ijeen fought and won 
bv fieneral Jackson, but in time for the crew to participate in the prevailing 
enthusiasm, and gather incidents of the fighting. While footing it home by 
a trail leading through Nashville, the party made up a song, replete with 
humor, laudatory to General Jackson and the Americans, and belittling to 
Lord Packingham and the P)ritish. On arriving at Nashville Stone tank-ed 
up to a hilarious condition, celebrating the occasion of his arrival b}- singing 
the song on the streets, and attracting unusual attention. As Tennessee was 



iNn. 



323 



largely represented in that battle, the song naturally created much enthusiasm 
as well as amusement. The Legislature being then in session. Stone was 
brought to an informal meeting of the members, the sole object being to hear 
the song repeated. Stone's version of his reception was that he captured 
the whole crowd tooth and toe-nail, and was feasted and treated and sent 
home to his wife Polly in a stage coach. And he ever afterward asserted 
that he was the only keel-lioatman ever entertained by a state Legislature. 

As time rolled on Indians disappeared from the shores, or became 
friendly. Traffic on the river increased, flatboats, sometimes called broad- 
horns, succeeded keel-boats, because they were more economical. They were 
built for the down trip only, and in such a manner that they might be taken 
apart and sold with the cargo. The flatljoat was a square bowed, square 
sterned box, like a scow, from twenty to eighty feet long. In its construction 
large timl>ers were used for gunwales, one for each side, curved upwards 
on the ends, and fastened together with strong cross timbers. The bottom 
was made by fastening heavy planks across from gunwale to gunwale, and 
tightly caulking the seams to prevent leaking. On this solid part of the boat 
or hull, a light freight house was built, in which to store the cargo. Upon 
the roof the oars were hung on iron oar pins, ready for use in landing, 
avoiding sandbars or the banks in short bends. In these flatboats the hay, 
grain, potatoes, salt pork and the like, produced in the upper country, so 
called, were floated to New Orleans, or peddled along the coast of the 
lower Mississippi river. Coal and salt boats were built in like manner, but 
with heavier timbers, and without housing or roofing. The early day coal- 
boats were from eighty to one hundred feet long, twenty feet wide and eight 
feet deep inside, with perpendicular sides and ends, drawing when loaded about 
si.x feet of water. They floated in pairs, lashed together and were kept in 
the channel with ten oars, three on each side called sweeps, two on the stem 
ends, one on each boat, called steering oars, two on the bows called gougers. 
These double boats required a crew of eighteen men, which was increased to 
twenty-one in passing the Falls. Single boats in passing the Falls required 
thirteen hands including the pilot and assistants. Later on coal boats were 
enlarged to one hundred and eighty feet long, twenty-four to twenty-six feet 
wide and ten feet deep, drawing when loaded eight feet of water, leaving only 
two feet above water all around. They held twenty-five thousand or more 
bushels of bituminous coal, of nearly nine hundred tons weig'ht. Conse- 
quently they were unwieldy and difficult to handle. During high stages of 
water they were taken safely over the Falls in pairs, but on scant coal-boat 
water were taken singly. But coal fleets generally came down the river on 
the crest of high water and such as were destined for markets below were 
rushed over with the least possible delay. One pilot, H. S. Barnaby, is 
reputed to have taken over twelve pairs in one day, earning fees amounting- 



3^4 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

to one hundred and twenty dollars. This record, however, was made at a 
favorable time in June, 1855. There was plenty of water, but falling fast. A 
large fleet of all kinds of flat bottom boats was passing, and so anxious were 
boat owners to get over while the Falls water lasted that they crowded into 
the channel, following the leaders so closely that, at times, it looked to ob- 
servers, like inviting destruction, but good luck was with them and the day 
passed without accident. A gentleman now living here drove Mr. Barnaby's 
buggy to Clarksville to meet him, from daylight until dark that day. He 
says that Mr. Barnaby would jump into the buggy at Clarksville, take the 
whip and lines and drive back at a furious pace to catch another pair of 
boats opp<5site the town, making the round trip in less than an hour. At 
this rate his day's work netted him ten dollars an hour. 

The number of boats of all kinds going over the Falls, and the necessity 
of capable men piloting them gave the business a more than ordinary im- 
portance. River talk in those days was on every tongue. The interesting 
topics discussed were prospective rises, falls, water, character and efficiency 
of pilots, the treacherous currents and eddies, obstructions in the Falls, like 
Ruble rock, Aleck rock, \\'ave rock. Willow Point rock and Old Enoch. 
Ruble rock was considered the most dangerous : it was dreaded by owners, 
pilots and crew at certain stag'es of water. It lay under the surface, almost 
in the middle of the channel, a little below where the Louisville Railroad 
bridge now crosses to Fourteenth street. It could not be located accurately 
when the river was low by the waves and eddies caused by the resistance to 
the current. A generally credited report says that a Mr. Ruble was the owner 
of the first boat wrecked by striking it, hence the name of Ruble rock. It is 
also said that the names Aleck and Enoch rocks were attained for like causes. 
Aleck rock lay some five hundred feet below Ruble, on the left of the channel, 
projecting out into the chute, but not dangerous in low water as the channel 
then receded from it. Wave rock, about half a mile below, reached out some 
five hundred feet from the backbone side, causing the channel to turn sharply 
to the right, and creating the upper part of the Whirlpool bend. Willow 
Point rock, just below Wave rock, reached out from the Indiana side, about 
one hundred yards beyond the point of Wave rock, causing the channel to 
turn again sharply to the left, thus completing the Whirlpool bend. Some 
distance below this Enoch rock lay on the left of the channel. All of these 
then dangerous rocks have been removed under the supervision of the United 
States engineers. 

In order to understand just how a flatboat passed through the Falls, you 
should imagine yourself in a position to follow one over with the eye. The 
boat is turned out into the channel from the harbor above, pilot, steersman, 
and oarsmen are aboard, the pilot assumes command and stations himself on 
deck in full view of the steersman and crew, and facing the head of the chute ; 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 325 

from there he indicates to the steersman the cotu'se to liokl the boat with his 
rig'ht and left hands. The propeUing oars are stoutly manned and vigorously 
plied to give the boat steering momentum. As she approaches the head of 
the chute she is held for the deepest water, which is m the left of the channel. 
She enters the chute speeding along with a ten or thirteen mile current, and, 
bearing a little to the left, with lively help of the oars, safely passes the danger- 
ous Ruble rock, then bearing a little to the rig'ht she avoids Aleck rock, then 
a little to the left again to avoid the Little Eddy, she glides swiftly down 
\\'hirlpool point, where the current turns sharply to the right and carries her 
on past the point of Wave rock into the \Miirlpool bend, where with active 
help she swings around the point and heads toward the Kentucky shore, now 
bearing up to the left to keep off Willow Point rocks which reached out from 
the Indiana side, she rushes past these and swings sharply around to the right 
again and is carried down into the Big Eddy, and into serene waters nearly 
opposite to old Clarksville, where the Falls crew leave her after a successful 
run of nearly a mile and a half. 

Long before keel-boating had been relegated to the limbo of the past 
steamboats had become common. The earliest steam-boats came from Pitts- 
burg. The first steamboat to navigate the Ohio was one named the "New 
Orleans" and upon her first trip down the river she passed by Utica, between 
nine and ten o'clock at night, in October. 1811, creating much alarm. After 
she had passed, the reality appeared more like a dream. On her arrival off. 
Louisville, about 12 o'clock, the boat in letting off steam brought many 
people from their beds to witness the novel sight. The general impression 
was that a comet had fallen from the heavens into the Ohio. This boat 
made two trips between Louisville and Pittsburg, and then went south to stay. 
The New Orleans was built by Robert Fulton and Robert Livingstone, at 
Pittsburg. She had low pressure engines and was a little over three hundred 
tons. The next steamboat to pass down the river was the Comet. She was a 
stem-wheel boat of forty-five tons, built at Pittsburg by Daniel French. She 
was equipped with his patent vibrating cylinder and was considered a wonder. 
She made the voyage to Louisville in the summer of 18 13 and to New Orleans 
in the spring of 1814. After this she made two voyages to Natchez, and was 
then sold. 

The third steamboat to pass down the river was named the "Vesuvius." 
She was a boat of about three hundred and ninety tons and was built at Pitts- 
burg. She passed down the river in 1814, bound for New Orleans. The 
fourth steamboat was the Enterprise, a boat of forty-five tons, built at Bridge- 
port, on the Monongahela river by Daniel French. • She made tw^o voyages 
to the Falls of the Ohio in the summer of 1814. On May 6, 181 5, she left 
Pittsburg and reached Shippingsport May 30th (the same year), making the 
unprecedented time of twenty-five days. She was the first steamboat to come 



326 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

from New Orleans to tlie Falls of the Ohio. The fifth steamboat to visit our 
shores was the Aetna, three hundred and sixty tons, one hundred and fifty- 
three and one-half feet long, twenty-eight feet beam and 9 feet hokl. She 
was built at Pittsburg by Fulton and Livingstone and came down the river 
in 1 81 5. The sixth steamboat was the Dispatch, twenty-five tons; the sev- 
enth was the Buffalo, three hundred tons ; the eighth was the James Alonroe, 
ninety tons; the ninth was the Washington, four hundred tons. The W'ash- 
ington was the first boat to have her boilers on the main deck instead of in 
the hold. 

The success of these boats and the advantages of Jeffersonville as a boat- 
building location led to the establishment of a yard here as early as 1819. 
The first steamboat built here was the United States, and she was launched 
this same year. She was owned by a ilr. Hart and others and was reported 
as being undoubtedly the "finest merchant steamboat in the universe." She 
had two separate engines which were built in England and drew but little 
water but was capable of carn-ing three thousand bales of cotton. She was 
one hundred and eighty feet long, forty foot beam and of seven hundred tons. 
In this same year another yard was established in Clarksville, and four boats 
were building there boats of from sixty to two hundred tons. ^Ipst of the 
timber for these craft was cut from the banks of upper Silver Creek and 
floated down by freshets. 

As all steamboats burned wood in those days the establishment and main- 
tenance of wood yards along the river was a necessity and. until the adoption 
of coal as a fuel the wood business was a large and important industry. 

One of the early boat-builders of Clark county was Barzillai A\'illey, who 
lived near Silver Creek near Memphis. He was one of the earliest settlers 
there and was a great mill builder. He built a sixty-foot boat on his farm 
in 1813 or 1814 and floated her to the river on a freshet where he sold her. 
In 1824 he furnished a great deal of whip-sawed lumber to build a boat then 
on the stocks near the mouth of Silver creek. This boat was being constructed 
by a genius who conceived the idea that he could propel her by means of lay- 
ing a steam pipe over her stern and allowing the steam to escape through it 
into the water. The three French brothers, William, George and Henry, en- 
gaged in boat building in Jeffersonville in 1829, and turned out several ver>' 
fine boats, among which were the Diana, a side-wheeler, the Edward Shippen, 
a side-wheeler, the Louisiana and several others. Their yard was below the 
present Howard plant. The French plant was in existence for a number of 
years, and these boat builders ranked veiy high in steamboat construction. 
William was the genius ©f the family. 

In 183 1 or 1832 Robert C. Green had a small yard at the upper end of 
the citv, where he made a few boats, but did not continue the business long. 
Green started a foundry where the glass works were in the eighties, and paid 
more attention to making engines and machinery than to boat building. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 327 

The methods of work in those days were in great contrast to tlie methods 
now. Where a great deal of the timber used in the construction of steam- 
boats is transported by rail from a distance at present, all that used in the 
early days of steamboat building was rafted down the Ohio. For many years 
Alex Hanley and his sons furnished rafted timber to the How'ard yards, and 
it is a matter of interest to know that the timber received from the earliest 
days to the present time has all come from the same iocalit\- — the Big Sandy, 
the Guyandotte rivers, and Twelve Pole creek. The logs were taken from the 
river and sawed into lumber by the most primitive methods. Whipsaw'ing, 
as it was called, consisted of cutting the timber b}- hand power, using a long 
saw with a double handle on each end. The log was rolled mer a pit where 
one man below^ and one above drew the saw up and down until it was reduced 
to timber of the dimensions needed. 

Henry French and Peter Myers engaged in the lioat building business in 
1847, and turned out considerable good w^ork in the live years they were as- 
sociated. Air. French attended to the ship-yard while Afr. Alyers had charge 
of the saw-mill. The business was finally divided, Air. Alyers retaining the 
saw-mill, which he rented to French, Stratton and Logan, and some years 
later it burned. Logan, wdio was connected with the saw-mill, died and Strat- 
ton sold it to David S. Barmore in 1S64. The French yard turned out about 
twenty boats, but a complete list of names (ir dimensions is impossible to 
secure. Previous to the purchase of the lower boat plant by Barmore, Samuel 
King had come into control, but he retained it less thnn two years. 

As the construction of water craft in Jeffersonville continued and in- 
creased the importance of falls piloting likewise grew. To a person standing 
on the river bank any balmy day in the fifties, when the river was up to full 
boating stage, the scene was intensely interesting. More tlian two miles of 
the channel was in plain view, produce boats, high hay boats, low salt boats, 
and family scows, following each other in a long line leading into the Indiana 
chute. On every boat was alertness and activitv, along the shore pilots, 
steersmen and hands were hustling for trips, skiffs with crews were plying be- 
tween the line of boats and the shore, horses with boy riders and light wagons 
were hiu'rying to and from the landings to bring pilots and crews back for 
other trips. These activities, together with the eager crowds of onlookers, 
completed a panorama-like picture not soon to be forgotten by the eye witness. 

At such times when the river was full of boats, and all the pilots were 
busy, a few restless owners would turn out into the channel and follow boats 
known to be in charge of licensed pilots. It is probable that more would have 
done so, had their inclination to take the chance nnt been held in check by a 
clause in the cargo insurance policy, which required the presence of a licensed 
pilot on board. For some years the Jeffersonville Insurance Company issued 
policies for Falls risks. James Keigwin, Althanasius Wathen and 



328 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Other prominent citizens of the town, were the officers and owners of the 
stock. Its business office was in the building now occupied as the office of 
the superintendent of the Ferr}' Company, on Front street. 

Dangerous as the Falls were considered to be, few hves were lost by acci- 
dents to descending flatboats, only one is now recalled. In 1837 Leonard 
Bowman, while steering- for pilot William Bowman. \Aas thrown overboard 
and drowned. He was standing by the steering oar, the blade of which was 
caught in an eddy or strong undercurrent. He was a highly respected young 
man, and it is said that his was the largest attended funeral seen in the town 
up to that time. 

A much-talked-of incident occurred some years later. A coal-boat in go- 
ing over the Falls, struck Ruble rock and tore a hole in the bottom from bow 
to stern, letting the coal out and the water in. Cyrus \\^right was steer- 
ing. When he saw the coal disappearing, he realized that the boat could not 
float many minutes, so he unshipped his oar to have something to float on. 
After the boat disappeared he found only himself and Isaac Gaither on the 
oar. Mr. Gaither was a very pious man, a loud and stirring exhorter at Meth- 
odist revivals, and a tirm believer in the efficacy of prayer. He at once threw 
up his hands and began to call loudly on the Lord to save them. Mr. Wright 
was a very different character, he was a resolute man of action, and evidently 
thought that safety lay in their own exertions, and at once commenced pad- 
dling vigorously with both hands. On discovering that his companion was 
making no effort e.xcept to make his prayer heard above the roar of the Falls 
he became enraged and shouted to him to paddle. "Paddle, Gaither, paddle, 
damn you, paddle and pray afterwards." ^^'hen Gaither's fright somewhat 
subsided and the true situation dawned on him, he did paddle as vigorously as 
he had prayed, and the oar was run safely to shore. People who were in- 
timately acquainted with Mr. Wright credited him with language much more 
forcible than that here attributed to him. The others of the crew clung to 
floating planks and oars, and were rescued by fishermen who put out from 
the shore in skiffs. It was a very cold day in winter and their clothes froze 
on them soon after reaching the shore, and some of the weaker ones, being 
exhausted, were about to succumb to the cold, but Mr. Wright again arose 
to the occasion, and by vigorous swearing at them and pounding them in the 
back, kept them going, and they all reached town. His service as collector 
on the ferry boats for many years made him widely acquainted, and his free 
and unlimited use of adjectives on all occasions was alarming to the pious. 

It is obvious that the law making powers were at an early date called 
upon to regulate falls navigation by statute. The first act was passed by the 
Kentucky Legislature in 1707. The next act found on record is the territorial 
law adopted by the Governor and two judges of the territory of Indiana. 
September 24, 1803. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. 329 

Davis Floyd and John Owens, citizens of Clarksville, were appointed falls 
pilots December 14, 1803. nearly three months after Ihe adoption of that law. 
Charles and Reuben Sleade, brothers, were appointed at a later date — they 
were known to be falls pilots in 18 10. 

The first state law was enacted by the General Assembly and approved 
February 7. 1825. By this act the number of pilots authorized was increased 
to four, who were required to each execute a bond in the sum of five thousand 
dollars. The pilotage fees were fixed at three dollars for a flatboat. except 
for family boats under thirty feet in length, for which two dollars should be 
charged. It provided for a fine of ten dollars for lefusal by an authorized 
pilot to take a boat over on tender to'him of the lawful fee. and a fine of twenty 
dollars for taking a boat over by an unauthorized person, except he be the 
owner. The pilots commissioned under this law. so far as ascertained, were 
Charles Sleade. Andrew Fite. Alexander \^'elch and John ^\'eathers. 

Later on another general law concerning falls piloting was passed — see 
revised statutes 1843. By this act the number of pilots authorized was in- 
creased to six. The fees were slightly changed, the same character of bond 
was required, the same forfeitures and penalties for violation of the law were 
re-enacted: also an additional clause that provided for forfeiture or license 
for wilfull neglect of duty, or removal from the vicinity of the Falls, and for 
demanding a greater fee than that fixed by law. 

\\'illiam Bowman, Charles Sleade. William Patrick. John Morgan. Thom- 
as Powell, Samuel Cash, Angel Gill and Moody Dustin are remembered as 
Falls pilots acting under that law. 

Another general law on the subject passed the General Assembly on June 
15, 1852. By this act the Governor was authorized to appoint eight falls pilots 
for terms of four years each, and it provided that the fees for pilotage should 
be fixed by the Board of Clark County Commissioners. 

A complete list of the pilots appointed under the act of 1852 is as follows: 
Aaron P. Sleade. April 28. 1853: John Lanceskes. April 28. 1853. re-appoint- 
ed March 25. 1861 : Charles Friend. April 28, 1853. re-appointed November 
13- 1857. and June 9. 1863: Angel Gill. April 28. 1853. re-appointed October 
20. 1857: David M. Dryden. April 28. 1853. re-appointed May 7. 1859. and 
June 9, 1863; H. S. Barnaby, April 28. 1853. re-appointed May 7. 1857: M. 
W. Veach. April 28. 1853: Moody Dustin. April 28. 1853. re-appointed May 
7, 1857 and June 9. 1863 : Samuel Cash. March 6, 1854: Joslan Reeder. April 
30. 1857; Thomas Patterson,. April 30. 1857: John Gibbs. October 20. 1837: 
George W. Lampton. ]March 5. 1858. reiappointed Alarch 6. 1862: Thomas 
Grey. !March 5. 1859: John Lefevre. April 16. 1861. re-appointed November 
30. 1865: CalVin Cook. March 4. 1862: W. H. H. Taylor. Alarch 3. 1863: 
Solomon Partlow. April 30, 1865 : \\'. B. Cox and Samuel Knight in i86g. 
Fountain Harness in 1873. Pern.- Gaither in 1873 ^""^ ^^/^ ^'""^ 1882: John 



330 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Onion, ]\larch i, 1874: Levi Reeder, March. 1874. and ?\Iarcli 8. 1878: W. 
B. Carter in 1874 and John H. Hoffman in 1874. 

The conditions are now so changed that any state law concerning falls 
piloting is absolutely useless. No more flatboats are passed over the Falls by 
pilots licensed by the state. Powerful towboats, owned by capitalized com- 
binations, now handle all the coal boats and barges and other heavy products, 
over the Falls or through the canal, guided by the towboats' pilots, who obtain 
license from inspectors who are authorized to issue in accordance with laws 
of Congress. And the produce that in times past floated to Southern markets 
has been diverted from the river to the railroads, or is carried by steamboats. 
The old Falls pilots were a sturdy lot of men, and their occupation was one 
that called for a high class of efficiency, and the value of the cargoes and lives 
entrusted to their care bespeaks for them a reputation in their wurk the 
peer of any. 

THE HOWARD SHIP YARDS. 

The history of steamboat construction in Clark county is to a great extent 
the Iiistory of the Howard yards. James Howard, the founder of this great 
industry, was born near Manchester, England, September i. 1814, and emi- 
grated with his father, mother and brother. Daniel, to the New World, in 
1819, landing in Brooklyn. In 1820 the family tra\eled overland to W'hed- 
ing, West Virginia, where they embarked on a flatboat for the city of Cincin- 
nati, arriving there late that year. James worked for his father in wool-card- 
ing and cloth-dressing until he was fifteen years old. and then for a short 
time in the ship-yard of William Gordon. He was afterward apprenticed to 
\\illiam Hartshorn, a steamboat builder, to learn the trade of ship carpenter, 
and applied himself with such assiduity to his work that he was able to draft 
a boat when he was only nineteen vears of age. After spending four vears 
with his master he came to Louisville and succeeded in getting a contract to 
build a boat. Jeffersonville offering- the most available location to meet his 
needs he established his yard on a small tract of land at the foot of Mechanic 
street. Here he laid the keel for his first boat and she was finished in 1S34. 
She was named the "Hyperion," and was built to run on the Chattahoochee 
river in Alabama. She was a side-wheeler, one hundred and seven feet long, 
eighteen feet beam and eight feet hold, Captain Leonard. At that time and in 
fact for many years afterwards, the hull was the only part built by the con- 
tractor, the upper work and engines being separate contracts. During the 
years 1834 and 1835 he built two more boats — the "Black Locust." a center- 
wheel ferry Ixiat, for the Jeffersonville & Louisville Ferry Company, and the 
"Tecumseh." a side-wheel boat one hundred and fifteen feet long, sixteen feet 
beam and five feet hold for the Arkansas river trade. Tn 1836 he moved his 
plant to Madison, where he built sixteen boats, but he discontinued the busi- 



!' 




HOWARD 




VARUS. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



331 



ness there in 1844, and ran on the river until 1846. The boats which he built 
at Madison are as follows : 

Iixington — a side-wheeler, built for Captain Brown. 

Livingstone — a side-wheeler. 

Hard Times — a barge one hundred and ten feet long, nineteen feet beam 
and six feet hold. 

Natchez — a barge, same size as Hard Times. 

Argo — a side-wheel steamboat for Kentucky river trade. 

Robert Fulton — a side-wheel steamboat of two hundred and fiftv tons 
burden, very fast. 

Montezuma — a side-wheel steamboat, one hundred and fifty feet long, 
twenty-eight feet beam and six and one-half feet hold, and nine others whose 
names are lost. 

In 1846 he established a yard at Shippingsport, but met with such loss 
in the great flood of 1847 that he moved his plant to the upper end of Louis- 
ville. While at Shippingsport he built six boats as follows : 

Courier — a side-wheel steamboat. 

Mobile — a steamboat. 

Major Barber — a steamboat. 

General Jessup — a side-wheel steamboat, for the United States Govern- 
ment, one hundred and fifty feet long. 

Lavaca — a side-wheel snag boat one hundred and thirty feet long. 

James Hewett, a side-wheel steamboat two hundred feet long. 

His yard in the upper end of Louisville was about opposite Spring street, 
in Jeffersonville, and has held in partnership with John Enos. Enos 
died within four or five months and James Howard returned to Jeffersonville, 
the scene of his first venture and success, sixteen years previously. Daniel, 
his brother, had become interested with him at this time, and was left on the 
"Point" to finish such boats as were on the stocks, and saw up such timber 
as might remain, while James took charge of the new work being started in 
Jeffersonville. The work on the "Point," all told, consisted of seven or eight 
boats for southern rivers and wdien they were completed the yards there 
were discontinued. 

The location of his new yard in Jeffersonville is still the scene of active 
and progressive boat building, and with the exception of about two years at 
the beginning of the War of the Rebellion, has added its yearly quota of 
■water craft to the great rivers of the \Vest. In 1848. his first year at his 
new location, he built five boats as follows : 

Emperor, a side-wheel steamboat, two hundred and forty feet long, thir- 
ty-one feet beam and seven feet hold. 

Louisiana, a steamboat two hundred and forty feet long, thirty-one feet 
beam and seven feet hold, for Captain Cannon. 



^T)2 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Mary Foley, a steamboat two hundred feet long, thirty-one feet beam 
and seven feet hold. 

Prairie Bird, a ferry boat one hundred feet long, thirty feet beam and 
four feet, six inches hold. 

A dredge boat to be used in the canal. 

In 1849. Daniel Howard became a member of the firm, and during that 
year the following boats were built : 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

St. Charles 230 ft. o in. 3 1 ft. / in. 7 ft. o in. 

Isabella 175 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Falcon 220 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Fanny Smith 220 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Lexington 220 ft. o in. 32 ft o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

In 1850 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Empress (L.) igo ft. o in. 29 fi. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Helen (L.) 180 ft. o in. 26 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Cuba (L.) 180 ft o in. 29 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Music (L.) 175 ft- o in. 29 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Blue Wing 150 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

John Simpson 180 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Wade Allen (L.) i75 ft- o in. 24 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Terre Bonne (L.) 120 ft. o in. 24 ft o in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

S. W. Downs (L.) I75 ft- o in. 28 ft. 6 in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Swan 170 ft. o in. 28 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

L'nited States Survey No. i. 
United States Sun^ey No. 2. 

During this year the last of the boats contracted for under the old partner- 
ship with John Enos were finished, those marked "L." in the above list 
having been constructed in Louisville. In i8qi the following boats were built : 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Lucy McConnell 100 ft. o in. 28 ft. o in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

Glendy Burk 245 ft. o in. 33 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Southern Belle 240 ft. o in. 31 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Frank Lvon 200 ft. o in. 31 ft- o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Peter Dalman 200 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 7 ft. 6 in. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

W. B. Clifton 225 ft. o in. ^t, ft. o in. 

Trinity 1/5 ft. o in. 28 ft. o in. 

Doctor Smith 120 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Kate Sweeney 100 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

In 1852 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. 

Brunett 180 ft. o in. 29 ft. 6 in. 

Octavia 180 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Sallie San 180 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Jennie Beale 185 ft. o in. 31 ft. o in. 

Magnolia 180 ft. o in. 31 ft. o in. 

H. yi. Wright 210 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Messenger 180 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Sam Dale 210 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Athey Watchen, c'ter- wheel 150 ft. o in. 40 ft. o in. 

Francis 1 50 ft- o in. 28 ft. o in. 

Empress 280 ft. o in. 34 ft. o in. 

W. P. Sweeney 170 ft. o in. 29 ft. o in. 

In 1853 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. 

Geo. A\\ Jones 1 10 ft. o in. 29 ft. o in. 

S. S. Prentice 180 ft. o in. 29 ft. o in. 

Southerner 240 ft. o in. 34 ft. o in. 

Gopher 1 10 ft. o in. 29 ft. o in. 

C. B. Junior 200 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Runaway, stem-wheel 125 ft. o in. 26 ft. o in. 

Alice W. Glaze 140 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Josiah H. Bell 180 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 

Lucv Belle 180 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Ceres 185 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Atakapas 180 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

James H. Lucas 230 ft. o in. 35 ft. o in. 

In 1854 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. 

Fanny Bullitt 245 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 

Rainbow 235 ft. o in. 35 ft. o in. 



333 

6 ft. 6 in. 

6 ft. o in. 

5 ft. o in. 

6 ft. 6 in. 



Hold. 


6 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


6 in. 


8 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


ni. 


7 ft. 


6 in. 


5 ft. 


6 in. 


5 ft. 


6 in. 


7 ft. 


6 in. 


6 ft. 


in. 



Hold. 

6 ft. 6 in. 

7 ft. o in. 
6 ft. o in. 

6 ft. 6 in. 

7 ft. 6 in. 

5 ft. o in. 
7 ft. O in. 
7 ft. 6 in. 

6 ft. o in. 

7 ft. o in. 
7 ft. o in. 
7 ft. o in. 



Hold. 
7 ft. o in. 

7 ft. O in. 



o in. 


40 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


6 in 


o in. 


35 ft- 


in. 


8 ft. 


in 


o in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in 


o m. 


30 ft. 


m. 


5 ft- 


m 


o m. 


32 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in 



334 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Ben Franklin 300 ft. 

Capital 235 ft. 

National 170 ft. 

Marion 130 ft. 

David Tatum 230 ft. 

In 1855 the following boats were bnilt: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length 

P. C. Wallis 160 ft. Gin. 

Barge 130 ft. o in. 

John Tompson, stern-wheel 160 ft. o in. 

Victoria 140 ft. o in. 

R. S. Cobb 160 ft. o in. 

R. M. Patton, stern- wheel. . 160 ft. o in. 

Carrier 200 ft. o in. 

Scotland 225 ft. o in. 

Diamond, stern-wheel 155 ft. o in. 

In 1856 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. 

W. J. Eaton 220 ft. o in. 

John Warner 220 ft. o in. 

Dove 1 50 ft. o in. 

Princess, stern-wheel ^55 ft o '"- 

Pete Whetstone 225 ft. o in. 

Kate Howard 235 ft. o in. 

Woodford 250 ft. o in. 

Governor Pease 160 ft. o in. 

Tom Peacock 120 ft. o in. 

W^ R. Douglass 145 ft. o in. 

Col. Edwards 1 55 ft- o in. 

Silver Heels 180 ft. o in. 

The Kate Howard was built for Captain Moses Hilliard for the Missis- 
sippi river trade, and was named after the youngest daughter of her designer 
and builder, James Howard. 

In 1S57 the following bnats -were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Joe G. Smith 90 ft. o in. 28 ft. o in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

Twilight 215 ft. o in. 33 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 



Beam. 


Hold. 


32 ft. 


in. 


5 ft- 


6 in 


26 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in 


30 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


6 in 


30 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


30 ft. 


m. 


5 ft- 


6 in. 


33 ft- 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


35 ft- 


in. 


7 ft- 


6 in. 


40 ft. 


in. 


5 ft- 


6 in. 


Be; 


m. 


■ Hold. 


35 ft- 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


5 ft- 


6 in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


3 ft- 


6 in. 


38 ft. 


in. 


7 ft- 


6 in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


35 ft- 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


32 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


31ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


29 ft. 


in. 


5 ft- 


6 in. 



J 



BAIRD S HISTOKV OF CLARK CO., IND. 



335 



Barge 150 ft. 

Barge 150 ft. 

Alonzo Child 236 ft. 

Southwester 220 ft. 

New Orleans, center wheel. 120 ft. 
JefifersGn, center wheel. ... 120 ft. 

Diana 275 ft. 

Music 190 ft. 

Platte Valley 226 ft. 

John D. Perry 220 ft. 



m. 


26 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


in. 


26 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


in. 


38 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


in. 


m. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


m. 


20 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


in. 


37 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


6 in. 


m. 


35 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


in. 


in. 


33 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


in. 


32 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 



In 1858 the following boats were bnilt: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. 

St. Francis 160 ft. o in. 29 ft. o in. 

Rescue (stern wheel) 100 ft. o in. 24 ft. o in. 

Aline (center wheel) 120 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Judge Porter 140 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

Grand Duke 205 ft. o in. 38 ft. o in. 

In 1859 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. 

D. F. Kenner 215 ft. o in. 37 ft. o in. 

Laurel Hill 200 ft. o in. 38 ft. o in. 

Lafourche 185 ft. in. 34 ft. o in. 

Bayou City 165 ft, o in. 28 ft. o in. 

John M. Sharp ^55 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

J. D. Swain 150 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 

James ^^'ood 257 ft. o in. ^y ft. o in. 

In i860 the following boats were built: 



Hold. 
6 ft. o in. 
4 ft. o in. 
6 ft. o in. 
6 ft. o in. 
8 ft. o in. 



Hold. 

8 ft. o in. 

8 ft. o in. 

7 ft. 6 in. 

5 ft. o in. 

5 ft. 6 in. 

6 ft. o in. 

7 ft. o in. 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. 

Isaac Bowman 160 ft. o in. 

Mary T 185 ft. o in. 

Little Sallie (stern wheel) .. too ft. o in. 

Memphis 260 ft. O in. 

Arcadia 188 ft. O in. 

J. F. Paragould 234 ft. o in. 

Robert Campbell 236 ft. o in. 

John A. Cotton 248 ft. o in. 



Beam. 


Ho 


lid. 


3Q ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


6 in. 


34 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in 


23 ft. 


in. 


3 ft. 


6 in. 


38 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


in 


35 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


m. 


38 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in. 


41 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


48 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in. 



;i;^6 baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 

In 1 86 1 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side- wheel. Length. Beam. 

Major Anderson 245 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 

In 1862 the following boats were built : 



Hold. 
S ft. 6 in. 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

General Buell 248 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

Wren 150 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

Ruth 273 ft. o in. ■ 46 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

James Thompson I55 ft. o in. 3,7 ^i- o in. 5 ft. o in. 

In 1863 the following boats were built : 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Julia 241 ft. o in. 41 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Olive Branch 283 ft. o in. 42 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Bostona No. 3 240 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

Tarascon 249 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Blue Wing No. 3 150 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

In 1864 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Ida Handy 258 ft. o in. 45 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Morning Star 250 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Ruth No. 2 300 ft. o in. 49 ft. o in. 9 ft. 6 in. 

Wharf Boat 200 ft. o in. 50 ft. o in. 5 ft. o in. 

This wharf boat is still used in 1909 as a landing place for the Cincin- 
nati and LouisN'ille packet boats at the foot of Fourth avenue in Louisville. 

In 1865 James Howard took into the firm with him his younger brother, 
John C. Howard, and his son, Edmund J., as partners, the firm becoming 
James Howard & Co. This year there were built : 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Virginia 226 ft. o in. 42 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

North Missouri 160 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

In 1866 the following boats w'ere built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Stonewall 224 ft. o in. 42 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Galveston (a barge) 120 ft. o in. .25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Belle of Memphis 260 ft. o in. 40 ft. 6 in. 7 ft. o in. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



337 



Birdie Brent (center \vheel).ii2 ft. o in. 
William Dwyer (a barge) 126 ft. o in. 
W'm. R. Johnson (a barge). 126 ft. o in. 
Jessie (center wheel) .... 132 ft. o in. 
H. M. Shreve 198 ft. o in. 



35 ft. o in. 

25 ft. o in. 

25 ft. o in. 

35ft. Gin. 

35 ft. o in. 



In 1867 the following boats were built: 



4 ft. 6 in. 
6 ft. o in. 
6 ft. o in. 

5 ft. o in. 

5 ft. 6 in. 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Dove No. 2 (stern wheel) .. 1 16 ft. o in. 26 ft. o in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

Governor Allen 217 ft. o in. 40 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Early Bird 125 ft. o in. 23 ft. 6 in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

Frank Paragould 255 ft. o in. 41 ft. o in. 9 ft. o in. 

In 1865 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Belle of Alton 227 ft. o in. 35 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

E. St. Louis (center-wheel). 175 ft. o in. 53 ft- o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Thomas M. Bagley 166 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Trade Palace (screw prop.). 150 ft. o in. 30 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

St. Frances No. 3 172 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

In 1869 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Ben Franklin, No 2 255 ft. o in. ^j ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Gladiola (stern-wheel) ....136 ft. o in. 34 ft. o in. 4 ft. 6 in. 

La Belle 176 ft. o in. 35 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Texas (stern-wheel) 135 ft. o in. 35 ft- o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Trenton (stern-wheel) ....130 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 4 ft. o in. 

Big Sunflower (stem) ....125 ft. o in. 28 ft. o in. 4 ft. o in. 

Texarkana (stern) 135 ft. o in. 33 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

In 1870 the followins: boats were built: 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Idlewild 214 ft. o in. 35 ft. o in. 5 ft. 6 in. 

Grand Tower (stern) 265 ft. o in. 42 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Ch.erokee (stern) 131 ft. o in. 32 ft. o in. 4 ft. o in. 

City of Vicksburg 265 ft. o in. 42 ft. o in. 8 ft. o in. 

Diana 165 ft. o in. t,- ft- o in. 6 ft. o in. 

22 



338 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

City of Chester 241 ft. o in. 38 ft. o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Jessie Taylor (stern) 156 ft. o in. 37^^- o in. 7 ft. o in. 

Howard ( a barge) 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

The James Howard was a side-wheel steamboat, three hundred eighteen 
feet in length with fifty-four feet beam and ten feet hold. This magnifi- 
cent creation was one of the wonders of her day. She was the largest in- 
land steamboat ever built up to or since her time. The steamer James 
Howard was a boat of three thousand four hundred tons. To the 
un-'nitiated in the mysteries of tonnage these figures may mean but little. l>ut 
when we learn that the Cit}- of Louisville and the City of Cincinnati, the 
present mail boats between Louisville and Cincinnati, are less than one tlmu- 
sand tons, the size of the James Howard may be better understood. She was 
launched on October 8. 1870, and when finished ran in the New Orleans and 
St. Louis trade. The total cost of this boat and her equipment was one 
hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. The launching of the James 
Howard was viewed by thousands of spectators, all drawn to the yards to 
witness the plunge of this leviathan into the bosom of the Ohio. 

The contrast between this vessel and those of earlier times, which were 
in every particular frail and inferior boats, was like that which exists between 
the ocean greyhounds of today and the ships of forty or fifty years ago. The 
genius of a McKay, a Steers, a Cramp and a Webb invoked the change which 
is seen on the ocean ; and the talents of a Howard have worked a like trans- 
fonnation on our mighty inland rivers. If by the first our foreign commerce 
has been enlarged and enriched, so by the second our domestic commercial 
interchanges have been promoted and made of increased value. The steamer, 
James Howard, still stands as the highest type of steam boat construction, and 
it was fitting that she should bear the name of the master-builder of western 
waters. During this year the following additional boats were built : 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length Beam. Hold. 

John Howard ' 170 ft. o in.' 40 ft. o in. 6 ft. 6 in. 

Bayou City (a barge) .... 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Paul (a barge) 90 ft. o in. 24 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

James Wathen (center) .... 150 ft. o in. 37 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

bi.xie (a barge) 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Li 1871 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. Beam. Hold. 

Houston, a barge 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Otter, a barge 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Ferrv, a barge 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 

Beaver, a barge 125 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 6 ft. o in. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



339 



Lee, a barge 125 ft. o in. 

Rush, a barge 125 ft. o in. 

Grey Eagle, a barge §5 ft- o in. 

Tarascon, a barge 85 ft. o in. 

Grey Eagle, side-wheel .... 238 ft. o in. 

Wharf boat 225 ft. o in. 

Lizzie, side-wheel 165 ft. o in. 

City of Helena, side-wheel 266 ft. o in. 

Rlaiy. stern-wheel 146 ft. o in. 

John Howard, stern-wheel. . 181 ft. o in. 
Barge 100 ft. o in. 

In 1872 the following boats were built: 



25 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


25 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


18 ft. 


in. 


4 ft- 


in. 


18 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


38 ft- 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


45 ft- 


m. 


5 ft. 


oin. 


35 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


0' in. 


42 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in. 


34 ft- 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


20 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 



Boat — Side-wheel. Length. 

Concordia 86 ft. o in. 

Barge 120 ft. o in. 

Wharf Boat 150 ft. o in. 

Barge 210 ft. o in. 

Barge 2 10 ft. o in. 

R. T. Brierly, stern-wheel 150ft. oin. 

Wharf Boat 1 50 ft. o in. 

James S. Bramsford, stern. . 150 ft. oin. 

Longfellow, stern 1 12 ft. o in. 

Little Fayette, a barge 130 ft. o in. 

In 1873 the following boats were built: 

Boat — Side-wheel. Length. 

Atlanta, a barge 160 ft. o in. 

Dolphin, stern-wheel 135 ft. o in. 

Barge No. i 90 ft. o in. 

Barge No. 2 90 ft. o in. 

Barge No. 3 90 ft. o in. 

Three States, center 150 ft. o in. 

Pump Boat 45 ft- o in. 

Arch P. Green, stern-wheel no ft. oin. 

Barge No. 49 213 ft. o in. 

Barge No. 50 213 ft. o in. 

Z. M. Sherley, side-wheel. . 153 ft. oin. 
H. S. McComb. side-wheel.. 195 ft. oin. 
Little Nell, a barge 1 35 ft- o in. 



Beam. 


Hold. 


25 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


m. 


20 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


40 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


m. 


40 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in. 


33 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


36 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


ni. 


30 ft. 


m. 


4 ft. 


m. 


20 ft. 


m. 


4 ft. 


m. 


24 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 



Beam. 


Hold. 


35 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


m. 


23 ft. 


m. 


4 ft. 


m. 


18 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


18 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


18 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


35 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in. 


12 ft. 


m. 


3 ft. 


m. 


22 ft 


.0 in. 


3 ft. 


in. 


40 ft. 


in. 


8 ft. 


in. 


40 ft. 


. in. 


8 ft. 


. Gin 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


45 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


6 in. 



340 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



Red Cloud, stem-wheel. ... 176 ft. o in. 

John Howard, No. 3 barge. 137 ft. o in. 

B. H. Cook, stem-wheel. .. 151 ft. o in. 

Ida, screw propeller 71 ft. o in. 

In 1874 the following boats were built ; 



34 ft. 


in. 


.sft. 


in. 


27 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


30 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in. 


14 ft. 


in. 


/ft. 


6 in. 



Boat. Length. Beam. 

Barge 75 ft. o in. 16 ft. o in. 

Barge 75 ft. o in. 16 ft. o in. 

Barge 95 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 

Fawn, a stern-wheel 180 ft. o in. 34 ft. o in. 



In 1875 the following boats were built: 

Boat. Length. 

Porter White, a barge 135 ft. o in. 

Barge i35 ft. o in. 

Chicago, a barge I75 ft. o in. 

Barge I35 ft- o in. 

Barge 135 ft. o in. 

Barge 135 ft. o in. 

Barge 135 ft. o in. 

Jas. S. Morgan, side-wheel. 195 ft. o in. 

Bonnie Lee, stern 165 ft. o in. 

Rene McCready, side 140 ft. o in. 

Timmie Baker, stem 100 ft. o in. 

Assumption, stern 1 50 ft. o in. 

Kate Fisher, center 80 ft. o in. 

Barge 1 17 ft. o in. 

In 1876 were built the following boats: 



Boat. Length. Beam. 

Climax, stem-wheel 140 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 

\\'alker ^Morris, stern 96 ft. o in. 19 ft. o in. 

Robert E. Lee, side 306 ft. o in. 48 ft. o in. 

Yazoo Valley, stern 180 ft. o in. 36 ft. o in. 

C. W. Anderson, stem 160 ft. o in. 31ft. o in. 

Alberta 1 16 ft. o in. 25 ft. o in. 

E. B. Stahlman stem i45 ft. o in. 27 ft. o in. 



Hold. 
4 ft. O in. 

4 ft. o in. 
7 ft. o in. 

5 ft. o in. 



Beam. 


Hold. 


27 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


27 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


^7 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


5 ft. 


in. 


4.5 ft. 


in. 


7 ft. 


m. 


30 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


m. 


29 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


6 in, 


21 ft. 


in. 


3 ft. 


m. 


36 ft. 


in. 


6 ft. 


6 in. 


18 ft. 


in. 


3 ft. 


in. 


28 ft. 


in. 


4 ft. 


in, 



Hold. 

3 ft. o in. 

4 ft. o in. 
10 ft. o in. 

6 ft. 6 in. 

4 ft. 6 in. 

3 ft. 6 in. 

3 ft. o in. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 341 

On October 14. 1876, James Howard was drowned by his buggy backing 
off of the ferry boat. The ship yards were continued by his son and brother 
until 1888, when John C. Howard retired, leaving E. J. Howard in control 
of the industry'. The yards have continued to add their yearly quota of 
water craft to the great rivers of the West. Several contracts have been 
completed for boats in Central and South America, and the first large steam 
boats upon the Yukon river in Alaska were constructed at Howard's, 
knocked down and shipped to Dutch Harbor, where they were built and 
launched for the trade up that great river. 

The following is a list of steamboats built at the Howard ship yard 
since 1877: 

1877. 

Headlight, steamer 140x24x35^ 

Delner, steamer 136x26x4 

J. G. Fletcher, steamer 120x24x31/2 

Louis Hite, barge 100x20x4 1/4 

Allan Hite, barge 100x20x41/2 

Mattie Belle Hays, steamer 100x20x3!/^ 

J. Gumby Jordan, steamer 120x25x3,^/4 

Dora Cablar, steamer 155x30x4^4 

Fashion, steamer 220x36x5 

James Howard, schooner 1 10x263^x14 

Four barges. No. i, 2, 3, 4 iooxi8x3>4 

. wharf boat 100x20x5 

Barge 100x20x414 

Winnie, steamer 1 10x24x3^4 

James Guthrie, steamer 240.X36X6 

The schooner, James Howard, was built for the gulf trade and was a 
seaworthy, satisfactory vessel. 

1878. 

John W. Cannon, steamer 252x43x9^^ 

New Shallcross, steamer, ferry , . . 1 58x37x6 

Laura Lee, steamer 206X37.X7 

Jewel, steamer 174x33x5 

B. S. Rhea, steamer 162x36x4^4 

Barges, No. 5 and 6 85x20x3^4 

Ed Richardson, steamer 300x49x1 1 

1879. 

City of Greenville, steamer 281x46x954 

Barge for Gulf, light, Victor 11 5x27x7 



342 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

C. N. Davis, steamer 140x27x3 

City of Yazoo, steamer 20x38x7 

Rainbow, steamer 263x40x6 

William Fagin, steamer 165x35x5 

Charmer, steamer 185x34x6 

Jesse K. Bell, steamer 218x40x8 

Wash Gray, tug 87xi8x6>4 

WHiarf boat 1 50x36x5 

1880. 

Milwaukee, steamer 135x30x5 

Ferr}- boat, steamer 70x53x5 

Gus Fowler, steamer 160x29x5 

City of Providence, steamer 270x44x8 J4 

Concordia, steamer 90x25x5 

Joseph Henry, steamer 180x32x6 

Barge 165x32x7 

Alberta, steamer 1 50x28x4 

Barge 165x32x7 

Clyde, steamer 180x32x5 

Thomas D. Fite, steamer 150x29x4 

Belle of Memphis, steamer 265x42x8 J% 

Barge 195x32x6 

1881. 

W. Butler Duncan, steamer 200x45x7 

Jeff, ferry clock 1 12x22x4 J/^ 

Ella, steamer 150x28x3 

S. P. Ewald, steamer ' 1 50x30x4 J/^ 

City of Vicksburg, steamer 270x44x8^ 

J. P. Drouillard, steamer 165x31x5 

City of New Orleans 285x48x9 

City of Baton Rouge 285x48x9 

Barge . . . .- 100x20x5^/2 

Barge 1 10x20x5 J^ 

Derrick boat 60x30x35^ 

Crane boat (2 of these) 60x30x40 

City of Nashville, steamer 149x31x414 

Barge 203x36x554 

1882. 

City of Cairo, steamer 278x44x814 

Barge (2 of these) 135x27x6 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 343 

Charlie Depauw 125x23x4 

Landing- barge 95x18x5 

J. H. Hillman, steamer 149x29x3^/2 

Arkansas City, steamer 271x45x83/2 

J. G. Parker, steamer 140x28x4 

Two barges 1 35x26x6 

One barge 208x36x53/2 

S. H. Parrisot, steamer 225x41x7 2-3 

W. C. Hite, ferry boat 156x36x634 

W. H. Cherry, steamer 168x32x5 

Gulf Lighter 140x26x6 

Samuel J. Keith, steamer 160x32x5 

City of St. Louis, steamer 297x49x9 

Four barges 100x25x5 

1883. 

Alto, steamer 165x35x5 

Barge 100x25x5 

Eight pile drivers 80x20x4 

General GiloKire, steamer 140x28x4 

Barge 1 36x27x6 

Three barges 1 20x30x6 

Two barges 135x27x63/2 

Henry Sackman, steamer 220x46x6 

C. C. Greeley, ferry boat 160x46x6 

Barge '. 135x27x6 

Oceola, steamer 133x24x4 

Barge 135x27x6 . 

W. F. Nesbit, steamer 200x35x6 

Benton McMillan, steamer I55^33^'.S 

W. H. Osborn, transfer boat 285x45x7 

Lime boat 80x17x5 

1884. 

Barge • • ••. .• •• • ■ .200x24x5 

Pargoud, steamer 242x42x8 

Four barges , 140x277x6 

Alberta No 2, steamer 145x28x4 

Wharfboat. 



\l 



^j- 



City of Natchez, steamer 296x48x10 

John Smith, steamer 70x14x23/^ 



344 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Ferry boat, steamer 170x48x6^/4 

H. K. Bedford, steamer 148x27x4 

Alert, steamer 135x24x4 

Pump boat 50x14x3 

City of Owensboro, steamer 240x38x6 

Grace V., steamer 80x18x4 

Milton H. Smith, steamer 1 10x24x4 

Steamboat 52x22x2^4 

Steamboat 1 55x28x4^4 

Steamboat 130x26x5 

1886. 

Two barges 165x32x8 

Steamboat 125x25x5 

William Porter, steamer 1 50x28x4 J4 

B. F. Rhea, steamer 162x30x4^2 

Oliver Bierne. steamer 260x44x8 

John J. Brown, steamer 1 10x25x5 

Fanny Fern, steamer 135x31x5 

Wharf boat 1 50x32x5 

John Fowler, steamer 149x27x4 

Teche. steamer 190x38x6 

Blanche Cornwall, steamer 140x28x4 

1887. 

Coal float 140x28x2,1/4 

Mat F. Allen, steamer 160x28x4 

New South, steamer 254x42x7 

J. L. Stephens, steamer 102x28x4 

Roy Lynds. steamer 85x25x4 

Crystal City, steamer 230x40x7 

Pearl, steamer 140x22x31/2 

E. G. Ragon, steamer 165x3 1x4 i/S 

Barge 170x32x8 

City of Monroe, steamer 270x44x8 

Hallette, steamer 160x30x4 V2 

1 888. 

Barge 1 19x24x5 

Barge 1 55x30x6 

Crane boat 75x26x3 1/ 

Sunshine, ferry boat 170x36x5 




BUAT LAUNCH AT HOWARD'S SHIP YARD. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 345 

Two theater boats 150x35x5 

Three barges 1 20x28x7 

Wharf boat 1 50x25x4 

L. T. Armstrong 154x30x4 

Joe Fowler 180x32x5 

La Fourche. steamer 165x38x7 

Garland, steamer 160x30x43/ 

Two barges 1 25x20x4 

Paul Tulane, steamer 210x40x7 

New Idea 125x26x4 

Matt F. Dortch. steamer 160x30x3 

Barge 1 70x33x8 

1889. 

Boat Club House (Louisville) 100x30x4 

Florence, steamer 130x34x5 

Aid, tug 5 1 x 1 2x6 

Tell City, steamer 190x35x5 

Kate Adams, steamer 240x34x7 

Three barges 135x27x5 

Cook boat 120x21x3 

Coal float 55x20x4 

Rush, steamer 1 1 5x36x4 J^ 

Lady Lee, steamer 165x35x5 

E. B. ^^'heelock, steamer 160x30x43/ 

Two barges 1 20x20x4 

C. E. Satterlie, steamer 150x30x4 

City of Savannah, steamer 190x32x53/ 

Three barges 120x20x4 

Valley Queen 190x35x53/ 

Joe Trudeau, steamer 160x30x43/ 

1890. 

Janie Rea, steamer 1 10x23x3 

City of Hickman 285x44x9^^ 

Two barges 225x36x9 

Wharf boat 250x50x6 

Two barges 285x35x6^^ 

Rowena Lee, steamer 165x35x4 3/1 

Ouchita, steamer i85x38x6>^< 

City of Sheffield, steamer 180x35x5 

John W. Hart, steamer 165x28x4 



346 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Barge 120x28x6 

Josie, steamer 80x25x9 

Alex Perry, steamer 1 50x28x5 >/< 

Emily, steamer 90x32x3 

Barge 1 35x27x6 

Ora Lee, steamer 140x36x7 

Mabel Comeaux, steamer 178x36x6 

Natchez, steamer 225x40.^ 



)xe 



■2 



1891. 

H. L. Clarke, steamer 170x48x61/2 

Delta, steamer 226x45x7 

City of Jeffersonville, steamer 150x34^^x6 

City of Paducah, steamer 190x33x53/2 

George ]\Iedill, steamer 265x45x7 

Dolphin, steamer 1 50x30x4^/2 

Two barges 190x35x63-! 

Santa Fe, steamer 65x16x3 

T. P. Leathers, steamer 220x40x6^ 

Two barges 40x12x21/2 

Colbert, steamer 125x24x3 

Two barges 165x30x4 

1892. 

Grey Eagle, steamer 250x40x6 

Parlor City, steamer 125x26x4 

City of Peoria, steamer 130x26x4!/! 

Columbia, steamer 170x35x6 

Madison, steamer 1 50x44x6 

Landing Dock. 

Two coal floats 87x2 1x7 

W. K. Phillips, steamer 165x30x4 

Thomas Pickles, steamer 130x65x7 

Two coal floats 1 50x26x3 

City of New Albany , 225x35x6 

Ashland City, steamer 1 20x20x4 

Two coal floats 140x2 1x2 V2 

Barge , 240x22x5 

1893- 

Two barges 1 30x32x5 ^X 

Huntsville, steamer 125x24x4 

A. C. Church, steamer 120x49x6 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 347 

Crane boat 90x36x3 

Coal float 140x22x3 

City of Camden, steamer 1/5^35-^5 

Thirty-four barges 100x25x51/^ 

Help, tug 60x18x5 

Dredge boat 

City of Little Rock, steamer 145x28x4 

John Howard, steamer 180x37x6 

Shawnee, steamer 35x8x3 

P. D. Staggs, steamer 160x30x3 

Six barges. 

Four quarter-barges. 

1894. 

City of Louisville, steamer 300x42x7 

General Barrios 90x20x4 

Snag boat, steamer 1 16x24x3 

E. 'R. Andrews, steamer 165x32x5 

Barge 100x22x4 

Clyde, steamer i75>^33^5 

Ue Koven, steamer 220x36x6 

Four barges 200x3 1x6 

Imperial, steamer 210x40x7 

Four barges 135x28x5 

Fritz, steamer 120x26x4 

Four barges , 80x18x31/2 

1895- 

City of Warsaw, steamer ........,.,...,.,..., . 100x24x3 

Three barges ,,,.........,...,.,.......... 1 10x22x4 

Two scows. 

Three barges 200x37x7 

One dump scow 75x20x5 

Rose Hite, steamer 150x28x3^ 

General H. L. Abbott, steamer 170x32x5 

Will J. Cummings, steamer 160x30x4 

Four barges 135x28x5 

W. T. Scovell, steamer • 160x3 1 X3 

Two barges 100x20x4 

Patrol, steamer 130x30x5 

Charlie Kerlin, steamer 87x18x31% 

Barge .... .,. ....... .250x42x8 



348 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Wash Gray, tug- 90x18x8 

Two barges 1 10x24x31^ 

Tarascon, steamer 190x35x5 

1896. 

Verapas, steamer 90x18x3 

Two barges 85x18x2^ 

Barge. 

Major ]\IcKenzie, steamer 125x25x4^ 

El Peta, steamer 90x20x4 

Two barges 65x18x21/^ 

Steamer (tow-boat) 100x20x4 

Lookout, steamer 1 10x25x3 

Ollie, steamer 125x30x45^ 

Two barges 90x20x4 

Istrouma, steamer 150x30x5 

H. W. Buttorff, steamer 160x30x4 

Bluff City, steamer 225x42x6 

Eliza, steamer 1 10x25x3 

Dredge boat. 

1897. 

Jim T. Duffy, Jr.. steamer 120x26x4 

Colonel Gillespie, steamer 1 10x25x3 

Henry Haarstick. tug 1 15x22x10 

Dolphin No. 3, steamer 1 56x36x6^^ 

W. C. Hite, steamer 1 56x36x6j/^ 

Barge 230x28x7 

Andrew Christy 176x48x7^/ 

Bob Dudley • ' 157x28x31^ 

Barge 120x40x4 

Chiska, steamer 160x30x5 

Robert E Lee, steamer 245x43x6^4 

Tennessee, steamer 170x32x5 

Two scows. 

Two steel dredges i6ox40x6i/< 

Electra. steamer IZS^^.SS-'^S 

Sun Rise, steamer 180x36x5 

John ^^^ Thomas, steamer 160x26x3^/2 

James Lee, steamer 230x43x6^ 

1898. 

Belle of the Bends, steamer 210x32x6 

Cumberland, steamer 130x26x4 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 349 

Georgia Lee, steamer 2 10x43x6 

Julian Poydras, steamer 160x30x5 

City of Memphis, steamer 200x36x6 

Henry Harley, steamer 160x29x4 

Gem, steamer 135x28x4 

Two barges 100x20x3 

Kate Adams, steamer 240x40x7 

Arthur Hider, steamer 160x30x5 

America, steamer 200x38x7 

Richardson, steamer 165x30x4 

Greenwood, steamer 130x28x4 

Mary, steamer 177x32x43/2 

Boat House 70 

Landing Dock. 

1899. 

City of Cincinnati, steamer 307x41 x654 

Ouichita, steamer 140x32x4^4 

Red River, steamer 155x28x4 

Wharf boat 165x35x4 

Mary, steamer 100x24x3^4 

William R King, steamer 190x40x5 

Three steamboats (Government) i, 2, 3 100x24x4 

Two barges 1 60X32X 



J 



Two barges 100x20x7 

Six barges 200x33x6 

Peters Lee, steamer 220x42x6 

Rees Lee, steamer 220x42x6 

Bayless Lee, steamer 190x38x6 

Rowena Lee, steamer 190x38x6 

1900. 
Three barges. 

Lidiana, steamer 285x42x6 

Col. A. McKenzie, steamer 160x32x5 

Two barges 108x18x4 

M. W. Kelly, steamer 150x32x4 

Alma, steamer 1 55x32x4 

Two barges 1 10x22x4 

One barge 240x22x5 

E. T. Slider, steamer 1 10x24x33^ 

Six barges. 

Landing dock 60x20x3 



35° BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

I9OI. 

Tow boat 120x26x4 

Morning Star, steamer 22^x38x6 

J S., steamer 175-^37x5 

McClelland, steamer 150x38x41/! 

Barge 126x20x3^4 

Dredge boat 80x30x7 

Gold Dust, steamer 170x34x5 

Barge 175^-35^3 

Vega 104x18x314 

Steel Queen, steamer 125x28x4 

A. D. Allen, steamer 125x27x31/^ 

H. M. Carter, steamer 155x28x4 

G. W. Thomas, steamer 150x28x4 

Senator Cordill, steamer 170x34x5 

Sadie Lee, steamer 140x31x5 

1902. 

Boat House ' g2x22K2 ^4 

Landing dock. 

Stacher Lee. steamer 225x45x6 

City of Savannah, steamer 200x38x6 

Four barges 120x28x6 

Shiloh, steamer 190x30x6 

Life Saving Station. 

Beauregard, steamer 128x30x4 

Barge. 

Sand Digger. 

St. Genevieve, steamer 215x45x8 

Ferry boat 120x37x7 

1903. 
Derrick boat. 

Guntennlle. steamer 150x30x4 

Five barges 130x30x7 

Coal float. 

Steamboat 130x27x4 

Dredge boat. 

Lida, steamer 122x24x4 

John, steamer 90x20x3 

Henry, steamer 90x20x3 

Two derrick boats. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. .351 

Two mud SCOWS. 
Six barges. 

Columbia for (N. O.) steamer 170x30x4^4 

Barge 1 10x26x6 

Roberta, steamer 135x27x4 

Bob Blanks, steamer 175x35x5 

Handy, steamer 1 10x22x3 

Frank Hayne, steamer 130x26x4 

Ciiarlie Jutte, steamer 1 50x27x4 1^ 

1904. 

Two barges 1 50x30x5 

Derrick boat 140x40x5 

Barge 100x20x4 

H. St. L. Coffee, steamer 140x30x6 

Two barges 100x30x7 

Barge 120x28x6 

Barge 80x20x6 

Two barges 100x25x6 

Kentucky 175x33x41/$ 

Saltillo, steamer 200x36x6 

M E. Rea, steamer 40x10x3 

Steam ferr}- boat 100x27x4 

Barge 1 10x24x3 

Bowling Green, steamer 123x32x6 

Nugent, steamer 120x24x4 

A. Baldwin, steamer 125x30x7 

Three States, steamer 150x30x4^ 

Derrick boat 100x26x4 

1905. 

Scimitar, steamer 135x26x4 

L. H. Morero, steamer 1 19x30x7 

Jennie Barber, steamer 1 10x28x4 

\Miite Oak, steamer 90x18x3 

J. W. Thompson, steamer 125x30x5^4 

Barge 130x26x41/2 

Dredge boat. 

Five barges : 130x30x7 

One barge 70x16x4 

1906. 

Alton, steamer 240x38x6 

J. O. Cole, steamer 130x26x454 



352 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

J. O. Cole, Steamer 130x26x41/2 

Edenborn, steamer 145x31x5 

Two barges 120x28x6 

One dredge 130x30x6 

One barge 100x20x4 

One gasoline boat 75x18x3 

One pile driver 80x36x3 

Concordia, steamer 150x30x5 

Mary Anderson, steamer 100x28x3^ 

John A. Patton 165x32x4^ 

Barge 1 30x30x7 

\Miarf boat 1 50x40x6 

1907. 
Two snag boats, steamers. United States. 

Humphrey and Randall 137x32x5 

One coal float 1 50x26x214 

Wharf boat 1 50x40x5 

John Quill, steamer 170x35x4 

Two barges 135x34x6 

One steel dredge 125x34x6 



'2 



]\Ierrill, steamer 1 15x22x3 

Kentucky, steamer 185x34x5 

Barge 225x36x7 

1908. 

City of Muskogee, steamer 125x28x33/2 

Derrick boat 1 20x30x6 

Northern, steamer 125x25^^x4 

Mammoth Cave (U. S. snag boat) 140x34x5 

Hiwasse, steamer 100x20x3 

Chilhowee, steamer 100x20x3 

Four barges 160x34x6 

Fuel flat 100x20x6 

Thomas Bigbee, steamer 100x28x5 

R. C. McCalla, steamer 100x28x5 

Two mat barges 135x34x5 

This record of steamboat building is not equalled by any plant on the 
western rivers of the continent. The Howard boats, both as to construction 
and finish, have made the yards at Jeffersonville the peer of any inland plant 
in the world, and the reputation of the Howard boats for beauty, design and 




THE JAMES LEE. 





LAUNCH OF THE ROBERT E. LEE IN 1876. 




VIEWS AT HOWARD'S SHIP YARD. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



353 



general satisfaction is known from Pittsburg to Xew Orleans and on tribu- 
tary rivers. The impetus, which the personality and technical skill of James 
Howard gave the business, and which John C. and Daniel so thoroughly main- 
tained, is still felt. Ed. J. Howard, the present head of the concern, is one 
of the best ecpipped and most thoroughly competent steamboat builders of 
the day. He is now^ president of the company, which includes shipyards or 
marine ways at Cincinnati, Madison, JetYersonville, Mound City and Padu- 
cah. Clyde Howard is the secretary and treasurer of the company and James 
Howard the vice-president. James Armstrong, a nephew of Capt. E. J. How- 
ard, is in charge of the books of the concern. The prospects of a 9-foot stage 
of water will, no doubt, give an impetus to boat building at all points along the 
river, and the Howard yards will be given many opportunities to furnish water 
craft to meet the new and larger demands upon the traffic which will result. 
The ultimate control of the river, and possibly its sources of supply, will !iot 
only have the effect of affording a steady boating stage, but will tend t(_i a re- 
duction of the dangers of the great floods which in the past have attained the 
following stages : 

February 19, 1832, reached 45.4 feet 

December 18, 1847, reached 40.8 feet 

February 23. 1850, reached 34.0 feet 

January 24. 1862, reached 33.0 feet 

ilarch 7, 1865, reached 33.0 feet 

March 16, 1867, reached 37.0 feet 

January 20, 1870. reached 34.0 feet 

August 6, 1875. reached 32.5 feet 

February 22, 1882, reached 37.5 feet 

February 16, 1883, reached 43.8 feet 

February 16. 1884, reached 46.7 feet 

April 10. 1886, reached },2.'j feet 

February 6, 1887, reached 32.5 feet 

^larch 28, 1890. reached 35.6 feet 

Februaiy 27, 1891, reached 32.4 feet 

February 28, 1897. reached 35.3 feet 

March 30, 1898, reached 36.3 feet 

March 10, 1899, reached 32.8 feet 

April 28, 1901, reached 33.2 feet 

Beside the Howard yards in Jeffersonville, the Barmore yard, owned by 
David S. Barmore, turned out a number of verv fine boats from 1869 until 
1885. 

David S. Barmore was engaged in the business with Samuel King in 
1856, and in the firm of Stuart & Barmore in 1864. In 1869 Mr. Barmore 

23 



354 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

bought Stuart's interest, and continued the business alone until 1S85, when his 
plant was destroyed by fire. He had a considerable yard and turned out many 
fine boats. During the war he built a number of boats for the Government. 
When first in business alone he built four boats, the Coosa Belle, Julia, Swan 
and Jesse K. Bell. Since that time he built the following steamers, some 
being side-wheel, stern and others center-wheel boats: 

Lilly, Warren Belle, Sam Nicholas, Atlantic, Dexter, Belle Lee. Jolm 
Lumsden, Mary Houston, Lizzie Campbell, W. S. Pike. Grand Era, Belle 
Yazoo, Seminole, Bradish Johnson, ^^'ade Hampton, "SI J. \\'icks, C. B. 
Church, A. J. \Miite, Lightest, Southwestern, Lucy Kevin. Ouichita Belle, 
Katie, Capitol City, Fannie Lewis, Emma C. Elliott. Maria Louise, Carrie A. 
Thorne, Sabine, Business, Silverthorn, Fowler, Fannie Keener, Marv, W. J. 
Behan, Yazoo, Ozark Belle, ^^^ J. Lewis, Mattie, Belle St. Louis, May Bryon, 
Mary Lewis, Sunflower Belle, Lilly, Tensas, Tallahatchie, Baton Rouge, Bara- 
taria. Osceola Belle, Calhoun, Yellowstone, Southern Belle, Gold Dust, Little 
Eagle, J. Don Cameron, General Sherman, John Wilson, Alvin, Carrie Ho- 
gan, Mary Elizabeth, Little Bob B., New Mary Houston, \\'hisper, John H. 
Johnson, E. C. Carroll, Jr., Sunflower, Leflore, Deer Creek, St. John, Maggie 
F. Burke, Shields, "W. P. Halliday, General Barnard, Richard Ford, Kwasind. 
E. H. Barmore. Napoleon, E. W. Cole, J. Bertram, Jack Frost, John F. Lin- 
coln, City of St. Louis, lohn. Belle Crooks, Fanny Freeze, Polar \\'ave. 

Besides the above. ]\Ir. Barmore l)uilt the fnllnwing wharf-bnats. b'lrges, 
coal boats, etc: 

Wharf-boat, Hettie, Mary, Essetelle ; flatboat, Eva ; coal float, ^Missouri 
No. I, Missouri No. 2, Charlie Hill, Saline No. i, No name. Little Eagle No. 
2, No. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66. Lime barge. Nos. 57, 58, 59, Engineer No, 
I, Engineer No. 2, Khedive, Egypt, Saline No. 2, No. 67, 68, 69, 70. 71, ~2. 
73- 74- 75- 76. 77. 78, Saline No. 3: barges No. 26, 37, 36, 79. 80. Si, 
82, 83. 84. 85, Saline No. 4 : barges 86. 87, landing barge, four grading boats, 
eight pile dri\'ers for the Government. 

The value of the great water highway which passes Clark county is not 
fully appreciated by the larger part of those who live here. One of the noblest 
streams in the world, or as ]\IcMurtrie describes it in his History of Louisville, 
"By far the noblest river in the universe," it presents to the eye an everchanging 
panorama of beauty. The north side of the river in Clark county is as diversified 
as it is beautiful From the lower end of the Illinois grant ojjposite the Falls 
where cluster the historic memories of George Rogers Clark, the banks are 
high and the land beyond le\-el : offering an uninterrupted \-iew nf the country 
beyon<i and the knobs in the far distance. The blufTs and hills of L^tica and 
the tableland opposite. Twelve Mile island, remind one of some scenes along 
the Columbia, while the precipitous clifi^s and rugged hills in the vicinity of 
Fourteen Mile creek present a scene of grandeur not excelled on the Hud- 
son. But the practical utility of the stream is its most interesting feature. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 355 

From the Falls of the Ohio to Madison, fifty miles above, the harbor is of in- 
estimable value to the surrounding territory. With an ample depth of water 
at all seasons of the year it affords a harbor capable of floating the assembled 
water craft of the whole IMississippi valley. Along the Indiana side of the 
river is found the deepest water and the best harbor. Immediately below 
Six Mile Island is the famous Pumpkin Patch harbor for coal boats, while 
from the town of Port Fulton to Four Mile Springs the vast coal fleets find 
safe anchorage, and millions of bushels of coal are kept here in reserve. Along 
the front of Jefifersonville a depth of water sufficient for the launching or 
landing of the largest Mississippi steamers is found, a deeper and safer natural 
harbor than is found along the Kentucky side. The Falls, however, have ever 
been the great obstacle to navigation, and from early times have been one of 
the problems which has called for the deepest study and the expenditure of 
vast sums of money for its solution. 

In 1820 Congress made an appropriation for a survey of the Ohio river 
from Louisville to the Mississippi river and down that river to its mouth. This 
sur\-ey was made in 1821 by Captains Young and Poussin, of the topograph- 
ical engineers, and Lieutenant Tuttle of the engineers. In 1824 an appropria- 
ation of $75,000 was made for the improvement of certain sand bars in the 
Ohio and for the removal of snags from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. 

The plans for the improvement of the Falls of the Ohio include straight- 
ening and deepening the channel, and cuntrolling the water flow in the Indiana 
chute. 

This is the main channel of the river Ijy which commerce passes over the 
Falls when the stage of water is such as to permit navigation via that route. 
Originally it was very crooked, with swift currents and whirls, filled with dan- 
gerous rocky points projecting from the sides and bottom, and it could be 
navigated only at stages of eleven feet or more, upper canal gauge. 

The Federal Government has undertaken a plan which requires the ex- 
penditure of over $1,760,000 for improving the Indiana chute, the Louisville 
canal and the harbor above. 

The Falls of the Ohio are formed by a mass of limestone rock extending 
across the river bed creating a fall of twenty-seven feet in two and one-half 
miles of the river. 

The control of the water rushing over the obstruction is to be made by 
the erection of dams at the head of the chutes. 

The dams constructed here and to be constructed are of the general type 
which will be employed throughout the river improvement scheme. 

The types used are commonly known as the Boule and Chanoine dams. 
The Boule dam consists of an iron framework on levers, which are attached to 
a concrete base on the bed of the river. This framework is raised into a ver- 
tical position by steamboats built especially for this purpose. Owing to the 



2^56 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

fact tliat the water above the dam will flow freely through the framework the 
power required to raise them will not be of great volume. When in position 
the framework is filled in with wooden wickets or doors which, when in po- 
sition, form a solid wall and hold back the water. 

The Chanoine dam is somewhat similar but instead of presenting a verti- 
cal front to the water slants down stream. It consists of a series of heavy 
wooden wickets or doors, which are raised separately by steam power fur- 
nished by the type of boat referred to alxive. These wickets are attached to 
a concrete base fixed to the solid rock of the river bed and are raised by means 
of levers. When the stage of the river becomes sufficiently high so that the 
dam is no longer needed, the wickets are tripped by an ingenious arrangement 
and automatically fall back into place, affording a free passage way. 

The appropriation made by Congress is being used in the construction of 
500 feet of Boule dam in Middle Chute. 648 feet of Chanoine dam in Indiana 
Chute, and about 600 linear feet of concrete dam between Indiana Chute and 
the north bank of the river. These sections of dam constitute additions to 
the former projects, and are to have their crests at elevation -{-9 feet, upper 
canal gauge (412.004 feet above sea level). This height is such as will afford 
a minimum depth of 9 feet upstream to Madison. Ind., and a minimum depth 
of six feet on the lower miter sill at Lock No. i, Kentucky river. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 
HOSPITALS AND HOMES. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE ORPHAN HOME. 

In the fall of 1876 a supper was given by the Masons of the city, and at 
the close of the evening's entertainment it was found that quite an amount of 
eataljles and some money were still in the hands of the committee. This was 
distributed to the widows and orphans. From this Mrs. S. H. Patterson, Mrs. 
Caldwell, and Mrs. McClure became interested in caring for the orphans of 
the place. A meeting was held at the home of Mrs. Patterson, where she was 
chosen president, Mrs. McClure secretary, and Mrs. Caldwell treasurer. In 
this manner was perfected the organization of the orphan asylum. The self- 
appointed officers rented a house on Front street for a term of three years, and 
opened the institution with a little foundling. In two weeks two more children 
were received, and during the three years of this lease quite a number of chil- 
dren had been assisted. At the expiration of the three years' lease sixteen 
children were inmates of the home. A noble-hearted lady. Mrs. Zulauf, do- 
nated to the cause three building lots, and on this a two-story brick house was 
built. This property consisting of the roomy and comfortable house and a 
large yard and playground is located at 832 Meigs avenue. The yard is about 
half an acre in extent. The institution is private, but it is supported by board- 
ing the wards of Clark county. Its capacity is forty-five, but the present time 
there are onl\- thirty-two wards being cared for. There are five i>ersons em- 
ployed at the home. During the history of the institution there has been five 
matrons, the secord inie, Mrs. Eliza Harrington, sen'ing for twenty-five years. 
The present matron is Mrs. Julia Twomey. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE HOSPITAL. 

In July, 1892, a meeting was called at the city hall, in Jeffersonville, to 
discuss the advisability of erecting a hospital in Jefifersonville. On July 26th 
of this year a second meeting was held at the residence of Mrs. Sarah Caldwell 
and the following directors were elected : 

Mrs. David McClure, president ; Mrs. Lucy Armstrong, vice-president ; 
Mrs. Sarah Caldwell, treasurer: Aliss Clara J. Loomis, secretary: Miss Hannah 
Zulauf, assistant secretary : Mrs. Ed Morris, Mrs. Barney Coll, Mrs. Herman 



358 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Preefer, Mrs. N. H. Myers, Mrs. John Rauchenberger, Mrs. Mary Gottwaller, 
Mrs. Martha Cook, Mrs. Charles Neeley, Miss Lizzie Hertzsch, Mrs. George 
Pfau, Sr., Mrs. Anna Shafer and Mrs. Al. Thias. 

The institution was incorporated December 3, 1892, as the Jeffersonville 
Infirmary. On August 27, 1892, the old Myers home, at 415 East Front 
street, was purchased for four thousand and fifty dollars. Since then improve- 
ments to the amount of five thousand dollars have been added until the property 
is now worth about ten thousand dollars. The ladies who served on the first 
board deserve all the credit for making this institution a possibility, as it was 
only by their hard and unceasing labors that it lived through its first few 
years. Arthur Loomis, the architect, furnished all the plans and super- 
vision for the improvements free of charge. The following furnished rooms 
and donated them to the hospital. Clark Lodge of Masons, Daughters of 
Rebekah, Mrs. A. T. Hert, Mrs. William W. Borden. Epworth League, 
Knights of Pythias, the Aid Society, and the old board of directors. The 
equipment is modern and complete, and the location is ideal, facing the river 
as it does and offering a view of ever changing interest to the patients who are 
able to occupy the spacious sun parlor across the front of the building. 

The hospital was under the management of the deaconess of the Meth- 
odist church for several years and was carefully and efiicientlv conducted. The 
men of the city have taken charge in the last few years, one representative 
from each church being on the board of managers. The president is J. 
Howard Fitch. 

MERCY HOSPITAL, JEFFERSONVILLE. 

On Thanksgiving day, 1897, the Sisters of Mercy opened their first 
hospital in Jeffersonville,. on upper Chestnut street. It was located in a small 
six room cottage at No. 623, East Chestnut, rented to them at fifteen dollars 
per month. Here under adverse conditions and with this poor and meager 
beginning was begun the institution which now crowns the hill at Twelfth 
and Missouri avenues. 

Sister Maiy Regina, the Mother Superior, and one sister were the only 
ones to shoulder the necessarily hard work of the organization and start the 
hospital, but their efforts were rewarded and in just one year and two weeks, 
on December 8, 1898, their new hospital building, at the corner of Twelfth 
and Missouri avenues, was occupied. This building is a substantial frame, 
formerly the residence of Mrs. Charles Rogers. 

In less than three years, on September 30, 1901, the sisters had completed 
the sanitarium, a handsome brick building, located to the east of the hospital. 
The hospital is equipped for the care of the sick, medical and surgical cases; 
the sanitarium for the care of nervous and mental diseases. The latter build- 
ing is a most substantial one, having all the inside walls of brick, with grani- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 359 

toid floors in basement, hard wood floors throughout the rest of the building, 
and heated with steam heal. This was erected whoUy without outside aid and 
stands as a monument to tlie business sagacity of the Mother Superior. 

At present this institution owns one whole city block between Twelfth 
and Thirteenth streets and Missouri avenue, an excellent site. It is owned 
by the Sisters of Mercy and is the headquarters of the sisterhood in 
the diocese of Indianapolis. Neither support nor direction is received from 
any outside authority, and it is self-supporting. The hospital at Columlnis, 
Indiana, is a branch. 

The plant, is assessed at about forty-hve thousand dollars, and with the 
growth of the city northward and the completion of extensive improvements 
and additions in the future ]Mercy Hospital bids fair to occupy a prominent 
place among the institutions of its kind in Southern Indiana. There are five 
sisters now ministering in the hospital and sanitarium. The former has a 
capacity of twelve, the latter of fifty. The institution is in a prosperous and 
substantial condition, and shows a healthy growth. 

THE OLD ladies' HOME. 

On January 2, 1905. a meeting was held at the residence of Mrs. George 
Pfau, Jr., for the purpose of forming and perfecting plans for founding a 
home for persons who were without the means of providing themselves with the 
necessities and comforts of life. The first name selected for the institution 
was "Home for the Aged," but as this included both sexes, a condition con- 
trary to law, the name was changed to "The Old Ladies' Home." Solicitors 
were appointed to see what amount could be raised, and they met with such 
success that at the next meeting a committee was appointed to draft a consti- 
tution, by-laws, and rules, i. e., Henry Burtt, Mrs. Sarah Ransom, Miss 
Clara J. Loomis and Miss Rose Beck. 

A board of directors to serve one year was elected as follows : Mrs. 
George Pfau, Jr., president; Mrs. Sarah Ransom, first vice-president; Mrs. 
Agnes Zulauf, second vice-president; Miss Clara J. Loomis. secretary; Miss 
Rose Beck, treasurer ; Miss Ada Bruner, Mrs. John Loomis Mrs. Ed. Weber, 
Mrs. Daisy Kehoe, Mrs. C. E. Asbury, Mrs. William LewMs, Mrs. Jessie 
Bishop, Mrs. John Geinger, Mrs. I. F. Whitesides, and Mrs. William Seibert. 
The following gentlemen were appointed on the first advisory board : George 
H. Voight, A. A. Schwartz. W. B. Lewis, S. E. Mullings, John Best, George 
Holzborg, James H. Amistrong. George Pfau, Sr.. Henry Burtt aiul John C. 
Zulauf. 

In November, 1905, the Ward property at the northwest corner of Mar- 
ket street and Ohio avenue, was rented and prepared for the admission of appli- 
cants. Eight ladies were cared for in this home until late in 1906. In Octo- 



360 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ber. 1906, the property at 330 W'est Market street was purchased from 
Georg;e Pfan, Sr.. and the ladies were moved to the new building in April. 
1907. 

In the purchase of this new property Mrs. Sarah Ransom donated one 
thousand dollars and Mrs. Jennie S. Cobb, the sister of the late William 
Stratton, of Colorado Springs, donated a like amount. The rest of the neces- 
sary amount was made up of small subscriptions. 

Eleven ladies have been cared for in the new home. The institution is 
supported by hard work on the part of the ladies who manage its affairs, and 
on the generosity of friends. An aid society has been formed, and it affords 
much assistance to the managers in the matter of supplies and money. The 
present board is Mrs. Sarah Ransom, president; Miss Rose Beck, first vice- 
president : Airs. John C. Loomis, second vice-president ; Mrs. Daisy Kehoe, 
third vice-president ; Miss Clara J. Loomis, secretary ; Mrs. William Seibert, 
treasurer. The home has done much good in Jeffersonville and the ladies 
managing it deserve unstinted praise for their perseverance and success. 

THE HAUSS SANITARIUM^SELLERSBURG. 

In 1907 Dr. I. Robert Hauss, A. M., established a privte hospital at 
Sellersburg, Indiana, and its need was immediately manifest. The building 
is one of nine rooms, but is entirely inadequate. A larger and much more 
modern building is being planned at this time, which when completed will 
afford accommodations for more patients and for more conveniences possible 
in the present building. Doctor Hauss does a general practice, but his hospital 
work is largely surgical. All of the surgical cases at the sanitarium are drawn 
from the private practice of Doctor Hauss, and as this practice is one of the 
largest in the county the operations are numerous enough to testify to the 
need of an institution such as this in its locality. The operating room is one 
of the best in the county and the whole plant, in neatness and in keeping, is 
excellent. A head nurse is on duty at the institution all the time, extra nurses 
being called in as needed. 

Doctor Hauss is a graduate of the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, had two years clinical instruction in the Cincinnati Hospital and 
had a special private course under the late Professor McDermott. 

THE POOR FARM. 

For many years the paupers of Clark county had been receiving almost 
as good care as some of the animals on farms surrounding the poor house, but 
public sentiment was aroused and public officials who had been guilty of this 
neglect finallv undertook the task of building a new asylum. Amos \\'. Butler, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 361 

secretan- of the Indiana State Board of Charities, was responsible for the 
sanitary lines upon which the new building was constructed. \Mien completed 
the building cost the county twenty-three thousand six hundred and sixty-nine 
dollars. The contractor was Clarence E. Howard and he turned it over to 
the county commissioners November 20, 1907. 

The new asylum is complete in every detad and is two stories high. It 
fronts to the north and there is an east and west wing, each of which has a 
large porch. There are thirty-three rooms in the building, exclusive of the 
bathrooms, halls and clothing closets. The apartments to be occupied by the 
superintendent and his family are nicely finished and contain many modern 
conveniences, including bathrooms, kitchen and dining-room. The house 
throughout has hardwood floors made of Canada maple. The heat is supplied 
by steam and two large tanks in the attic furnish a supply of water for the 
building. The bedrooms are large, and there are lounging-rooms for the 
charges, many of whom have seen better days. 

The structure is of brick. None of the inside walls have been plastered, 
but instead have been painted. This was done for the sake of keeping the 
place sanitary. There are broad stairways, and each step is so arranged that 
it can easily be cleaned. In this new liuilding the sexes will be entirely sep- 
arated, and will not even come face to face at meal times, each having dif- 
ferent dining-rooms. The furniture will be plain, but good, all of the bed- 
steads being of iron, with good springs, besides which there will be a straw 
tick. The normal capacity of the building is sixty, but with little trouble one 
hundred could be easily accommodated. 

It was only after several years of planning that the county finally secured 
the new asylum, there having been considerable opposition to building it. The 
County Council finally appropriated twenty-five thousand dollars for the build- 
ing, and when bids were asked for putting up the structure the contract was 
given to Clarence E. Howard, who ofifered to do the work for twenty-three 
thousand six hundred and sixty-nine dollars. R. L. Plaskett, of New Wash- 
ington, was appointed superintendent of the work and he saw that the con- 
tract was carried out in every detail. The building is looked upon as the 
best in the state of Indiana for the price. It is substantial from end to end and 
has been built with a view of service more than of beauty. 

In appearance, howe\'er, it presents rather an imposing front. It is in 
full view of travelers to and from Charlestown on the interurban and no citizen 
of Clark countv need be ashamed of this institution. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 
PUBLIC UTILITIES OF CLARK COUNTY. 

R.\ILROADS TRACTION LINES ELECTRIC LIGHTS GAS WATER FERRIES 

TELEPHONES. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE WATER SUPPLY COMPANY. 

The Jeffersonville Water Supply Company began to lay their mains and 
erect the pumping station in 1887. The pumping station is located above Port 
Fulton on the river bank and is a powerful and complete plant. The stand pipe 
is located just within the eastern limits of Port Fulton near the end of Mar- 
ket street. It is one hundred and fifty feet high, fifteen feet in diameter and 
has a capacity of a quarter of a million gallons. 

The water works, as accepted December 14, 1888, had a total of ten miles 
of water mains, about one hundred and fifty subscribers, and represented on 
investment of about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

At the present time there are about fifteen miles of water mains, with about 
nine hundred subscribers. There are no mains smaller than six inches and 
none larger than fourteen inches. One hundred and thirty-four fire plugs 
located in all parts of the city furnish ample free fire protection, and the normal 
pressure of seventy-five pounds is sufficient for all ordinary fires. In extra- 
ordinary cases the pressure can be raised to one hundred and ten pounds in 
five minutes. 

In 1906 this company began digging wells east of Fulton street and 
north of Tenth street, sii^king thirty-two and striking copious flows of soft 
freestone water. The pumping station near the wells was erected at a cost 
of about thirty thousand dollars, and it is from this station that most of the 
water supply of Jeitersonville is derived. The daily consumption of water in 
Jeffersonville is one and one-half million gallons. 

David Allen, the superintendent, has been connected with the Jeffer- 
sonville Water Supply Company from the first. \\'ith a larger pumping plant 
at the wells pumping station Jeffersonville will be supplied with as pure water 
as any city in the state of Indiana. 

THE UNITED GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY. 

The first gas plant in Clark county was built in Jeft'ersonville, in 1855, 
the franchise being granted by the Council on February 7th of that year, to 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 363 

furnish gas at two dollars per thousand. J. M. Cooper and J. C. Belman were 
granted exclusive rights for twenty years and the company was known as 
the Jeffersonville Gas Company. At the end of this period, in 1875, the con- 
tract was renewed for ten years under the same name. On January 28, 1880, 
it was renewed again, and on January 3, 1882, the name was changed to the 
Electric Lighting, Gas Heating & Illuminating Company. The company at 
this time was composed of Simon Goldbach, John C. Howard, S. S. Johnson, 
E. W. McKenna, Felix R. Lewis and their associates. 

In 1889 the name was changed to the Electric Lighting, Gas Heating & 
Coke Company. An electric plant was installed on Maple street between 
Spring and Wall streets, in 1890. It consisted of two fifty light arc machines 
for street lighting, one alternating machine for incandescent lighting, two one 
hundred horse power boilers and two one hundred horse power engines, and 
it was operated until 1900. In this year Charles S. Knight was at the head 
of a company which entered the field to develop the business in Jeffersonville. 
This company was called the JeflFersonville Light & ^^'ater Company, and 
they were granted the contract for city lighting, in February. 1900, with an 
understanding with the powers then at the head of aft'airs of the city that 
Jeffersonville would take over the property in time and would run it under 
municipal control. However, a change in the political complexion changed 
this plan and the unloading failed to materialize. The plant was erected at 
Sixth street and Kentucky avenue, and consisted of one two hundred and 
twenty-five horse power engine, one one hundred and seventy-five horse power 
engine, two eighty light arc machines, two two hundred and fiftj' horse power 
boilers, one three thousand light and one thousand light generator for alter- 
nating incandescent lights. This company furnished arc lights to the city at 
forty dollars per year. The Jeffersonville Light & Water Compau)^ went 
under within a short time and finally Frank Willey was appointed re- 
ceiver. At this time the receipts from the commercial lighting would hardly 
pay the coal bills of the concern. The plant had deteriorated badly by the 
time the United Gas & Electric Company organized and bought it in 1900. 

This new company also absorbed the Electric Lighting, Gas Heating & 
Coke Company, which owned the gas plant at Sixth street and ^Michigan 
avenue, in 1900. 

The gas plant now occupies ground on Sixth street and Michigan avenue, 
one hundred and fifteen feet by three hundred and fifty feet, and consists of a 
retort house sixty feet by thirty feet, a meter and exhauster room twenty- 
three feet by eighteen feet, and the condensing house thirty-six feet by twenty- 
eight feet, all of these buildings being of brick construction with slate roofs. 
There is also a separate brick structure twenty feet by twelve feet, contain- 
ing the oxide room, a coal storage shed with metal roof one hundred and four 
feet by thirty-one feet, and a coke crushing plant. The gas holder is built in 



364 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

a brick tank fifty-four feet in diameter, having a storage capacity of twenty- 
seven thousand cubic feet. This plant, technically known as a three bench coal 
gas plant, is equipped for a daily output of rme hundred and fifty thousand cubic 
feet of gas. the maximum output now being one hundred cubic feet. It com- 
pares favorably with plants in cities larger than Jeffersonville, and the charge 
of one dollar per thousand cubic feet for gas seems reasonable. 

The electric plant at Sixth and Kentucky avenue is now operated as a 
distributing and rotar}' converter substation, supplying an alternating current 
series, arc and commercial lighting and power service to JefifersonVille, 
Howard Park, Port Fultcn and Clarksville, and distributing railway current 
to the Touisville & Northern Railway & Lighting Compau}', the Louisville & 
Southern Interurban Traction Company, and the local city lines. Besides 
the above named equipment at this station there is also a twelve hundred 
amphere fifty-five volt general electric booster, used in connection with a stor- 
age battery, which is located in an adjoining building. The battery consists 
of two hundred and sixty-four cells, chloride accumulators, with a capacity of 
six hundred amphere hours at the one hour rate of discharge. These storage 
batteries are charged from the main generation station and are used to boost 
over the hard pull of the day from five to seven o'clock p. m. 

The change in the gas and electric light business in the last six or eight 
years has been phenomenal. In 1902 there were only five hundred gas cus- 
tomers in Jeffersonville, and only one hundred and fifty gas stoves. 

In 1909 there are over one thousand five hundred customers for gas 
lighting; there are one thousand two hundred and sixty gas stoves, sixty 
water heaters, one hundred and twenty-five gas heaters (small stoves), and 
fifteen miles of gas mains. 

In 1902 there were practically no incandescent subscribers, and unsatis- 
factory street arc lamps. In 1909 there are one hundred and sixty-five in- 
closed street arc lamps of the General Incandescent Company make, eight 
hundred subscribers to incandescent light, ten thousand two hundred and two 
sixteen candle power lamps for commercial lighting, six hundred and thirty- 
eight horse power motors, one hundred desk fans, twenty-five ceiling fans, 
twenty-three electric signs and two hundred and seventy-seven commercial 
arc light lamps, over two hundred of which are in the Car Works. This 
growth has all been made in less than seven years. 

The Charlestown Lighting plant is small l)ut efficient It is owned by 
the Louisville & Northern Railway and Lighting Company, and has about 
seventy-five customers for incandescent lights and about thirty-six street 
arc lamps. This plant contains one forty kilo watt two hundred and fifty 
volt generator, belted to a sixty horse power high speed Atlas engine, one' 
eighty horse power tubular ' boiler, and one one hundred and twenty horse 
power five hundred volt motor. The apparatus Is so arranged that the gener- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 365 

ator can be engine driven or motor driven, as conditions may warrant. It 
was installed in 1904, by Clarence Hay. 

In 1888 the Car Works installed four electric machines for lighting their 
shops, and they were continued in use until 1902. when the power began 
to be supplied by the United Gas & Electric Company. In 1893 Belknap 
Cement Mills, at Sellersburg, installed an electric lighting plant and have been 
operating' it ever since. 

Capt. Ed. J. Howard installed an eight hundred light electric plant for 
his ship yards and residence in 1894. and it is still in operation. 

In 1894 Sweeney's Foundry installed an electric machine of their own 
make for lighting their shops. It is now used as a nickel plating system. 

In 1901 Prof, W. W. Borden, of Borden, installed an electric plant, 
consisting of one ten horse power gasoline engine, one ninety light generator 
supplying four arc lamps of twelve hundred candle power and fifty-two six- 
teen candle power incandescent lamps. 

John F. and Joseph Spieth installed an eight hundred light plant in 
their building at Chestnut and Spring streets for furnishing incandescent 
lights from Court avenue to the river. This plant was operated for three 
years. 

In 1902 the Market street mule car line was cimverted into an electric 
line by Ham Duffy and was operated for two years as such, when it was 
purchased by the Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Company. 

In 1904 the Claggett Saddle Tree Company, at Market and Broadway, 
installed one fifty light electric machine for lighting their shops. 

In 1905 a plant was installed at Speed's cement mill. 

The Reformatoi-y plant was installed about 1900. 

In 1909 a two hundred light machine was installed by J. L. Pease & Com- 
pany, of Howard Park. 

THE LOUISVILLE & SOUTHERN INDIANA TRACTION COMPANY. 

This company, which operates between Jeffersonville, Xew Albany and 
Louisville, also owns and operates the city railway in Jeffersonville. The 
equipment of this road is one of the best in the state of Indiana and the 
service of a thirty minute schedule between Jeffersonville and New Albany, 
and a fifteen minute schedule between Jeft'ersonville and Louisville is adequate 
for the travel, if not for the comfort of the passengers. From the county line 
at Silver Creek and Gleenwood Park the interurban line traverses a section 
destined to be an important and desirable residence location. The city lines 
on Spring street. Court avenue, Chestnut street to the upper end of Port 
Fulton, Market street west of Spring, Missouri avenue and Sixth street 
practically cover the entire city and furnish rapid and convenient transpor- 
tation. 



366 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

The approach to the Big Four bridge in Jeffersonville was completed in 
September, 1905, and electric inter-communication begun. This approach and 
bridge not only offer access to Louisville for the Louisville & Southern In- 
diana Traction Company, but the Louisville & Northern, and the Lidian- 
apolis & Louisville traction cars also. 

The Louisville & Northern Railway and Lighting Company control and 
operate the lines from Jeffersonville to Charlestown and from AVatson to 
Sellersburg. The Indianapolis & Louisville Traction Company operates the 
lines north of Sellersburg. Over this system of lines from Indianapolis run 
the local and limited cars to Louisville. An hourly schedule of trains from 
6:30 a. m. to 8:30 p. m., with four limited flyers called the Hoosier Fh^er and 
Dixie Flyer, offer exceptional facilities for rapid transit both local and through. 
The construction and equipment of these lines show a close adherence to the 
best standards of modern interurban railway work. Girder rails of ninety 
pounds Lcraine section and T rails of seventy-five and seventy-se\'en and a 
half pound Carnegie sections are used, the ties being selected white oak. A 
deep filling of crushed stone ballast insures the stability of the roadbed, which 
is built in accordance with standard steam railroad specifications. The trolley 
circuits consist of double 3-0 grooved wires and the feeder system of five hun- 
dred thousand c. m. insulated cable. Span constiiiction is used throughout 
with thirty and thirty-five foot eight inch top poles. Numerous convenient 
waiting stations along the thirteen and twenty-six hundredths miles fiom Jeffer- 
sonville to Charlestown, three miles from Jeffersonville to Glenwood, four and 
thirteen hundredths miles from Watson to Sellersburg, and fourteen and sixty- 
three hundredths miles from Sellersburg to Underwood, mark the stopping 
places of the cars, and a large suburban, interurban and rural population is 
served. 

Fifty-seven trains daily arrive from Louisville. 
Thirty-five trains daily arrive from New Albany. 
Eleven trains daily arrive from Indianapolis. 
Eleven trains daily arrive from Charlestown. 

The rolling stock of the Louisville & Southern Interurban Traction and 
the Louisville & Northern Railway and Lighting Company consist of forty- 
one interurban motor cars, trailers and express cars, one electric mogul car, 
repair cars, freight cars, express cars and sprinklers, besides the city cars. 
This equipment is all in excellent condition, and the interurban cars, built by 
the St. Louis Car Company and the American Car & Foundry Company, are 
of the latest design and construction, the motor cars being equipped with four 
fifty horse power G. E. motors. In Jeffersonville a commodious barn is 
located, where the cars are housed when not in service. 

At Watson is located the sub-station. It is equipped with a three hundred 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 367 

kilo watt general electric rotary com-ertor, three sixty cycle one hundred ten 
kilo watt step down transformers and a two panel switch board. Current 
is taken from a four thousand volt transmission line, as in the case of the 
Jefifersonville sub-station, and after passing through the transforming and 
converting apparatus it reaches the direct current railway feeders at a pressure 
of about six hundred volts. This station is an excellent example of the latest 
engineering practice in railway sub-station construction. 

THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILRO.AD. 

Pittsburg. Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company. The old 
Jefifersonville, Madison & Indianapolis railroad was a consolidation of two 
roads, the Jefifersonville and the older Madison & Indianapolis, taking the 
combined name. The former was originally the Ohio & Indianapolis Rail- 
road, chartered by the Legislature of Indiana, January 20, 1846, and changed 
to the Jefifersonville Railroad three years after — January 15, 1849. It was 
first in full operation February i, 1853. The other was chartered in June, 
1842, and set in operation in October, 1847. It was afterwards sold under 
foreclosure, and reorganized March 28, 1862. as the Indianapolis & Madi- 
son Railroad Company. Mav i. 1866, the companies became one. and merged 
their lines into a single one, from Jefiferson to Indianapolis. January i, 
1873, the road became part of die Pennsylvania system. 

The road from Jeftersonville, commonly called the Dinky line, was 
built in 1865 and a schedule of regular trains started. 

The Pennsylvania Railroad has twenty-eight and nine hundredths miles 
of main line track in Clark county ; nineteen and forty-one hundredths miles 
of siding, and two and six hundredths miles of second main track. The yards 
in Jefifersonville are the largest in the county ; in them all north bound freight 
trains from Louisville and Jefifersonville are made up. 

The Pennsylvania bridge across the river just below the city of Jefifer- 
sonville, although not wholly one of the public utilities of Clark county, is a 
part of the railway which bears the same name, and adds materially to the 
importance of the city. On February 19. 1862, the Kentucky Legislature 
passed an act "to incorporate the Louisville Bridge Company." Much time was 
consumed in settling the legal difficulties which arose, but finally the contracts 
were let. The piers were finished and the superstructure begun in May, 1868. 
After many accidents and delays the first connection of superstructure between 
the shares was made February i, 1870: the railway track was laid and the 
first train passed over on the 12th of this same month. The bridge had cost, 
to the close of 1870. two million three thousand six hundred and ninety-six 
dollars and twenty-seven cents, including one hundred fourteen thousand five 
hundred and sixty-two dollars interest on the capital stock, and all other ex- 



368 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

penses. The construction account alone was one million six hundred forty- 
one thousand six hundred and eighteen dollars and seventy cents, reaching 
not greatly beyond the estimate of the chief engineer, January i, 1868, which 
was one million five hundred thousand dollars. The partial year of operation 
in 1870 yielded the company a gross income of one hundred twenty-one 
thousand two hundred and sixty-seven dollars and fifty-five cents — eighty- 
four thousand six hundred and five dollars and ninety-eight cents tolls from 
railway freights, thirty-five thousand five hundred and fifteen dollars and 
ninety-seven cents from railway passengers, and one thousand one hundred 
and forty-five dollars and sixty cents tolls on the foot-walks The operating 
expenses were ninety-one thousand twenty-three dollars and seventy-seven 
cents. 

It has a single railroad track, and its total length between abutments is 
five thousand two hundred and eighteen and two-thirds feet. The spans com- 
mencing at the abutment on the Indiana, or north, shore are as follows : 
99, 149.6, 180, 180, 180, 398-)4 (Indiana Chute), 245'/, 245^, 2455^, 
245^, 245!/^, 245^, 370 (Middle Chute), 227, 227, 210, 210, 180, 180, 
149.58, 149.58, 149.58, 149.58, 132, 132 (draw over canal), 50, 50. These 
dimensions are from center to center of piers, and they are greater by the 
half-widths of two piers than the clear waterway. The trusses themselves are 
of the two styles patented by Albert Fink, the chief engineer of the 
bridge. The two channel-spaces are spanned by Fink triangular trusses, and 
all the others except the draw by Fink trussed girders. The approach to 
this bridge on the Indiana shore consists of a long and high enbankment. 
This, however, does not properly belong to the bridge, and in accordance with 
the rule adopted for other bridges, we consider that we have reached the end 
of a bridge when we come to earth-work. Under this rule this bridge has no 
approaches, the entire space from abutment to abutment being waterway. 
This bridge originally had a six foot side walk for the use of pedestrians, but 
they were torn ofif in late years. 

THE BIG FOUR BRIDGE. 

This colossal structtire, which is Jefifersonville's chief outlet to the south, 
was completed in August, 1895, seven years having been occupied in its con- 
struction. It is a single track railroad bridge and is used by the Big Four 
Railroad, the Louisville & Southern Interurban Traction Company, the Louis- 
ville & Northern Railway and Lighting Company, and the Indianapolis & 
Louisville Traction Company, for their interurban traffic. The length of the 
spans, beginning on the Indiana side, is as follows: One of 210 feet, two 
of 550 feet each, one of 553 feet, and two of 341 feet each. The piers are 
five hundred and fifty feet apart and the bridge is one thousand two hundred 




THE BIG FOUR BRIDGE. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 369 

and twenty-four feet long between shore piers. Length of bridge proper is 
two thousand five hundred and forty-five feet, and with approaches is over 
nine thousand feet long. The clearance over the channel is fifty-three feet above 
high water. In round numbers the bridge cost five million dollars, of which 
one million eight hundred thousand dollars was spent in construction and 
three million two hundred thousand dollars for property on either side of the 
river for approaches. 

For some years Jeffersonville and Louisville capitalists had endea\'ored to 
form a company to build a bridge between the cities, but in 1881 capitalists in 
New Albany formed a company to build the bridge there and the Jefferson- 
ville scheme suffered a setback. 

In 1885 began the long fight for the new bridge which finally resulted in 
the Big Four bridge. The fight that the river interests made against the 
construction of this work reflects no honor and little credit on the men who 
were in it either as river capitalists or river employes. In a small pamphlet 
published by the War Department the sworn statements of these river men 
appear and they are a sad commentaiy on the veracity as well as the intelli- 
gence of the men making them. 

Every imaginable obstacle was thrown in the way of the scheme from 
the very beginning, in 18S5. Senators and Representatives from every state 
bordering upon the river flung themselves into the fight to protect the interests 
of the ri\'er men. The promotors had prepared for this and had consulted all 
the leading pilots before settling on their plans, notably Pink Varble, a 
well known pilot, who nevertheless came in with an aftidavit that the location 
of the bridge would ruin navigation. 

After a long fight the plan went through and the building begun. Even 
then a snap vote was secured in Congress in the absence of Congressman 
Howard, stopping the work, but at last the opposition was overcome. In 
December, 1892, after several spans had been erected, a half span with the 
traveler fell into the river, carrying down a score of workmen to death. Later 
that night a complete span fell. Three years before this two accidents in 
the caissons when the piers were being constructed resulted in the death of 
sixteen men. 

The scheme to build this bridge originated with James W. Baird. The 
first work was done October 10, 1888. After the loss of the span and a half 
amounting to over sixty thousand dollars, the bridge was thrown into the 
hands of the Big Four. It was completed and thrown open for business in 
September, 1895. 

The Big Four Railroad owns no property in Clark county except the 
bridge and a yard. This yard, just in the rear of the United States govern- 
ment building, is one of the largest railroad yards around the Falls and 
contains about nine miles of track in its switches. The freight depot and 

24 



37^ BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

switch at Spring street and the bridge crossing completes the property. The 
approach for the traction cars in Jeffersonville was constructed in 1905. 

THE BALTIMORE & OHIO SOUTHWESTERN. 

This road was originally the Ohio «& Mississippi, the present Jefferson- 
ville branch from Watson being the main line, as the New Albany extension 
was not built until February, 1888. It was chartered by Indiana February 
12, 1848; Ohio, March 15, 1849; and Illinois, February 12, 1851. It was 
built by two separate corporations, and completed in 1867. with a six-foot 
gauge, which has since been changed to standard. Since November 21, 1867, 
it has been operated under one management, two divisions. An act of the 
Indiana Legislature, March 3, 1865, provided for the branch from North 
Vernon, through Clark and other counties in that state, to Louisville, which 
was opened in 1868 and has since been successfully operated 

When the extension to New Albany from Watson was made it was 
known as the New Albany & Eastern. This extension constitutes the main 
line into Louisville now, the trains entering that city from New .Albany over 
the Kentucky and Indiana bridge. 

The Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern has about twenty-five miles of 
track in Clark county, and in Jeffersonville, at Market and Broadway, have 
yards of about one hundred cars capacity. The tracks of this road, from the 
limits of Jeffersonville northward, are used by the Big Four Railroad. 

The business handled by the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern in late years 
has been small and from present indications will never be much larger. 

THE MONON RAILROAD. 

The Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway Company. This road 
has twelve and eighty-two hundredths miles of main line track in Clark 
county. It passes through the extreme western end of the county, touching 
Borden in Wood township. 

THE FERRY COMPANY. 

All the ferries in early times were owned and managed by Jeffersonville 
men. On October 12, 1802, Marston Green Clark was granted a license to 
operate a ferry by William Henry Harrison, Governor of Indiana. This ferry 
was put in operation by Clark and was continued by him until ]\Iarch 4, 181 5, 
when he sold his rights to James Lemon. Lemon ran the ferry, which until 
that time and for some years afterward was but a small row boat aft'air, until 
October 9, 1822, when he sold out to Robert Fray. Fray sold to George 
White on December 19, 1822. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 37I 

George White had previously bought from Samuel Meriwether another 
ferr}' right, which had been confirmed by the Indiana Legislature to White, 
in December. 1820. At this time \Miite owned two ferries and he continued 
to operate them until July 3. 1826, when he sold a half interest in both ferries 
to Charles Stead. 

On the same day George \\'hite sold the remaining halves of the two 
ferries to Eliphalet Pearson, who on the same day sold his holdings in these 
ferries to Ephraim Gilmore. On July 3, 1826, Stead sold his undivided inter- 
est in the two ferries to Athanasius \\'athen for six hundred dollars. Gilmore 
and Wathen continued to hold and operate the two ferries until July 22, 1835, 
when Gilmore sold his undivided half interest to John Shallcross, Charles M. 
Strader and James Thompson. 

]\Ieanwhile the ferrj- privilege had attracted other men and on July 2, 
1807, Governor Harrison issued a license to Joseph Bowman. This ferry 
was to run from the foot of Spring street to the public road at the mouth of 
Bear Grass creek, in Louisville, this road being about where the foot of Sec- 
ond street is located now. Bowman operated this ferry until February i, 
181 7. when he died, unmarried, and left his ferry rights to his brothers. Leon- 
ard and William, and sisters, Elizabeth and Susan. On December 10. 1825, 
James Fisler and his wife. Susan (Bowman's sister), sold their one-fourth 
share to Athanasius Wathen. On July 26, 1829, William Bowman sold his 
interest to A. \\'athen. In ]\Iay, 1821, Leonard Bowman died, leaving nine 
children, one of whom, Elizabeth, was the wife of Athanasius \A'athen. 

(The fact that Athanasius \\'athen became insane before he died may be 
attributed to his efforts to figure out just how much of each ferry he did own.) 

Wathen purchased the interests of the other eight of Leonard Bowman's 
children late in 182 1 and became the owner of another one- fourth. 

On May 13. 1823, John Wealthers and his wife Elizabeh (Bowman's 
sister) sold their one-fourth interest in the ferr}' to James Nesmith, and on 
July 4, 1825. Xesmith sold this one-fourth interest to Ephraim Gilmore. On 
July 22, 1829, Gilmore sold this one-fourth interest to John Shallcross, 
Charles M. Strader and James Thompson, who then became owners of one- 
half interest in all the ferries, Athanasius Wathen owning the other one-half 
interest in the three ferries. 

In 1831 the old hand power ferry boats were discontinued and the first 
steam ferry boat began to run. In 1832 the boiler of this boat blew up. kill- 
ing seven men, but a new and better boat was built and the business con- 
tinued. 

The ferry boats at this time ran from the foot of Spring street to a 
place called Keiger's landing, opposite, the island not having attained its pres- 
ent size at that time. 

The name of this first ferrv boat is lost, but the one which succeeded her 



^J2. BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

was named the Black Locust. She was a double hull boat, with a center 
wheel. She had engines on each side and was about one hundred and fifty-five 
feet long. Long before the Black Locust had worn out the A. Wathen was 
built and put in the trade. The two baats for many years ran on different 
routes, one of them running across the river, as stated above, to Clay street, 
the other to a landing about the foot of Second street. This double service 
continued until the severe winter of 1866-67. This winter was so cold that 
the river froze up early and the coal supply gave out and people suffered for 
the want of fuel. \\'hat little there was went to sixty cents per bushel. The 
famine became so serious that Phil Tommpert, who was then Mayor of 
Louisville, had the boats which ran to Clay street stop running so that the 
fuel they were consuming could be distributed to the sufferers. As this boat 
was not paying it was taken ofi' and since that day there has never been a ferry 
to Clay street. 

In 1862 the James Thompson was built by the Howards for the ferry 
trade and ran but a short time when she was sold to the United States govern- 
ment. She was bought back again at the close of the war and put on the 
Clay street ferry until the hard winter of 66-67. She was a boat of one hun- 
dred and fifty-five feet in length, thirty-seven feet beam and five feet hold. 
The old A. Wathen continued in the ferry to First street. 

The Shellcross was built soon after the War of the Rebellion by Daniel 
Richards on the Louisville side, just below the island. She had her engine 
and boiler out on her guards, but afterwards they were moved in on the hull. 

The Z. M. Sherley was built by the Howards in 1873. She was a side 
wheel boat, constructed to carry wagons on both ends, her cabin being up- 
stairs. She was one hundred and fifty-three by thirty-six by six feet. 

The new Shallcross was built in 1878 by the Howards and she was 
similar in construction to the Sherley. Her dimensions were one hundred 
fifty-eight by thirty-seven by six feet. 

The W. C. Hite was built in 1882 and diiYered materially from her prede- 
cessors. Wagons were carried only on the forecastle, the after end being 
utilized for a cabin on the main deck. This boat was rebuilt in 1897 and a 
new hull substituted. She was one hundred fifty-six by thirty-six by six and 
one-half feet. 

In 1888 the Sunshine, an excursion steamer, was launched at Howard's. 
She was one hundred seventy by thirty-six by five feet, and was built for the 
purposes of carrying excursions to Fern Grove, at the mouth of Fourteen Mile 
creek. The Columbia, another excursion steamer, one hundred seventy by 
thirty-five by six feet, was built at Howard's in 1892, for the same purposes. 

A new ferry boat, the City of Jefifersonville, was built in 1891, and to- 
gether with the Hite, still runs between the two cities. The Sunshine was sold 
in 1907. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 373 

The present ferry company, the Louisville and Jeffersonville, was char- 
tered March i6, 1869, by the state of Kentucky, for a term of fifty years. 
Two hundred thousand shares of stock at one hundred dollars per share were 
subscribed, and this charter empowered them to purchase all other ferry 
privileges. In 1865 the North and South Ferry Company was chartered but 
it never began business. 

THE HOME TELEPHONE. 

In 1902 the Sellersburg Independent Telephone Company established an 
exchange at Sellersburg, with a few subscribers, and in 1903 the Louisville 
Home Telephone Company, of Louisville, acquired control of it. 

This company has since that time extended its lines to Charlestown, 
Xabbs and Underwood, where they have pay stations, but no exchange. It 
has lines to St. Joe and for sixteen miles on the knobs beyond. Borden is in 
connection with New Albany. The Stromberg Carlson instruments are used, 
as in Louisville, and the service, though small at present, is excellent. The 
Sellersburg exchange has about one hundred subscribers. 

Throughout the county there are several independent farmer's lines con- 
nected with the Home system. 

THE CUMBERLAND TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY. 

The history of the development of the telephone utility in Clark county 
dates back to 1883, when the Ohio \'alley Telephone Company, the Bell licencee 
operating in the Louisville district, then under the management of H. N. 
Gififord, extended its lines from New Alljany. where it !iad just opened an ex- 
change. 

The first exchange in Jeffersonville was in the rear room, first floor of 
215 Spring street, and remained there until it was washed out by the flood of 
1884. It found temporary quarters in the second story of a building further 
north on the east side of Spring street, while a permanent office was being 
arranged for it on the second floor of 355 Spring street, now Franks' diy 
goods store. The room had a bay window overlooking the street, which was 
of great convenience to the operator in spying out persons who were wanted 
at the 'phone. The exchange closed at 6 :oo p. m. It remained here until it 
was moved into quarters which were part of its present home. 

Miss Leilla Houston was the first operator in Clark county, and she was 
assisted by her sister. Later Miss Nannie Burke, a well known and very 
popular young lady of Jeffersonville, succeeded Miss Houston and she had 
sole management of the company's business for many years, until the Cum- 
berland Telephone & Telegraph Company absorbed the Ohio Valley Company, 



374 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

and put men in charge of its smaller exchanges. The service spread out very 
slowly in Clark county ; the lines were extended to Sellersburg and Utica on 
account of the lime and cement industry in those places, and a line was built 
to Charlestown and finally to Aladison. In 1897 the joint wisdom of the 
Ohio Valley Company in offering, and the citizens of Jeffersonville in ac- 
cepting, good service at fair rates, with a single system saved the city from 
the sad and expensive experience of telephone duplication. Up to this time 
it had been a day service and the subscribers numbered fifty, but the business 
was extended and the equipment was modernized and the subscriptions rapidly 
increased. 

Exchanges were soon built at Charlestown, Sellersburg, and Henryville, 
in 1900, and later at Utica and New Washington. 

Generally speaking Clark county is well developed in a telephone way. 
All the towns in the county have 'phones and the farmers have considered it 
second only in importance to the railroads. 

The Jeffersonville exchange, under the management of Charles Cas- 
perke, has ten operators and the free service extends all over the county, 
except Borden. The service to New Albany is free and these attractive condi- 
tions exist throughout the county. Quick, efficient and satisfactory service has 
brought the whole county together as nothing else could do. At present the 
Jeffersonville exchange has one thousand four hundred subscribers, Charles- 
town two hundred and thirty-one, Borden sixteen, Henryville one hundred 
and forty-two, Sellersburg, one hundred and fourteen, Utica sixty-five, New 
Washington, one hundred and fifteen, and Bethlehem four. 




IXDIAXA REFORMATORY EXTRAXCE. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE INDIANA REFORMATORY AND THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY. 

THE INDIANA REFORMATORY. 

In the fall of 1821 the first state prison in the state of Indiana was estab- 
lished on the northeast corner of Ohio avenue and Market street, in the town 
of Jeffersonville. Previous to the opening of the prison, prisoners were pun- 
ished at the whipping post. The law was so changed that all persons who com- 
mitted a crime for which they should receive not to exceed thirty-nines lashes, 
should be sent to prison for a term not to exceed three years. W'iiere formerly 
the punishment was one hundred stripes, a term not to exceed seven years 
was imposed. The old prison was a primitive affair built of logs at a cost of 
about three thousand dollars, the greater part of which had been subscribed 
by Jeffersonville people. It had fifteen cells in a row, made of logs ten inches 
square, dove-tailed at the ends. The doors were four inches thick covered 
with strap iron. There was no light or ventilation except what came through 
a space of about four inches at the top of the door. The roof was of heavy 
planks cut from the surrounding forest, and dressed by hand. The cell-house 
was surrounded by a stockade made of logs, and to get into this inclosui'e one 
had to pass through a massive door swung on hinges and strong enough to 
resist a battering ram. The office, guardroom and other apartments were 
in a two-story log house outside the stockade, and within the guard room 
was an ample supply of flint-lock guns and pistols. These were strewn around 
on tables and desks and some of them were hung on tlie walls in accessible 
places. Rawhides were used on the convicts then without mercy, and one 
dose was usually enough. The first lessee was Capt. Seymour W'estover. 

The first convict ever received was named Friend, and it is a singular co- 
incidence that the oldest inmate at present in the Indiana Reformatory bears 
the same name. Captain Westover went 1o Texas in 1826 and was killed 
with Crockett in the Alamo. He was succeeded by James Keigwin, the father 
of the late Col. James Keigwin. 

The prisons of Indiana have been conducted on three different principles. 
The first adopted at their inception and above referred to, was suited to the 
days when but a small number of persons were convicted, or confined, and may 
be designated as the boarding system. During its continuance the keeping of 
every prisoner was at the direct cost of the state, without any return and with- 



3/6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

out any sufficient check upon the dishonesty and rapacity of keepers, wlio could 
abuse the men committed to tlieir charge by semi-starvation and rither 
measures of "economy." 

So soon as tiie numl)er of convictions in the state had so far increased as 
to warrant the change, prisons were erected at the cost of the people. In these 
the convicts were confined, building, prisoners and all, leased to private in- 
dividuals who fed. clothed and maintained the prisoners, and paid a certain 
gross annual sum in addition for such labor as they could extract from them. 

The third system adopted by the state consisted of renting the labor of 
the convicts to contractors, who paid a certain per diem for each man em- 
ployed, while the discipline, control and personal care of the men was in the 
hands of a warden and other officials representing the state. This was com- 
monly designated as the contract system. The curse of idleness was removed 
by the lessee system, but only to give place to abuses so horrible that it is a 
matter of congratulation that Indiana abandoned it as soon as she did. Under 
the lease system a warden was oppointed by the state for each prison, whose 
duty it was to see that the contract of the lessee was lived up to, but the con- 
victs were body and soul in the hands of the contractors, and the warden had 
little power and too often less inclination to restrain those whose interest often 
led them to commit the greatest cruelties. The one aim of most of the lessees 
was to obtain from the convicts under their control the greatest possible 
amount of labor at the least expenditure for maintenance. Men were ill-fed, 
ill-clothed, punished by the lash with the utmost severity, for trivial derelic- 
tions, or for a failure to perform in full the daily allotment of labor, often 
when sickness and infirmity made it an impossibility to fulfill the requirement. 
The sick and disabled were neg'lected as if the consideration of life weighed 
lightly in the balance against the few cents daily necessary for their mainte- 
nance. The cells and corridors were foul, damp and unwholesome ; swarms 
of vermin infested every corner, and thus overwork, cruelty, starvation, filth, 
the pistol and lash of the guard, all contributed to a wholesale murder of the 
weak, and to brutalizing the strong beyond the hope of redemption here or 
hereafter. The horrors of the prison systems before the lessee ceased to be 
the guardian of convicts were such as to better befit the days of the Spanish 
Inquisition than the enlightenment of the nineteenth century. 

One great argument against the contract system was the fact that it 
worked in opposition to free labor. 

The histor\- of the old Prison South is one of many phases, and unfor- 
tunately the stories of cruelty and neglect were often true. The modern ideas 
of reformation and the square deal to the unfortunates incarcerated had not 
developed to a degree that resulted in' any great benefit to them, ^^'ith ad- 
vanced ideas and improvements in every line of business and science, it was 
but natural that the students of criminology should advance likewise, and the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 2i77 

metamorphosis of the old stockade of the Prison South into the present won- 
derful institution of the Indiana Reformatory bears testimony that Indiana 
is the peer of any state in handhng' such questions. 

The growth of the number of inmates from 182 1 until the present year 
is as follows : 

For the year ending Daily Average. 

November 30. 1822 3 

November 30, 1823 6 

November 30, 1824 19 

November 30, 1825 25 

November 30, 1826 38 

November 30, 1827 27 

November 30. 1828 24 

November 30, 1829 t^j 

November 30, 1830 29 

November 30, 183 1 32 

November 30, 1832 46 

November 30, 1833 44 

November 30, 1834 43 

November 30, 1835 41 

November 30, 1836 53 

November 30, 1837 ^J 

November 30. 1838 35 

November 30. 1839 61 

November 30. 1840 74 

November 30. 1841 100 

November 30, 1842 "/"j 

November 30, 1843 57 

November 30, 1844 81 

November 30, 1845 91 

November 30, 1846 98 

November 30, 1847 122 

November 30. 1848 129 

November 30, 1849 120 

November 30, 1850 122 

November 30, 1851 150 

November 30, 1852 212 

November 30. 1853 --3 

November 30, 1854 259 

November 30, 1855 260 

November 30, 1856 277 



378 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



Nov-ember 
November 
November 
November 
November 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
December 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 
October 3 



30- 
30. 
30, 
30. 
30- 
15. 
15. 
13- 



1857 
1858 

1859 
i860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 



IS- 
15. 



1866 
1867 
1868 



1870 
1871 
1872 

1873 
1874 

187s 
1876 

1877 •■ 

1878 ., 

1879 .. 

1880 .. 

1881 ., 

1882 .. 

1883 .. 

1884 ., 

1885 .. 

1886 . 

1887 ., 

1888 . . 

1889 .. 

1890 . . 

1891 .. 

1892 . . 

1893 .. 

1894 . , 

1895 .. 

1896 .. 

1897 .. 

1898 .. 



304 
397 
484 
410 
281 
202 
214 
24s 



IS- 1865 247 



399 
420 

387 



IS. 1869 393 



380 
381 
399 
395 
388 

4S6 
531 
553 
626 
624 
600 
524 
564 
578 
570 
572 
573 
510 
557 
549 
569 
592 
594 

63 s 
708 

81 S 
827 

811 

909 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 379 

October 3 1 , 1899 940 

October 31, 1 900 887 

October 31, 1901 895 

October 3 1 , 1902 . ...., .9^2 

October 31, 1903 932 

October 31, 1904 976 

October 31, 1905 1,044 

October 31. 1906 1,095 

September 30. 1907 I.I45 

September 30, 1908 1,212 

Hardly a year has passed since the present location was selected that im- 
provements of some kind have not been made. In 1882 a large cell house 
was built at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, but the greatest number of im- 
provements have been made since the institution became the Indiana Reforma- 
tory. 

In April, 1897, an exchange of inmates was made between the Indiana 
Reformatoiy and the jMichigan City penitentiary, to carry out the provisions 
of the new law which provided that all life-time men and those over thirty 
years of age should be confined in the latter place. At that time three hundred 
and sixty men were taken north and two hundred and ninety-seven men were 
received here. A. T. Hert, wdio was the last warden, became the first super- 
intendent, and he remained as such for two years, to be followed by W. H. 
Whittaker. Among the many modern improvements which have been made 
at the new institution may be mentioned the new C cell house, constructed in 
1901, from plans drawn b}^ Arthur Loomis. of Jefifersonville. This cell 
house is one of the most modem in the United States. It is sixty cells long 
and five cells high, making a double stand of three hundred cells on each side 
of the center of the cell house. Each cell is about six feet wide by eight feet 
high, by ten feet deep and is equipped w'ith running water, toilet and wash- 
stand, electric light, wire spring bed, shelf and chair. The total cell capacity 
is six hundred for C cell house ; one hundred sixty-eight for B cell house, and 
two hundred for A cell house, making a total of nine hundred sixty-eight. 

The present entrance was reconstructed during the wardenship of Mr. 
Patton, just preceding Mr. Hert. The foundi^y was built and burned in 1908 ; 
the hospital was built in 1898; the trade school building in 1895: the new 
laundry and bath house were built under Mr. Whittaker's superintendency, 
and the large drill ground was walled in in 1907. In 1909 about eight ad- 
ditional acres of land were obtained through condemnation proceedings. The 
roof garden for the hospital is one of the most valuable features in the whole 
plant. Here the men in the grasp of the white plague are made to sleep and 
exercise, and the results of this treatment have been excellent. The building 



380 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

containing the office of Mr. Barnard, tiie assistant superintendent, also con- 
tains the solitary cells. The last report speaks as follows of this feature : 

"Our methods of discipline are humane. At no time is a man thrown 
into a dungeon or into a dark or poorly ventilated cell ; but. whenever neces- 
sary to confine a prisoner for discipline, it is done in a well-lighted and well- 
ventilated cell, and for the first offense he is given two full meals a dav while 
in punishment. We find we get just as good results from this method as we 
did from the old method of giving a man only eight ounces of bread per day 
and all the water he could drink while in punishment. 

"I find that the best method of handling men of this character is to give 
them at all times fair treatment, and in no case should punishment be meted 
out to the offender unless he has wilfully violated some rule of the institution. 
In adhering closely to this rule and in giving to each fellow a "square deal." 
I find that far better results can be attained than by the old method of vin- 
dictive punishment, and w^here careful investigations were not always made 
before a prisoner was placed in punishment." 

There are no dungeons at the reformatory now. The solitary cells are 
about eight feet by ten feet by twelve feet deep and are airy, clean and 
well lighted, eveiy cell having an outside opening. 

The librar}' is of great benefit in oft'ering good, clean instruction and pas- 
time to the inmates and at the same time in furthering the reform idea. The 
library was burned on February 8. 1908. and three thousand and seventeen 
books out of a total of four thousand six hundred twenty-seven were destroyed. 
Since that time new liooks have been added until there are now si.x; thousand, 
five hundred forty-nine. This libran- has an average monthly circulation of 
fifteen thousand seven hundred fifty-one volumes, or a total circulation of one 
hundred eighty-nine thousand and fourteen for the year. 

On the second floor above the library is the chapel, with a seating ca- 
pacity of one thousand fifty. Here ever}' Sunday morning the inmates and 
officers gather for divine ser\-ice. and the fact that the inmates contributed 
one thousand two hundred dollars towards the purchase of a pipe organ for 
this chapel indicates to what extent they are interested. 

Among the minor features of the refoiTnatory may be mentioned an ex- 
cellent brass band of twenty-eight pieces, and also a newspaper, called the 
"Reflector," which each inmate finds in his cell every evening. For physical 
exercise, besides the daily w'ork of the trade schools, the military idea has 
been adopted, and a drill for each day is held if possible. Under the instruc- 
tions of Lieutenant Harrell. of the Indiana National Guard, the men have 
received excellent training in the sitting-up exercise and marching, as well 
as in discipline. 

The central idea in the reformatory being reform, education is naturally 
used as the best means of accomplishing this result. The trade schools are 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 381 

not only teaching trades to the men but are a source of revenue to the institu- 
tion. They are on an excellent basis. Instruction is given the men in the 
following trade schools: chain-making, shirt-making, foundry department, 
shoe-making, tinsmithing, blacksmithing. brickmasonry, broom and brush- 
making, cabinet-making, carpentering, tailoring, laundering, painting and 
printing-. 

The various other institutions in the state such as the insane asylums, 
etc., etc., are supplied with furniture, clothing, shoes, etc.. from the reforma- 
tory and the receipts from this source reduce considerably the expense on the 
taxpayers for maintaining this institution. The shirt department clears about 
forty-five thousand dollars per year. In 1908 the institution C(_ist one hundred 
ninety-six thousand eight hundred fifty-seven dollars and thirty-nine cents for 
maintenance in all departments including schools, library, parole and discharge 
of prisoners, supervision of paroled prisoners, salaries, food, clothing, fuel, 
etc.. yet the trades schools made one hundred seventeen thousand three hun- 
dred twenty-one dollars and forty-four cents, leaving a very small remainder 
for the taxpayers to contribute towards the support of nearly one thousand 
three hundred of their delincjuent citizens at less than eighteen cents per 
capita, when we remember, too, that over two hundred boys are kept in 
school under competent teachers more than nine months in the year. The 
fact that competent instructors are provided in all trades schools, and the 
fact that inmates are given military drill and moral instruction to help them 
physically and mentally, and the further fact that no contractor has a word 
to say as to the amount of work a boy must perfomi makes the system almo.st 
ideal. The trades schools are now furnishing all of the chairs, beds, mat- 
tresses, tinware and furniture for the new Southeastern Hospital for the In- 
sane, being constructed at Madison. 

In the educational department the men are given good practical instruc- 
tion. If they are illiterate they are placed in the kindergarten department, 
where they are taught reading, writing, spelling and number work. In the 
next or primary' department the men are taught reading, elementary language, 
arithmetic, history and geography. In the intermediate department, literature, 
grammar, physiology, civil-government, geography and arithmetic are taught. 
In the advanced department, arithmetic, English grammar, and ten lessons 
in algebraic equations. 

There is also another department for weak minded boys, and also one 
for foreigners, another department of mechanical drawing, and a correspond- 
ence school, whereby the men may study in their cells. At present the school 
is able to offer arithmetic only by correspondence, but the demand for this 
work has been so large and the results so commendable that this course is to 
be made to include the other subjects. 

The system as adopted in the reformatory is certainly a success, and 



382 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

each succeeding year demonstrates its value. Its idea is to correct rather than 
to punish. Although there is a complete lack of clap-trap sentimentality, there 
is no unswerving rigor in enforcing the regulations. The instructions are 
of practical benefit and the output is of practical benefit to some one. The ul- 
timate intention is to produce everything required by the other state institu- 
tions. The system of paroling men has stood the test of time and its unques- 
tioned \-alue proven. The wonderful results evident in the management of 
the Indiana Reformatory could never have been produced with politics the 
sole qualitication for service. The sixty-five to seventy officers and instructors 
are doing what the average politician could never do. W. H. W'hittaker 
and M. Barnard, the superintendent and assistant superintendent, have 
given the state an exceptionally efficient ser\'ice. ]\Ir. Barnard came to the 
reformatory from the Michigan City penitentiary after eight years' service 
there as assistant superintendent. The other officers of the institution without 
an exception are imbued with an esprit de corps which argues well for the 
present and future management of the plant. 

THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY. 

June 1,1864, the Ohio Falls Car and Locomotive Company was organized 
with a capital stock of three hundred thousand dollars, afterwards increased 
to four hundred and twenty-eight thousand five hundred dollars. The follow- 
ing were the first officers of the company: President, D. Rickets: secretary 
and general manager, Hiram Aldridge : treasurer, Jacob L. Smyser. Its first 
directors were D. Rickets, A. A. Hammond, J. L. Smyser, W. P. Wood and 
H. Aldridge. 

On October i, 1866, i\Ir. Joseph ^^'. Sprague took charge of the works 
as president and general manager. The business of the company was not 
then of the best, its credit was questionable, and its stock selling far below par. 
Under Mr. Sprague's judicious administration a great change was wrought, 
the company was pressed with orders, the stock was brought up to par, and 
there was every prospect for a continued and increased prosperity. 

So matters stood when one day in 1872 the works caught fire, and be- 
fore anything could be done to prevent such a result, were completely swept 
out of existence. Fortunately a heavy insurance was carried, and the build- 
ing of the present magnificent system of fire proof and isolated structures was 
commenced. These were still incompleted and the business of the company 
barely resumed, when came the panic of 1873, which, with the long period of 
financial depression that followed, completely paralyzed the building and 
equipment of railroads in the United States, and compelled the company to 
suspend, and ultimately to dissolve and offer its property for sale to cover its 
indebtedness. 




THE AMERICAX CAk AXD I-731'XDRY COMl'AXY. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 383 

On the 7th day of August, 1876, was organized the Ohio Falls Car 
Company, with Joseph W. Sprague as president and general manager, and R. 
M. Hartwell secretary and treasurer. Its directors were J. W. Sprague, S. 
A. Hartwell, J. L. Smyser, J. H. McCampbell, and S. Goldbach, and its 
capital stock of eighty-eight thousand three hundred dollars, later increased to 
four hundred thousand dollars. The officers remained the same, with the ex- 
ception of the appointment of R. S. Ramsey as general manager, made Sep- 
tember 27, 1 88 1, to relieve Mr. Sprague from overwork. The company pur- 
chased the lands, buildings, machinery, stock and tools of the old corpora- 
tion, and at once began operations, first in a comparatively small wa}^ grad- 
ually increasing to enormous proportions. The new company was made up 
of nearly the same stockholders as the old, and any losses made by the former 
failure were retrieved tenfold. The success of the institution was largely 
due to the enterprise and business tact of its managers, but not a little to nat- 
ural advantages of location. The works are located about five hundred feet 
from the Ohio, and. being outside the city limits, a low rate of taxation is 
permanently secured. 

The Ohio river affords the cheapest class of transportation for iron, coal, 
lumber and other supplies. The Pennsylvania Railroad. Baltimore & Ohio 
Southwestern, and the Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Company 
enter the premises by switches. By means of the railroad bridge over the 
Ohio river, located half a mile below the works, immediate connection is made 
at Louisville with the southern network of railroads. \\'ithin a very small 
radius an ample supply of the quality of white oak, white ash, yellow poplar 
and black walnut used in construction can be obtained at reasonable prices. 
Empty cars returning from the South insure very low rates of freight on 
yellow pine, and the various brands of irons made from the rich ores of Ala- 
bama. Considering the convenience of receiving supplies and of the distri- 
bution of products, this location can hardly be surpassed for almost any 
branch of manufacture. 

The real estate upon which the extensive institution is located embraces 
a large territory. The buildings which were first built are situated upon 
outlot No. 34. of Clarksville, containing an area of about nineteen and two- 
thirds acres. Part of outlot No. 23 containing about five and a half acres im- 
mediately west of outlot No. 34 is used as a lumber yard. 

The river slip containing about thirteen thousand eight hundred square 
feet lies opposite the works upon the river bank. On this was located the en- 
gine house and pump for furnishing the water supply. This was before the 
installation of the water works system by the city of Jeffersonville. since which 
the company has used water from this source. Automatic sprinklers were in- 
troduced in all the shops, and fire hydrants were erected at a cost of over 
twenty thousand dollars. Lot No. 9, Jeffersonville, containing about five thou- 



384 BAIRU'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

sand sixty square feet, secures a connection witli the Baltimore & Ohio South- 
western Raih'oad. Blocks No. 18, 19, 49 and 80, situated on the west side 
of Missouri avenue, were purchased by the company upon which to erect new 
shops. The beautiful residence for the superintendent was erected on the 
river bank in 1900. The buildings of the company, numbering over fifty, are 
all substantial and in good condition. With the exception of the office, the 
pattern lofts and cupola they are one story high. They are constructed of 
brick and the roofs are covered with the best quality of slate. These build- 
ings are arranged with high gables, with ample spaces between them and are 
substantially fireproof. They are all thoroughly lighted and most of them 
are amply provided with skylights of heavy plate glass. The machine shops 
in the freight and iron department are provided with gas from the city mains 
of Jeffersonville, and are wired for the necessary electric currents. Mr. 
Sprague took charge of the institution in September, 1866, and labored faith- 
fully for the interests of the company until about October, 1888, when he re- 
tired, selling his large stock interests to his associates. This was during the 
financial tlepression which commenced in T884, and continued until the fall of 
1889. Upon the resignation of Mr. Sprague, Jacdb L. Smyser, of Louisville, 
Kentucky, was elected president. For about fifteen months during 1888 and 
1889 the works were closed for lack of orders. General business was badly 
depressed, and this worked a terrible hardship upon the large force of men who 
had in the past relied upon this institution for their living and support of their 
families. Necessarily the business of Jefifersonville was seriously aflr'ected, but 
the gradual resumption which commenced late in 1889 soon relieved the situ- 
ation. The employees were called to their old places and in an unusually short 
time the works were in full blast. The business of the company became 
larger than ever before, with corresponding profits the results. New buildings 
and improved machinery were continually being added until 1892. the working 
force had reached a maximum of two thousand three hundred men, with a 
pay roll of seventy thousand dollars per month, nearly three thousand dollars 
per working day. These figures and facts are staggering, but serve to illustrate 
what location, energy and a comprehensive grasp and application of business 
principles can accomplish. In 1893 another panic swept over the country and 
the business of the company shared in the depression as a natural consequence. 
In the late fall active work was again suspended and was not resumed until 
about the beginning of 1895 ^^'^ then only in a limited degree. During this 
period the banks of the country were under suspension, and currency was sell- 
ing as high as four per cent, premium, being paid for by certified check, payable 
onh^ through the clearing houses of the various financial centers. Notwith- 
standing this severe tax upon the depositors to avail themselves of the balances 
they had in the banks, this company, at a great sacrifice met all of their ma- 
turing obligations without asking a single renewal. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 385 

Resumption of business was very slow ; many railroads had to pass 
through long-drawn-out receiverships, and it was not until about 1898 that 
normal conditions had returned. In the interim, however, the car company, 
because of e.xceptional facilities and financial strength, had its full share of the 
business to be done, and continued its prosperity until 1899, when there was 
a merger of about thirteen car building companies of the country, of which 
this company became one, selling to the new corporation, the American Car 
and Foundrv' Company, at a very acceptable price its entire business and effects. 
The plant has been enlarged and improved by the same cijmpany, and it is 
generally understood that it has ha 1 a profitable career. The capital of this 
new coinpany, the American Car and Foundiy Company, is sixty million dol- 
lars, half preferred and half common shares. The preferred pays regular 
cjuarterly ilividends of one and three-quarters per cent., ecjual to seven per cent. 
per annum. This common stock pays one per cent, quarterly. The last yearly 
statement of the American Car and Foundry Company, shows it to be one of the 
strongest and most prosperous industries in the country, having a net surplus 
of over twenty million dollars. For several years, up to 1908, John D. Ingram 
was the manager of this branch of the company. At present J. R. Scan- 
land is the general manager. 

In 1888, soon after J. L. Smyser had been placed in control, ^I. E. 
Duncan was made general manager of the Ohio Falls Car Manufacturing 
Company, and Jefferson D. Stewart, secretary and treasurer. They continued 
with the company until the time of the merger, excepting that during the de- 
pression after the panic of 1893, Mr. Duncan was otherwise engaged for about 
two years. When activity returned he resumed his former relations in the 
management. 'Sh. Smyser was a director in the new American Car and Foun- 
dn' Company and so remained fiir about eight vears, when he declined re-elec- 
tion. 

This plant means much to the working people and general business of 
Jeffersonville, and it is to be hoped that its continued prosperity may reflect 
happiness and contentment on all those who depend upon it for employment 
or support. 

25 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

JOURNALISM IN CLARK COUNTY. 

In 1820 George Smith ami Xathaniel Bolton published the first news- 
paper in Clark county, at Jeffersonville. This paper was published in their 
residence on Front street, but did not last long, as the_\" removed to Indianap- 
olis in 182 1, where they established the first newspaper in that city. In the 
thirties the elder Keigwin published a paper in Jefi^ersonville called the 
"Humlmg." but its life also was short. 

In the early thirties Joe Lingen published a paper in Charlestown, but 
of its name, circulation or politics we know nothing. 

In 1836 the Democratic party at the county seat. Charlestown, estab- 
lished a newspaper to expound the doctrine of their faith, and Thomas J. 
Henly was installed as editor. Henly was a brilliant man, well read and an 
eloquent speaker, but in strange waters when editing a newspaper. He later 
on served as a member of Congress from this district for two terms, but only 
remained in the editorial sanctum for a short while, turning it over to John 
C. Huckleberry. Huckleberry- kept the paper alive until the summer of 1841, 
when he was obliged to close the office. The name of this paper was "The 
Southern Indianian." 

In 1837 "The Jeffersonville Republican," a weekly political journal rep- 
resenting Democratic principles, was established in Jeffersonville by Robert 
Lindsey. Not having means sufficient to carry out this enterprise. Dr. Xa- 
thaniel Field and others became his sureties for the payment of the material 
needed, and at the end of five years of alternate disappointment and encourage- 
ment he was obliged to abandon his paper, which came into possession of Doc- 
tor Field as the principal surety. The doctor continued its publication some three 
years at a financial loss, though making a v-ery acceptable journal. He then 
closed the establishment and sold the press to J. M. Mathews, of Bloomington, 
who moved it to that place, and for some time Jeffersonville had no paper 
published within its borders. 

In the year 1840 Joseph Usher published a paper in Jeffersonville. called 
the "Ball of '40." It was a campaign paper, and an ardent Whig. That cam- 
paign was known as the hard cider campaign, and the "Ball of '40," added 
materially to the enthusiasm of the day in Clark county. 

An early job ofifice in Jeffersonville in 1841 was located on Spring 
street in the small two-storv brick at No. 252. It was owned bv a Air. Tilden 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 38/ 

and a description of this plant may make some of the job offices of the present 
da}' sit up and take notice. There were four presses, and six to eight men 
were employed constantly. The presses were hand affairs, but they were 
capable of excellent work and during the early forties, besides the general run 
of job work, which kept them running night and day. Tilden printed the 
Louisville City Directory, a medical work for a Doctor Bright, containing 
about one thousand pages, and also an English grammar for a Doctor Bene- 
dict. William S. Ferrier, the dean of the profession, still living in Charles- 
town at a hale and hearty old age, set all the type for the grammar. 

In the spring of 1842 Ferrier returned to Charlestown, and, although 
he was only a youth of seventeen, undertook to resuscitate the "Southern 
Indianian." A Mr. Donaldson assisted for three or four months and then 
left Ferrier to fight it out alone. He continued the publication of the 
"Southern Indianian" until 1846, when he sold out to Henry B. Woolls. 
This paper was a success and supported Thomas J. Henly. who was making 
the race for Congress on the Democratic ticket, the youthful editor accom- 
panying Henly, and his opponent, Martin, on horseljack throughout the dis- 
trict. Henly won and Ferrier returned from one of the hottest campaigns of 
those days to his paper at Charlestown. 

In 1844 Thomas Wright published a \Miig paper in Jeffersonville. He 
was a good writer, a printer by trade and put out a first-class journal. 

In the year 1847 Fei'i'ier returned to Charlestown from Ohio and bought 
out the printing plant of Judge James Scott. Judge Scott retired from the 
Supreme bench in 1831, and about 1834. or very soon after, began the pub- 
lication of a newspaper called "The Comet," in a little frame building on 
Lot number 55. At the head of his paper he kept standing as its motto : "Ask 
not to what doctor I apply, for sworn to no sect or party am I." Whether 
Judge Scott's paper was still published in 1847. oi" whether it was tlie outfit 
only which was purchased can not be told, but upon his purchasing the office 
Ferrier started the "Western Farmer." The name of the paper was finally 
changed to the "Clark County Democrat." In 1850 this paper was moved 
to Jeffersonville, where Ferrier continued its publication until 1853, when it 
was sold to William French. The building where this paper was published 
still stands in Jefferson\-ille and is now used as the ferry office. 

The paper was published by French later in a building which stood on 
the northwest corner of Chestnut and Pearl streets, and here it received its 
baptism of actual fire. The building burned and the office together with the 
contents of the Masonic Hall on the upper floor was a total loss. 

In 1862 Ferrier, who had established an office in Charlestown, moved 
his plant to Jeffersonville and published a paper in the building standing on 
the southwest comer of Spring and Chestnut streets. He remained as editor 
of this paper for about one year, and then sold out to a Republican syndicate, 
who moved it to New Albany. 



388 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.j IND. 

In 1864 Ferrier was publishing another Repubhcan paper in Jefferson- 
ville. It was pubhshed only a short while, but it lasted during the campaign. 
It was the first daily Republican newspaper in Jeffersonville. In 1869 Ferrier 
returned to Charlestown and started the Clark County Record. It was a Re- 
publican paper and continued as such until 1900, when it was sold and its 
politics became Democratic. It is still published and under the name of "Clark 
County Record and Hoosier Democrat." it proudly declares its age as forty- 
one years. 

THE NATIONAL DEMOCRAT. 

The "National Democrat." the oldest existing weekly newspaper in Clark 
county and the parent of the Evening News, the first daily newspaper ever 
established in Jeffersonville, was founded by William Lee, on November 11, 
1854. It was a four-page eight-column sheet and was established to uphold 
the pure doctrine of Democracy, ^^"ith ]\Ir. Lee was S. R. Henry, and the 
publishing company was known as \\'illiam Lee & Company. Mr. Henry 
withdrew after the first year and in the absence of Mr. Lee in Washington 
the burden of the publication devolved almost entirely upon Mrs. Kate Lee, 
his widow since November, 1902, and now resident at Ireland, Dubois county, 
Indiana, and well advanced beyond fourscore years. 

After two years existence the paper and plant were sold to a number of 
citizens, all long since dead, who placed the late Capt. A. J. Howard in the 
editorial chair, but according to Mrs. Lee the verba! promises to pay were 
never more than partially redeemed. The office was on Front street, over the 
Ferry office. Messrs. Wiltse and Nixon were the next purchasers, the latter 
being the Hon. Cyms J. Nixon, whose brother, Txlagistrate Benjamin F. 
Nixon, died a year ago. They soon transferred their property to Henry B. 
Woolls, who retained the paper for some years, but finally sold it to Reuben 
Dailey, who issued his first number on June 6, 1872. He retained the paper 
till his death and it is now jointly owned by his widow and son. Mrs. A. E. 
Dailey and Clarence I. Dailey. They also own the daily edition referred to 
which was started by the late Mr. Dailey on November 18, 1872. 

It is to be regretted that the files were not retained intact in the office, 
but were kept by the parties who owned the paper from time to time, if indeed 
office files ever existed. Only the first two volumes, published by W'illiam 
Lee, are now in existence prior to the first volume published by Mr. Dailey. 

The weekly edition was published by Mr. Lee in a building on the site 
now occupied by the Eaken building at Spring and Chestnut streets, while 
the opposition "Know Nothing" paper was published by William M. French, 
one square west at Chestnut and Pearl, his paper being known as the "Re- 
publican." Later the Democrat was published by Mr. Howard, on Front 
street, between Pearl and Spring streets, and by Woolls on Spring street, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 389 

where Frank Spieth now has a meat store. Mr. Dailey assumed charge there, 
moved to West Chestnut street, then back to Spring street, and thence to 
\\'all and Chestnut streets, where the paper withstood the flood of 1883. 
Before the more disastrous flood of the following year it had been moved to 
the News block, built by the proprietor, where it has been issued ever since, 
It has always been a Democratic paper. 

The original "Evening News," but for which Jeffersonville like Newport 
and Covington, Kentucky, or Allegheny, Pennsylvania, also situated adjacent 
to large cities, might never have had a daily paper, was a four column sheet, 
twelve by nine inches, printed on one side only and sold for one cent a copy 
five days a week, no publication occurring on Wednesday, which was "weekly 
day." The paper had "ads." printed on the back soon after and for $1 the edi- 
tor undertook to print his entire issue on the back of business circulars. 
However, the bantling' grew and during the next two or three years we find 
it growing to four pages of even six columns, but one issue shrunk to two 
columns, four pages, and so it fluctuated until on March 17, 1873. ^^^ epoch- 
making decision was reached to fix the price at ten cents a week and the size 
was four columns, four pages at that time. A few years later it grew in size 
and is now seven columns, four pages, while the weekly contains from six 
to eight pages, eight columns. 

The "National Democrat" missed an issue in its early days, so far as Mrs. 
Lee recollects, and certainly that of Augntst 8, 1855, is not in the files. This 
was two days after a fierce election in which the "Know Nothings" figured 
largely and which was of such a character that the Louisville Journal, the 
predecessor of the present Courier-Journal, failed to appear on August 7th, 
and in the next issue, giving a full account of the riots of the previous day, 
alleged them as the cause of its failure to appear. 

During the great flood of 1884. when the News office was flooded, only 
handbills, similar in size to the earliest issues of the paper, were published. 
Regular issues were resumed after one week. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE TIMES. 

The Jefifersonville Times was started in the early eighties, by Lee John- 
son and Joe Fitzpatrick. A. J. Howard, popularly known as Jack Howard, 
came into possession of the paper aftenvards and used it as his political 
mouthpiece when he became warden of the Prison South. The Jefiferson- 
ville Times was a seven column, four page paper, and its first habitation was 
on the second floor at the northeast corner of Spring and Chestnut streets, 
in the rooms now occupied by the telephone exchange. Here the Rev. T. 
G. Bosley became the business manager. The offices were moved to the west 
side of Spring street two doors south of Maple. Here George Howard be- 



390 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

came business manager, but as he did not give his brother, Jack, complete 
satisfaction, he severed his connection and Devore Broy assumed the man- 
agement and remained with it until it was carted away to the journalistic 
graveyard in 1886. Jack Howard, the editor, was one of the best known 
men in Southern Indiana, and in his day one of the most influential politicians 
in the state. His wide acquaintance and political sense, together with his 
newspaper, served to bring him into prominence. His paper, the "Times" 
was a good one, and in the political fights of the times was a rather danger- 
ous weapon in the hand of its editor. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE GAZETTE. 

In the early eighties George R. Brown established a Republican daily 
paper in Jeffersonville called the "Jeffersonville Gazette." It was a four 
page, six column sheet, and as it was published before the day of patent in- 
sides, it was filled with local and plate matter. It finally shared the fate of 
all other Republican newspapers in Clark county, and in 1885 it became a 
corpse in the building on the west side of Spring street, about two doors 
south of Market. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE WORLD. 

In the early nineties the Small Bros., unwilling to learn by the ghastly 
array of defunct journals in Jeffersonville, began the publication of the "Jeffer- 
sonville World." Their office was located in the brick building at 244 Spring 
street, but they soon after moved to 216 Spring street. The Small Brothers 
sold the paper and Albert Small, one of them afterward became identified in 
publishing patent newspaper matter in Indianapolis. George Voigt finally 
got control of the paper and continued it as an expounder of the Democratic 
faith with George Johnson as business manager. The World finally ceased 
to live. 

THE JEFFERSONVILLE JOURNAL. 

The Jeffersonville Journal has been described as "a spasm." It was a 
small Republican paper published in the nineties by a Mr. Tevis, a son of a 
pastor of Wall Street Methodist church. The Journal worried along for a 
short while and then died a natural death with no near relatives and very 
few mourners at the demise. 

THE PENNY POST. 

In the eighties William Armstrong and Luther F. Warder started a new 
Democratic paper and called it the "Penny Post." It had a meteoric career 
across the journalistic heavens of Jeffersonville and finally fizzled out. It was 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 39I 

a five column, four page sheet, and was published on the second floor, at the 
southeast corner of Spring and Chestnut streets. 

A Mrs. Johnson pubHshed a temperance paper called the "Agitator," in 
Jeffersonville, probably in the seventies, but no record of its life or influence 
can be discovered. It is dead. 

THE CLARK COUXTY REPUBLICAN AND JEFFERSONVILLE STAR. 

The Charlestown Hustler was established by James Ruddell in Charles- 
town in 1891. In 1893 Lee L. Robinson and A. R. Schimpff leased the prop- 
erty from Ruddell for six months, and at the end of this term it again became 
the property of Ruddell. It was afterward purchased by William E. Robin- 
son, and the name changed to "Clark County Republican." 

In 1903 Bundy and Patchell purchased the plant and September 2d, of 
that year started the "Jeffersonville Star." On August i, 1904, the plant went 
into the hands of a receiver and on December ist it was sold to C. A. and 
A. R. Schimpft'. In August, 1905, C. A. Schimpff sold out to A. R. Schimpff, 
who still publishes it. The first location of the Star in Jeffersonville was in 
the brick building on the north side of Chestnut street above Spring street. 
Charles Patchell was manager and Devore Broy, cily editor. The present 
location of the Star at 1 1 5 \\'est Alaple street is a convenient and well ap- 
pointed newspaper office. It is a staunch supporter of the Republican party 
and principles and, and its success in being the only Republican paper to ex- 
ceed nine months in existence, is no doubt due greatly to its consistent and 
untiring support of these men and measures. 

In the campaign of 1905 the Star had much to do in turning the city 
over to the Republicans. 

THE CLARK COUXTY SEXTIXEL. : 

On Xovember i, 1893, the Clark County Sentinel was established at Bor- 
den, Indiana, by A. E. Olmstead and R. F. ]\Iix. In March, 1894, the oftice 
was partially destroyed by fire, but the paper never suspended ])ublication. 
In April of this year Olmstead purchased the one-half interest of R. F. Mix, 
and since that time he has edited and published it as a Democratic newspaper. 
It is a seven column, four page paper, well gotten up and has a circulation 
of about six hundred. 

THE CLARK COUNTY CITIZEN. 

The "Clark County Citizen." the Democratic weekly newspaper published 
at Charlestown, was founded in October, 1902, by Carl Brayfield. a well 
known newspaper man and versatile writer, who had previously been a polit- 



392 BAIRD's history of CLARK CC^ IND. 

ical staff, correspondent, traveling in Indiana and the South. The Citizen, 
from its inception, took a leading position in the political affairs of Clark 
county, and the Third Congressional district, its political opinions being 
widely quoted and republished in the press of the Hoosier State. 

The Citizen occupies three rooms in the Russell block in Charlestown, 
and is in a prosperous condition. Its circulation is not confined to Clark 
county alone, but it is widely read by people of the Democratic faith through- 
out the nine counties of the Third district. 

The "Clark County Citizen," in the first issue of its seventh year. October 
7, 1908, has the following to say: 

With this number The Citizen enters upon the seventh year of its exist- 
ence in Charlestown — the fourteenth year of its age both here and in Henry- 
ville, at which last named place it was known as the Times. 

^^^hen the material of the Times was removed from Henryville to 
Charlestown six years ago, two wagons were all sufficient to convey the entire 
plant, and the loads were not heavy. 

Today the plant occupies three rooms in the Ruddell building, and has 
been more than quadrupled in size. 

When the Citizen was established here six years ago, those who did not 
understand the situation, much less did not know the man at the helm, were 
profuse in their prediction of failure, and the prophecy was freely made that 
six months would, at most, see the end of its existence. 

The Citizen has lived to see a number of newspaper changes in Charles- 
town since that bright day, October 3, 1902, when it made its first appearance 
here. Its Democratic rival, a venerable publication, dating its beginning from 
the days of the Civil war, after passing through various hands and leading 
a precarious existence, finally ceased to be, and was succeeded by a Republican 
paper, leaving the Citizen the sole Democratic occupant of this field. 

The Citizen has grown in popularity, in business and in material worth, 
year after year, until now it is one of the permanent business enterprises of 
Clark county. 

Its standing has been secured by its independence of character, by its 
hard work, and by refusing to become a mendicant for official and public 
favors. Whatever it has won has been earned by merit, and it has never 
prostituted a proud profession by marketing its space for political crumbs that 
fall from the tables of county officials. 

A history of journalism in Clark county would be very incomplete with- 
out a mention of the two journals, one of wliich is still published under unusual 
circumstances. As far back as 1890 a prisoner in the old prison south, Joe 
Bush, issued a paper within the walls and called it "Hot Drops." It was an 
original and unique sheet, one copy being the whole issue, written in long- 
hand, yet its fame spread far beyond the limits of its circulation. Its successor 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 393 

is the "Reflector." For several 3-ears this paper was issued from the Reforma- 
tory printing office as a weekly journal, but early in 1908 it began a daily 
issue and has succeeded beyond the expectations of its most sanguine friends. 
It is an exchange with every county paper in the state of Indiana, and a copy 
is issued to even,' man in the institution every evening. The weekly issue 
has a large circulation throughout the United States. The daily paper is a 
four page, four column sheet, and the weekly issue is six pages and four 
columns. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 
SCHOOLS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

BY S. L. SCOTT, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT. 

In common with the struggle for homes and for the necessities of hfe, 
the hardy pioneer also toiled for the establishment and maintenance of schools 
for his children. Rude almost as Indian wigwams, low and dark and gloomy, 
with greased paper for a window, and a split log for a seat, with a huge 
stone chimney built on the outside of the building. The log school-house, built 
in the wilderness of Indiana, served its purpose well, and was often the center 
around which clustered scores of cabin homes. It served the threefold pur- 
pose of an intellectual center for the community, a place for a general busi- 
ness meeting, and as a house of worship for its builders. No sooner had the 
hunter, the trapper and explorer opened up tire road into the wilderness of 
Clark county late in the eighteenth century and prepared the way for a hand- 
ful of early pioneer settlers than the itinerant school master, uncouth and 
uncultured, pitched his tent among them and boldly plead for patronage 
among the lads and lassies of the little settlement. Some of them came from 
Kentucky and Virginia, but many of them from New England. Often the 
double profession of preacher and teacher was practiced by some of these 
men. No qualifications, no experience, no training were required and only 
a very elementary education consisting of reading, writing and ciphering, 
was essential. Yet these men had lofty ideals, and much of the spirit of the 
real teacher. From these most humble beginnings amid conditions and sur- 
roundings unfavorable and unpromising, the early log school-house took its 
stand on the outskirts of civilization, on the borderland of the Indian savage. 
The curling smoke from the hut of Indian warriors gave place to the more 
cheerful fires of the log cabin school-house. The war-whoop of the Indian 
savage had not ceased to echo amid the hills and tree-tops of the Indiana for- 
ests until the glad shouts of the school children were ringing through the 
woodlands and fields of the settlement. 

The foundation for the present system of education in Indiana was laid 
before Clark county was settled. As far back in history as the year 1785, 
after the conquest of the Northwest Territory by George Rogers Clark, Con- 
gress passed an ordinance which declared that one square mile in every town- 
ship in the Northwest Territory should be set apart for the maintenance of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 395 

public schools. Two years later in the "Ordinance of 1787," Congress de- 
clared that "religion, morality and knowledge are essential to good govern- 
ment and the happiness of a people, and that schools and the means of an 
education should forever Ije encouraged in the new territory." The famous 
"ordinance" passed before Indiana had either organization or a civilized 
people has been the basis from which grew one of the strongest and most 
practical school systems of modern times. And this is due in a very large 
measure, to the wisdom and foresight of the fatliers of another century and 
of other states, the splendid school system the Clark county boy enjoys today. 
This ordinance, reaching down through more than six score years, has fur- 
nished the basis and inspiration for favorable school laws to the builders of 
two state constitutions and to the patriotic members of every General As- 
sembly convened within her borders. As early as 1808 the territoritorial 
Legislature of Indiana passed a law giving courts the pov.-er to lease the lands 
which had been reserved in each township for school purposes. These leases 
were not to be for a longer period than five years, and the persons leasing the 
school lands were to clear not less than ten acres on every quarter section. 

The constitution adopted in 181 6, provided for township schools, county 
seminaries and state university, ascending in regular graduation, with free 
tuition and equally open to all. With these and many other favorable laws 
the school system had its beginning. The early years of progress were slow 
indeed. Buildings were poor, and teachers without training, and those who 
attended had tuition to pay. The day of free schools for all was still afar off. 
The earliest schools in Clark county were usually not taught more than three 
months in the year. The teacher's pay was small, indeed and he usually 
boarded around with the patrons, staying a week at each home. 

As early as 1801 a school was kept in Silver Creek township by Richard 
Slider. This school w-as taught from six to eight weeks annually and was 
in existence for a number of years. Among the first teachers at the Slider 
school were James McCoy, Andrew ^IcCafiferty, George McCulloch and 
Spenser Littell. 

In 1803 a school was opened on the old Hester farm near Charlestown, 
and was taught by a Mr. Epsy. Teaching then began with the rudiments of 
the language in Dilworth's spelling-book. Epsy was rather deficient, even in 
the knowledge of correct reading and pronunciation. His pupils were taught 
to give nonsensical names to vowels whenever one of them formed the syl- 
lable of a word. Reading books furnished little useful information, and were 
in no sense adapted to beginners. Two books wdiich were used as readers 
were Gulliver's Travels and a dream book. The rigid discipline exercised, 
the cruel penalties inflicted upon delinquent pupils, and the long confinement 
to their books — from a little after sunrise to near sunset — are all now con- 
sidered as detrimental to intellectual as well as physical advancement. 



396 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

In 181 1 in Utica township on the James Spangler fann. a rude log 
school-house took its place among the still ruder lob cabins of the early 
pioneers. Among the first teachers in this old log school-house were William 
Crawford, a Mr. Blackburn and a Mr. Scantlin. These men taught most of 
the children of the families in those days. As far back as 1820 a dwelling 
was converted into a school-house on the Charlestown and Utica pike road. 
It stood near where the residence of Peter H. Bottorff later stood. A 
Mr. Kincaid was one of the teachers. Perhaps the next school-house in 
Utica township was the one put up on E. B. Burtt's place some time in the 
thirties. The teachers who taught here were Messrs. Brown, Fellenwider, 
John Randolph, Jonas Raywalt and George Ross. It was at this school that 
the Swartzs, the Jacobs, the Epsys, the Patricks, the Spanglers, the Prathers, 
and the Ruddles, received their early instniction. 

In 1830 Clark county had its first institution of higher learning located at 
Charlestown. and known as the "Charlestown Seminary." The school was 
opened by D. Baker, an Englishman, and was in the old Masonic hall. 
Mr. Baker was the father of Hon. E. D. Baker, afterwards United States Sen- 
ator from Oregon. This school had rather a successful career covering a pe- 
riod of nearly twenty years. The annual enrollment reached at one time three 
hundred students. In 1849 the school was bought by the Rev. H. H. Cambern 
and was changed to a female seminar}-, under the supervision of Rev. George 
J. Reed. After a successful career of some fifteen years the school passed 
under the control of Prof. Zebulon B. Sturgus, a scholar of superior worth 
and attainments. Students were enrolled from several states along the Ohio 
river, and the school was in a prosperous condition during the active life-time 
of Professor Sturgus. He called the institution "Barnett's Academy." 

One of the early schools in the county was in Wood township. Moses 
Wood, a brother of George Wood, the founder of the township was the first 
teacher. In 1825 a Mr. Ransom taught and he was followed in 1826 by Tilly 
H. Brown. In 1827 \\"i!liam Sparks had the school. Other early teachers 
were Joshua W. Custer, Charles A. Carpenter, Asa M. Bellows and Evan 
Baggerly. 

In Bethlehem township a school was carried on before the Antioch 
church was thought of. It was very near the place where later the church 
was located, and was a log afifair about sixteen by eighteen feet with a door 
which swung to the outside. Cyrus Crosly was the first teacher and after 
him came Thomas J. Glover, Dr. Solomon Davis. Rev. Benjamin Davis and 
others. In 1832 a new hewed log school-house was presided over by 
Martin Stucker. Charles Smith, Samuel C. Jones. Joel M. Smith and 
Thomas S. Simington followed, and it was while the last named was the peda- 
gogue that the building burned. This was about 1840, and a new building 
was soon erected and the school presided over by George Matthews. The 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 397 

schools of this locahty have kept abreast of the improvements made elsewhere 
in the county. 

The second institution of higher learning in Clark county was Borden In- 
stitute, founded in 1884 by Prof. William W. Borden. This was located at 
the town of Borden, and had a very successful career for more than twenty 
years. Three distinguished educators have been at the head of the faculty 
of this institution : Prof. Francis Stalker, Dr. W. E. Lugenbeel and Prof. 
H. A. Buerk. This school ranked high among the better institutions of learn- 
ing in the state. The museum in connection with this school had a collection 
of geological, mineral, archaeological and historic specimens not surpassed by 
any other institution in Indiana. Under the present laws of the state the 
county school system has developed into a complete system of graded schools, 
including a four years' high school course in which tuition is free and at- 
tendance is compulsory. The minimum term in the district school is six 
months, and in some townships this is extended to eight months, while the 
town and city schools have a full term of nine months. Clark county has 
two commissioned high schools, one in the city of Jeffersonville. and one 
in the town of Charlestown. It also has one certified high school at New 
^^'ashington and six other high schools doing two or more years' work. 

The original public schools of Jeffersonville consisted of two buildings, 
both of which have disappeared. The old Mulbern' street school which stood 
about opposite the end of Chestnut street, was a two-story brick building, 
built about 1850. It served its purpose until 1904. when it was torn down to 
make room for the interurban viaduct. The other school-house, a duplicate 
in design, stood on the northwest corner of Maple and Watt streets. It was 
torn down in 1907. In 1870 the oldest of the present school buildings was 
opened for use. It was built as a graded and high school and marks the 
beginning of the high school system of the city. For four years thereafter 
the girls and boys had separate high schools, but after that they were united 
and have remained so until the present time. W. H. Parsons was the first 
principal of this Chestnut street school, and held that and other positions in the 
public schools of Jeffersonville for years. 

In 1874 the Rose Hill school was built and ^V. B. Goodwin became the 
first principal. The present high school building was erected in 1882 and for 
several years several of the grades were taught on the lower floor, but it is 
devoted wholly to high schnnl use now. 

In 1904 the Spring Hill building was opened for use. and its construction 
has marked a decided change in school matters of the city. Public sentiment 
has of late years been directed toward the sanitary and structural details 
of the school buildings and as a result these features have made notable im- 
provement. The city of Jeffersonville of late years, under the management of 
Supt. A. C. Goodwin and more recently Supt. C. M. Markle, has developed 



398 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

one of the very best city school systems in Indiana. The graduates from 
the city high scliool take high rank in the higher institutions of learning in 
the state. 

Clark county now has one hundred and two school buildings, which, to- 
gether with equipment and grounds, are valued at more than a quarter of a 
million of dollars. Our enumeration of school children is now more than ten 
thousand, with an annual enrollment of five thousand nine hundred. Clark 
county employs one hundred and eighty-five teachers and pays them an annual 
salary of more than seventy-five thousand dollars. While many of our 
buildings are old and unsanitary, those built in recent years are beautiful, 
sanitarv. modern in every particular. All of our teachers have had normal or 
college training and many of them are graduates of higher institutions of 
learning. 

Our pulilic schools have kept abreast of the progress of the age. Public 
sentiment sujjports them to the fullest extent. The people love and cherish 
our schools as they do no other institution of modern life. Xe.xt to the family 
hearth-stone in the hearts of our citizens is the little school home of our chil- 
dren. Within the walls of each school room, whether it be a modest building 
in a rural district, or a magnificent structure of beauty and convenience, we 
are striving to kindle and develop in the heart of every child who enters there 
the best that it is possible for it to experience. The tendency in recent years 
has been to make the school more natural ; to make the school and the home 
work together for the same common end : to make school experiences real 
life experiences, and to include in the course of study in the public schools 
manv of the problems of the real outside experiences of the child. \\^ith this 
thought in the mind of our ablest teachers we have faith that our success will 
be assured and that the citizens of the next generations in Indiana will be 
more practical and skillful ; will be stronger, lietter and more able to fill their 
places in the destinv of the race that nature intended for tliem. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE LIME AND CEMENT INDUSTRY OF CLARK COUNTY. 

LIME. 

As early as 1818 the burning of lime was begun in the \-icinity of Utica, 
and with varying degrees of success and profit was continued until 1907. 
The first lime burned by the early settlers was on brush and log fires and even 
at tlial early date was shipped down the river on flat boats. There must have 
been a good deal of lime burned in the early days of the industry. Soon after 
the possibilities of the business began to be apparent and the profits began to 
make it attracti\-e, the settlers began to burn lime in kilns dug in the ground. 
The earliest lime burned at Utica was often shipped south as far as New 
Orleans, not however, as a separate cargo, but only to fill out and complete 
a load of flour, pork or whiskey. It was shipped in flour barrels and a barrel 
of lime often sold on the Mississippi river at the same price as a barrel of 
flour. 

.\bout the year 1826 a coal burning kiln was built here, un what is now 
known as the Nicholas Lentz place, one-half mile above Utica on the river 
front. The coal used in this kiln was brought from Pittsburg in flat-boats, 
carrying only five thousand bushels each, and this kiln was used until 1847, 
when it was abandoned. 

A man named Starkweathers burned lime in this kiln shortly after 1826. 

The first boat load of lime sent to New Orleans was sent south in 1850 
and the cargo consisted of five thousand barrels. 

About the year 1830 a man named Peabody came to Utica from Pennsyl- 
vania and introduced a better plan for burning lime in the "Ground Hog." 
or "Pot" kilns. His plan saved fuel and made the business more profitable 
besides turning out an excellent grade of lime. In 1849 or 1850 N. B. Wood 
made a great improvement in the kilns by erectitig a temporary wall in front 
of the furnace, leaving a space for the fuel to go in over the top of the wall. 

About 1830 Robert S. Wood, James Sweeney and William Brendel boated 
lime to Louisville. In the forties Allen Somers and James Sweeney, and 
later on James Hogg went into the business. In 1857 H. C. Emerke and 
Meshac James entered the boating trade to Louisville. 

In 1868 Moses H. Tyler, who had been in partnership with P. Howes, 
built a patent kiln which added greatly to the output of lime. This kiln was 



400 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

SO constructed that it burned continuously, the hme being drawn from below, 
the rock being fed on the top. 

The lime industry was the life of Utica for many years, and the little 
town was known from Pittsburg to New Orleans on account of the com- 
modity which she manufactured. The principle men who burned lime, both 
in the ground hog kilns and in the patent kilns, were the Woods, Sweeneys, 
Somers, Hogg, E. Enierke, James, Lyman Parks, Keys, Jack Howard, 
Floyd Ogden, T. Rose, Redford Pern,- and Jacob Robinson. 

The principle men who were engaged in boating lime were Jacob Rob- 
mson. \\'illiani Wei)!), Sweeney and Hobson, and a Air. Barber, an up-river 
man. 

About 1882 an up-river boatman loaded a boat at Utica for the Atakapas 
country, and this was tiie last of the flatboating. It was not until 1868 or 
1870, however, that lime burning was considered a profitable industry here. 
The burnings previous to this time were on a limited scale. Within the 
above named year the Utica Lime Company, with headquarters at Louis- 
ville, erected two kilns, with a capacity of one hundred barrels per day, and 
\-alued at $10,000. This company was actively engaged during fifteen years 
in burning lime, employing from ten to twenty hands regularly. Wages 
averaged $1.50 per day. The lime stratum is fourteen feet in thickness here. 

The first man prominently engaged in the manufacture of lime at Utica 
was 'SI. H. Tyler, who had built a kiln and made additions until at last its 
capacity was about two hundred barrels daily. In 1870 the Louisville Cement 
Company bought out 2\Ir. Tyler, also the firm of H. C. Emerke, whose 
capacity for burning was about one hundred and twenty barrels per day. 
This company had four kilns, two for coal, which turned out one hundred 
barrels daily, and two which burned wood, making in all a capacity of five 
hundred and twenty barrels a day. Lime was selling, December i, 1881, at 
fifty-five cents per barrel. The cost of burning was twentv-five cents not in- 
cluding the stone. The property at th.at time was valued at twenty-five 
thousand dollars. Thirty-five hands were employed, wages ranging from 
$1.40 to $1.75 a day. 

The rocks used for lime belong to the Niagara epoch. The following 
section of the Niagara group was obtained at Speed's quarry : Corniferous 
limestone, twelve feet; yellow rock, impure limestone, twenty feet; building 
stone, four feet ; gray crystalline limestone, burned for lime, fourteen feet ; 
upper bed crinoidal limestone, two feet; crinoidal bed containing Caryocrinus 
ornalus. etc., four feet: gray limestone, eight feet; magnesian limestone, five 
feet ; total, ninety-six feet. 

In May, 1907, the Speeds, who had secured control of the industry at 
Utica, ceased manufacturing lime here, and since that date all the lime burned 
bv them has been at Milltown on Blue river. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 4OI 

The patent kiln was not responsible for the death of the lime industi-y 
in and near Utica ; it was rather the ultimate result of the battle between the 
small burners and the wealthy company which finally controlled the industry. 

Ihe extent of the shipments of lime was wide. Utica lime was used 
in great quantities in Pittsburg in the early fifties ; the Louisville and Kanawa 
packets carried great quantities of it on their up-river trips. A great deal 
went up into the state of Pennsylvania as far as water transportation could 
take it ; and the down-river packets, the Cincinnati and New Orleans, and 
the Cincinnati and Memphis boats carried quantities. Those were the palmy 
days of steamboating and the excellent transportation facilities made Utica 
lime a standard article up the Wabash, Green, Cumberland, Tennessee, Red, 
and Arkansas rivers. It sold in the Atakapas country and in Te.xas, and 
eastward along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and west Florida gulf 
coast. The location of the strata of rock from which lime is made is peculiar. 
The layer of rock at Utica is the same as the top layer of rock found at the 
Falls at low water mark. At Charlestown landing the choice strata is about 
one hundred and sixty feet higher than at Utica ; at Riley's Point, opposite 
Eighteen Mile island, this strata is still higher and only six feet thick. Three 
miles further up the river it is only four feet thick and it ends there. 

CEMENT. 

The first cement mill in Clark county was owned by William Beach and 
it was located in Clarksville, about opposite the Tarascon mill in Louisville. 
Li 1866 the Falls City Cement Company started the manufacture of cement 
by the erection of a mill on the James W'ell's farm, about one-half mile south 
of Sellersburg This mill has been running ever since. In 1869 the Louis- 
ville Cement Company purchased land from Louis Bottorff at Speed's. In 
September, 1869, they purchased the mill of Sabine & Gilmore, about six 
miles north of Jei¥ersonville, and in 1870 moved this mill to Watson, where 
its remains still stand. In 1882 the mill at Speed's was enlarged and in 1890 
it had a capacity of about four thousand five hundred barrels of natural 
cement per day. With the discovery of shale in 1905 a Portland plant was 
erected at Speed's, having a capacity of about five hundred barrels per day. 
At present the capacity of this plant is one thousand eight hundred barrels 
per da}-. 

In 1870 the Black Diamond mill, near Cementville. was Imilt by Bon- 
durant and Todd, on the John Peet farm. 

The next mill was the Silver Creek mill. Then came the Ohio Valley 
mill, the Kentucky and Indiana mill, the New .\lbany mill, the Clark county 
mill, the Indiana mill, the United States mill, the Hoosier mill, the Standard 
mill, the Golden Rule mill and the Oueen Citv mill. Of these the Silver Creek 

26 



402 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 

and the Queen City have been dismantled. The Falls City, th Clark countv 
and the Speed's mill are the only ones in active operation at this time. In 
1900 the output of these mills was over two million barrels, but on account 
of the advent of Portland cement in the market this output fell, in 1908, to 
about two hundred thousand barrels. 

In 1898 there were seventeen mills in active operation in Clark county. 
The Speed's mill had a daily output of three thousand five hundred barrels, 
Belknap's one thousand eight hundred, Ohio Valley six hundred. Kentucky 
and Indiana six hundred, Watson one thousand. Standard four hundred. Globe 
three hundred. Clark County seven hundred. L'nited States five hundred, 
Black Diamond one thousand five hundred and Gheens six hundred. 

In 1870 the output was three hundred twenty thousand barrels. 
In 1880 the output was six hundred twenty-seven thousand barrels. 
In 1890 the output was one million eight hundred thousand barrels. 

Originally the cement rock was cjuarried, but in later years tunneling was 
resorted to. and the caverns left by the companies are in some cases c|uite 
extensi\e. The quarrying in early days resulted in more or less rock being 
stripped off of the cenlent rock and this was used in building roads. During 
the busy epoch of the cement industry the Pennsylvania Railroad and the 
Baltimore & Ohio. Southwestern ran regular cement trains and employed 
scores of men to handle this class of freight. 

In 1903 the Falls City mill made six huridred thousand barrels of natural 
cement, and in 1908 about forty thousand barrels. 

The natural cement business in Clark county is about as dead as the lime 
business, but the Portland business is maintainig a steady growth to meet 
the demand for the supply. The new Portland plant at Speed's, running at 
its full capacity, and with the increased demand, will, nn doubt, be enlarged 
to increase its output. 

The remains of the old mills stand as mute landmarks to the glory of 
departed enterprise, and their abandonment has in many instances obliterated 
the little settlements which had sprung up around them. Their discontinu- 
ance was a severe blow to the localities in which they lay and it is to be hoped, 
for the sake of the county, that commercial enterprise enough may be 
created to revi\e the industry as a Portland business wherever it is possible 
and profitable. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES ANN ROGERS CLARK CHAPTER D. A. R. FORT STEUBEN 

CHAPTER C. A. R. GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC POSTS 

THE UNITED SPANISH WAR \'ETERANS. 

Clark county has never been found wanting in patriotism, and in all 
matters where a spirit of pride and veneration for the deeds and lives of the 
founders and conservers of the state and nation has been possible, there were 
found those who gave their time and means to keep alive the record of the 
past. 

To the ladies of Jeffersonville belongs the honor of having formed the 
highest type of patriotic society, the Ann Rogers Clark Chapter. Daughters 
of the American Revolution. This chapter was organized January 15, 1901, 
with ]\Irs. Nathan Sparks as Regent. Tlie chapter had twenty charter mem- 
bers and with several losses to its membership has at present forty-five. This 
chapter has taken the lead in several things which reflects credit on the society. 
They initiated and carried out the centennial celebration of the founding of 
Jeffersonville. and they have undertaken, with the city's permission, to pre- 
sen-e and improve the old deserted Mulberry street cemeten,^ They formed a 
junior society called the Children of the American Revolution to instill into 
the younger minds a spirit of patriotism. To the ladies of Ann Rogers Clark 
Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, and to them alone, belongs 
the honor of being instrumental in having the state erect a monument to the 
pioneer heroes massacred at Pigeon Roost. At a state conference of the 
Daughters of the American Revolution the local chapter initiated the move- 
ment, and the state body took it up and had the bill passed at the following 
session of the Legislature. The present Regent of the chapter is Mrs. Lewis 
C. Baird. 

The Fort Steuben chapter. Children of the American Revolution, was or- 
ganized in 1907. Its membership is restricted to those children who can trace 
back to an ancestor of Revolutionary sen-ice similar to that of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution. The society has twenty members and under 
the instruction of the ladies of the Daughters of the American Revolution, is 
becoming a well informed and enthusiastic body of little patriots. Such so- 
cieties as these, where elevating study and the acquiring of useful knowledge 
is the object, stands in glaring contrast to the card clubs of present day 
popularity. 



404 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

Indiana furnished over two hundred thousand men to the Union armies 
during the War of the Rebellion, and the survivors who reside in Clark county 
have always striven to keep alive the memories and presen'e the friendship 
of battle, camp, march and hospital. That men who patriotically served their 
country long and well should seek a closer companionship and comradeship 
after a return to civil life is but natural. The posts of Clark county have been 
composed of patriotic veterans who gave the strength and health of youth for 
the cause of liberty and union m the sixties, and yet in 1909 the flush of 
youth, the elastic step, the erect form, the clear eye and hearty grasp affected 
by the weight of years, their enthusiasm still rings as clear as it did in 1861. 
From the early eighties these veterans have maintained their organizations in 
Clark county, but the sun is setting behind the hills and ere another decade 
has rolled around taps will have been sounded over comrade and post, and 
their work bequeathed to the patriots of another generation and age. The 
following are the posts of Clark county : 

Jeffersonville Post No. 86. organized July 26. 1882. Twenty charter 
members. Post commander, James Keigwin : senior vice, J. W. Thompson ; 
junior vice, Jacob B. Pifer; officer of the day, James WHiicher; officer of the 
guard, G. C. Watson; chaplain, E. G. Neeld ; quartennaster, Philip Specht; 
adjutant, John Gallagher. 

Samuel Simonson Post No. 226, Charlestown. Organized September i, 
1883, thirty-four charter members. Post commander, George W. Coward; 
senior vice, I. N. Haymaker; junior vice, James Bottorff; officer of the day, 
Thomas Strieker; officer of the guard, \Mlliam McComb; chaplain, William 
Smith ; surgeon, H. D. Rodgers ; quartermaster, William A. Steirheim ; ad- 
jutant, Thomas J. Huffman. 

Dan Griffin Post No. 323, Sellersburg. Organized March 24, 1884; 
twenty-three charter members. Post commander, E. T. Leach ; senior vice, 
George Robinson ; junior vice, J. H. Smith ; officer of the day, A. J. Acton ; 
officer of the guard, Henry Harrold ; chaplain, Silas Anson ; surgeon. J. V. 
Robinson ; quartermaster, J. L. Leach ; adjutant, Henry C. Clark. This post 
has forfeited its charter and is not in existence. 

Rosseau Post No. 351, Jeffersonville. Organized May 19, 1884; twelve 
charter members. Post commander, Wesley Brown ; senior vice, Jefferson 
Henry ; junior vice, Henry Craycroft; officer of the day, Robert Harris; officer 
of the guard, "David Hill; chaplain, A. J. Spears; surgeon, Louis Txible; 
quartennaster, Charles Tinsley ; adjutant. Nimrod Lewis. This post is the 
negro post of "Jeffersonville. 

General Lytle Post No. 416, Bethlehem. Organized October 10. 1885; 
eleven charter members. Post commander, Frank L. Dean ; senior vice, ]. L. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 405 

Dean; junior vice, James E. English: officer of the day. James L. McCoy; 
officer of the guard. \\'iniam Hatclier: chaplain. William S. Dean: surgeon, 
B. F. Scull: c|uartermaster. ^^'illiam Young: adjutant. B. F. Scull. This 
post has had to forfeit its charter and suspend. 

E. R. T^Iitchell Post No. 425. New Providence. Organized November 
12, 1885 : thirty-two charter members. Post commander, John A. McWil- 
liams: senior vice, B. F. Roerk : junior vice, John T. Kelly; officer of the day, 
J. M. Campbell; officer of the guard. John McCory : chaplain, J. M. Baxter; 
surgeon. B. F. Stalker : quartermaster. Ernest Schleicher ; adjutant. T. S. 
Ransom. 

Henry Clay Deitz Post No. 430. jNIemphis. Organized April 22. 1886; 
twenty-three charter members. Post commander. Cornelius D. Hunter; senior 
vice, Hiram G. Bridgewater: junior vice. Isaac M. Perr\'; officer of the day, 
Elam L. Guernsey; officer of the guard. John L. McCleary: chaplain. Zach- 
arias Young: surgeon. Charles Henrite: quartermaster. Enoch A. McCoy; 
adjutant, James M. Gray. This post has ceased to exist. 

Heniyville Post No. 461, Henryville. Organized June 29. 1886: twenty 
charter members. Post commander, Amos T. Grey; senior vice, James Ryan; 
junior vice, H. H. Prall ; officer of the day. William Sampel ; officer of the 
guard, George R. Grey : chaplain. T. S. Brooks : surgeon. IMiles Becket ; quai-- 
termaster, George Luallen : adjutant, W. H. ^^'illiams. 

Joel R. Spahr Post No. 580, Jeffersonville. Organized January 27. 1904; 
thirty-six charter members. Post commander. Charles W. Glossbrenner ; 
senior vice. Joseph G. Snyder; junior vice. \\'. H. H. Clegg: officer of the 
day. George \\'. Coward : officer of the guard, Isaiah Higdon ; chaplain, 
Samuel J. Gardner: surgeon. James \^'. Stanforth; quartermaster. Charles 
Stranch: adjutant. B. H. Robinson. 

John Brown Post No. 585, Charlestown. Organized October 25. 1890; 
twelve charter members. Post commander. Robert Wilson ; senior vice. Basil 
Van Cleave, junior vice. Hiram Colwell : officer of the day. Washington Lee; 
officer of the guard. Lewis Stone ; chaplain. George \\'. Wilson ; quartermaster, 
David Stone: adjutant, Richard Green. This last post was organized by 
negro soldiers, but its life was short and its charter has been surrendered. 

THE UNITED SPANISH WAR VETERANS IN CLARK COLTNTY. 

Among the vonnger patriotic organizations represented within Clark 
county. Indiana, is the L'nited Spanish \\'ar A^eterans. which might be aptly 
termed "The Young Grand Army of the Republic." it being an organization 
somewhat along the lines of the Grand Anny of the Republic. In membership 
the organization is composed of representatives from the North. East. South 
and ^^'est, who were engaged in the late war with Spain, which war, it is ad- 



40G BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

mitted on every hand has done more than all else to unite the two sections of 
the country, so long designated as the North and South, into one grand union 
of patriotic citizens with a love and admiration for one grand old flag, not 
surpassed by any nation on the globe. And this is but fitting, for upon the call 
of our country for volunteers to sustain its honor, the North and South vied 
with each other in sending forth their best sons, and those sons of the North 
and South fought shoulder to shoulder in the cause of their common country. 

The object of the United Spanish War Veterans, as set forth in their 
constitution and by-laws, is as follows : 

"Its object shall be to perfect and maintain national, state and local or- 
ganizations ; to keep alive the memories of the war with Spain ; to promote 
the best interests of those who, in the service of the United States, took part 
in that war, and their dependents ; to encourage and spread universal liberty 
and equal rights and justice to all men, as well as to inculcate the principles 
of freedom, patriotism and humanity. It shall be non-partisan." 

Qualifications for membership in the organization are prescribed as fol- 
low'S : 

"Active Members : All honorably discharged officers, soldiers and sailors 
of the regular and volunteer army and navy and marine corps of the United 
States, including acting assistant surgeons, who honorably sensed during the 
war with Spain, or in the incident insurrection in the Philippines, or partici- 
pated in said war or insurrection prior to July 4, 1902, as an officer or enlisted 
man, in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, on any vessel assigned to 
duty under the control of the United States Army or Navy Departments during 
such war or insurrection, are eligible to membership. 

"Honorary Members : Any person who performed distinguished and 
faithful service during the war with Spain may be elected an honorary 
member." 

Shortly after the close of the Spanish-American \\'ar there was organized 
throughout tl>e United States many organizations seeking to promote the wel- 
fare of the participants in that war in the sen-ice of the United States. Among 
these may be mentioned the Spanish-American War Veterans and the Spanish 
War Veterans, as probabh' having the largest membership. 

The first camp of Spanish War Veterans to be organized within Clark 
county was the W. T. Durbin Camp No. 31 at Jeffersonville, affiliated with 
what was known as the Spanish- American ^^'ar Veterans, that camp being 
named in honor of Col. W. T. Durbin, the regimental commander of the One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteers, who afterwards became Governor 
of the state of Indiana. This camp was one of the first, if not the first camp 
organized within the state of Indiana, so Clark county may be given credit 
for being one of the leaders in the movement to organize the veterans of the 
Spanish war. Durbin camp was kept alive for several years by the strenuous 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 40/ 

efforts of a few faithful young veterans, and after tinally being disbanded it 
was succeeded by Nathaniel Isler Camp No. 261, Spanish \\'ar Veterans, at 
that time a separate and distinct organization from the Spanish-American War 
Veterans. Isler camp was named in honor of Nathaniel Isler, of Jeft'erson- 
ville, who met death in the battle of San Juan Hill, Cuba, in the late war. 

After the organization of Nathaniel Isler Camp No. 261, Spanish War 
Veterans, a movement was inaugxu^ated to amalgamate all societies composed 
of Spanish War Veterans, the first organizations to join forces being the 
Spanish War Veterans and the Spanish-American War Veterans, after which 
the combined organization gradually absorbed those outstanding until now 
the veterans of the Spanish war are organized into one united organization 
known as the United Spanish War Veterans. 

During the course of the consolidation of all these societies Nathaniel 
Isler Camp of Jeffersonville has continued to exist, being taken into the United 
Organization as Nathaniel Isler Camp No. 13. United Spanish War Veterans. 

By a perusal of the foregoing recitation of events as they transpired, it 
will be seen that Clark county has been represented within the ranks of this 
splendid patriotic organization from its inception until the present time, and 
the fact may be further mentioned that the state of Indiana was and has been 
since the close of the Spanish war, the leader in the movement to keep alive 
this organization, as it has in all patriotic organizations. 

The United Spanish \\'ar Veterans, as mentioned in the foregoing part 
of this article, is much akin to the Grand Army of the Republic, and also to 
the United Confederate Veterans, being- destined, in all probability, to be the 
sticcessors of these two organizations of valiant and courageous veterans within 
the next few years. The grand old defenders of our Union and their worthy 
and courageous foes in the conflict of 1861-1865 are one by one succumbing 
to man's undefeated foe — death, and passing surely and silently into that 
great beyond, where there shall be no battles to fight and no foe to vanquish, 
but where all is peace and love. And it is fitting that this younger organiza- 
tion of veterans, composed as it is of the sons of the North and the South, 
should be the natural heirs and successors to the glory and honor bestowed 
upon these great old heroes. Was it not their blood coursing through the 
veins of the "Boys of '98" that carried these boys through the battles of San- 
tiago. Manila Bay and others with such distinction to their country? A\'hom 
else but a man through whose veins flowed the rich red blood of American 
citizenship, when the enthusiasm of a great victory had not had time to subside, 
could have such compassion for his foe as he who uttered those now famous 
words, "Don't cheer, boys, those poor men are dying" ? It was such mag- 
nanimity upon the part of the combatants of 1861-1865 that made easier the 
task of their sons to remove the feeling of bitterness and hatred between the 
North and South, as they did by fighting side by side in the Spanish-American 



408 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

war for the protection of that Union, the disruption of which had been the 
bone of contention between their sires. It is but meet and proper that an or- 
ganization composed of their sons should be their successors in the effort to 
continue and protect a Union stronger than ever, of whicli it has been aptly- 
said, "There is no North, no. East, no South, no West." 

The constitution and by-laws of the United Spanish War Veterans pro- 
vide that each local camp of that organization shall co-operate with the Grand 
Army of the Republic in all matters of import to those organizations, and in 
no other part of the country has there been such readiness on the part of the 
Grand Army to assist in every way possible the young veterans in everything 
they undertake, than within the County of Clark. 

The United Spanish War Veterans is composed of a national organiza- 
tion, known as the National Encampment United Spanish War Veterans. 
The National Encampment is divided into what are known as departments, 
corresponding with the states, the departments being divided into local or- 
ganizations known as camps. 

The National Encampment United Spanish War Veterans is commanded 
by an officer known as the commander-in-chief, assisted by a staff of officers 
corresponding to the offices of secretary, treasurer, etc., in other organizations. 
The departments are commanded by department commanders, who also have 
a staff' of officers assisting them, whose titles correspond to those officers of 
the National Encampment, witli the additional designation of "department" 
added to their titles. The present department commander of Indiana is Maj. 
M. R. Doyon, of Kokomo, Indiana. 

The local branches of the United Spanish War Veterans, or camps, are 
presided over by an officer known as a camp commander, assisted by a senior 
vice commander, junior vice commander, chaplain, officer of the day, officer 
of the guard, adjutant and quartermaster. The present officers of Nathaniel 
Isler Camp are : Commander, John W. Ware, senior vice commander, John 
F. Boyce ; junior vice commander, John Morris ; chaplain, Henry Barron ; 
officer of the day, Warren Francisco : officer of the guard, James Smithers ; 
adjutant, C. F. Faux: quartermaster, J. Henry Meiboon. 

Nathaniel Isler Camp has among its members one department officer in 
the person of J. Hem-y Meiboon, senior vice department commander, who has 
risen steadily year after year from office to office, until at the present time he 
holds the next to the highest office within the gift of the Department of Indiana, 
having been elected to that office in July, 1908. 

THE CLARK COLTNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

This society was organized on May i, 1903. Its general purposes are 
the promotion of historical study and investigation of the County of Clark, 
through the discovery, collection, preservation, organization and publication 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 4O9 

of historical facts pertaining to said county ; and by the collection and preserva- 
tion of books, pamphlets, papers, maps, genealogies, pictures, relics, manu- 
scripts, letters, journals, field books memoirs and any and all articles which 
will describe or illustrate the social, religious, political, industrial or educational 
progress of said county. L. C. Baird was elected president and has served 
as such continuously to the present time. The membership is composed of 
those who realize the value of historical research and preservation. The so- 
ciety has had read before its members many papers of historical value, and 
has preserved from loss facts and articles which may possibly be appreciated 
in the course of time. That it might come into closer touch with all the 
townships of the county, vice presidents were elected for each township. The 
society has met with but scant encouragement, but it stands ready to further 
any move which has as its object the preservation of the histoiy of Clark 
county. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF CLARK COUNTY. 

^^'ithout risking any unsupported claim, or indulging in any flattery, it 
can be truthfully said that the history of the medical profession, and its per- 
sonnel, will compare favorably with any other profession in Clark county. 
Law has produced many distinguished jurists and practitioners on the bench 
and at the bar ; but medicine has had as brilliant and eminent men in its 
ranks as can be claimed for the legal profession. Many medical men have 
distinguished themselves as authors, lecturers and surgeons. Clark county 
furnished a number of surgeons in the Civil war, who rendered services both 
on the battle field and in the tented hospitals. Such surgeons as the Doctors 
Fonts, Beckwith, Field, McCoy, Collins, Sheets, and Davis, saw arduous 
sen-ice both as regimental surgeons and in the hospitals. The late Dr. W. ^^^ 
Goodwin was in charge of a hospital in Jeffersonville during the Civil war, 
and the late Dr. William Morrow was in charge of the government refugee 
eruptive hospital during the same period. 

The present day physicians have no real conception of what hardships, 
exposure, and trials were the lot of the early physicians of Clark county. 
They were not blessed with macadamized roads, autumobiles, coupes, depot 
wagons, taxicabs and closed carriages; but rode through thick and thin, hot 
and cold, at all hours of the day and night, on horseback, with the old time 
saddle bags strapped to their saddles. Some of the pioneer doctors would 
ride many miles over the county, in midwinter, leaving at daylight, and not 
returning till night, worn out from exposure, fatigue and nen'ous tension. 
It was characteristic of them to minister to the sick without reference to fee 
or reward, as the majority of the people were poor, and while honestly in- 
clined, were unable to pay for medical attendance. I knew a physician, now 
gone to his reward, who practiced his profession from 1829 to 1888 and who 
estimated that he had done thirty thousand dollars' worth of medical service, 
for which he received neither cash, and many times, no thanks. While there 
is a spirit of grasping for lucre in all professions nowadays ; yet the earlier 
practitioners seemed to take the practice largely from motives of philan- 
thropy. It is one of the grandest of human offices to relieve sufifering; to 
cheer the depressed ; to succor from the assaults of diseases : and failing in 
this, to smooth the way to the inevitable tomb. There is no loftier mission ; 
none which more closely assimilates the human with the divine. While the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 4I I 

earlier physicians lia<l to depend on the science as a means of liveHhood, 
still they rose above the purely mercenary motive in their practice. Many of 
the pioneer doctors not only ministered to the body, but to the soul as well. 
Several practiced medicine, and "preached the Gospel to the poor." Notable 
among Clark county's physicians who combined preaching the Gospel with the 
practice of medicine, were the late Dr. Jacob Bruner, of Utica, and Dr. N. 
Field, of Jeffersonville. They, like the blessed "Master," preached the Gospel 
to the poor, free. 

It is amusing and interesting to look back sixty years and see the char- 
acter of service rendered, and fees charged in those days. The doctors worked 
hard, and were poorly paid for the ministrations. It was the period when 
cupping, leaching and bleeding were regarded as indispensable. The prac- 
tice was carried to extremes by many, as the practice of vaccination was per- 
formed on those who had no blood to spare, and as a consec|uence it ceased. 
The diseases of early times were bilious, remittent, intermittent, and rarely — 
typhoid, and the cases of the latter were always grave and lasted for weeks 
and weeks. The old fashioned ague, where the victims almost shook them- 
selves to pieces, was very common in the spring and fall, and good big 
draughts of Peruvian bark and whisky were the sheet anchors. 

While the practice of medicine was regarded as the most honorable, and 
is yet, it was far from lucrative. In looking back we find some of the fees 
charged for medicines and professional service, and it must be remembered 
that doctors then dispensed their own medicines : the charge for visit in the 
town was one dollar, and for visits to the country, one dollar for the first 
mile, and fifty cents for each succeeding mile : bleeding fifty cents, two doses 
jalop fifty cents, box of pills twenty-five cents, extracting teeth twenty-five 
cents, one dose of calomel and one ounce of paregoric sixty cents. Accouch- 
ments five dollars, consultations three dollars. In surgery the fees were very 
moderate ; strangulated hernia, fifty dollars ; amputations, from ten to twenty- 
five dollars. Asepsis was unknown, and great stress was laid on "laudable 
pus." Diseases such as dysentery and fevers were attributed entirely to 
miasm, and visitations of sporadic and Asiatic cholera were common. 

One doctor claimed great success in treating cholera, by the exhibition 
of: mustard, grains ten; calomel, grains ten; capsicum, grains ten; salt, 
grains ten, mixed. This palatable compound was forced down the patients 
throat with a cloth wrapped around a stick. It was wonderful what results 
followed, as many got well. 

The physicians in early times were temperate, charitable, kind-hearted 
and self-sacrificing, and it ought to be said, long-suffering. No money could 
adequately compensate them for the sacrifice of comfort, pleasure, rest and 
even life itself. They were exposed to seen and unseen dangers. 

The first medical society was organized in 1835, and to warn the present 



4^2 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

day physicians of the temptations and tendency to excesses in diet and 
spirituous beverages, which tends to cripple them professionally, as well as 
morally, not to speak of financial wreck : that the first society adopted and 
adhered to the following rules : 

First. "Physicians should never neglect an opportunity to fortifv and 
promote the g'ood resolutions of patients suffering under tlie bad effects of 
intemperate and vicious lives ; and in order to do so, their own lives should 
be such as to be blameless; as we regard a high moral character to be a pre- 
requisite to an honorable stand in the profession." 

The author is indebted to Dr. D. L. Field fnr the above information and 
for much that follows. 

As near as can now be ascertained. Dr. Samuel Meriwether was the first 
physician to settle in Jeft'ersonville. He was a native of Jefferson county, 
Kentucky, and pursued his medical studies in Philadelphia under Doctor 
Rush. He married his cousin, Mary Meriwether, in Kentucky, and soon 
after marriage entered the army as surgeon's mate, serving durmg the War 
of 1812. For some time he was stationed at Vincennes, and for a period of 
three months was unable to communicate with his young wife, who was 
greatly alarmed for his safety. Finally, obtaining a short leave of absence, 
he visited his home and on his return to Vincennes was accompanied by his 
wife. The hardships of that lonely ride through the forest can only be appre- 
ciated by those who have had a similar experience, and they are few in these 
days. 

Doctor Meriwether remained in the service until 181 3, when he resigned 
on the urgent entreaty of his wife, though offered permanent service. Soon 
after resigning he settled for a time in Jeffersonville, remaining until 1823 
or 1824, when he removed to Louisville. In 1830 he again returned to Jef- 
fersonville and made this his permanent abode, becoming one of its best re- 
spected and most prominent citizens. As a medical practitioner he was very 
successful, and in addition to being well-read in matters pertaining to the 
healing art, he possessed the happy faculty of bringing relief to many sick 
beds by means of his cheerful ways, ^^■hen a young man he became the 
owner, through inheritance, of several slaves, but believing the system wrong 
he gave them, their freedom. He was an earnest Christian and a prominent 
member of the Presbyterian church, of which he was one of the first members 
and founders. 

Doctor Stephenson came to Jeffersonville as early as 1821, or perhaps 
several years previous to that date. He continued in practice until the excite- 
ment consecjuent on the discovery of gold in California, when, with a party 
of some twenty-five persons, he departed on the overland route for the land 
of gold. 

Dr. Nathaniel Field was born in Jeft'erson county, Kentucky, on the "th 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 413 

day of November, 1805, and located in Jeffersonville, Indi?na, in September, 
1829. His father was a native of Culpeper county, Virginia ; was a soldier 
in the Revolutionary war, was at the siege of Yorktown, and after the sur- 
render of Cornwallis emigrated to Kentucky in the spring of 1783, taking up 
his quarters in the fort, at which was afterward Louisville, near the head of 
the canal. He was the first delegate from Jefferson county to the Virginia 
Legislature. He resided in that county until his death, in September, 1831. 

Doctor Field came to Jeffersonville in 1829 and was thoroughly identi- 
fied with the city until his death, in 1888. Though born in a slave state he 
was one of the first vice-presidents of the American anti-slavery society; was 
president of the first anti-slavery convention ever held in Indiana, and presi- 
dent of the Free-soil convention held in Lidianapolis in the summer of 1850. 

Notwithstanding his anti-slavery principles, he never would take any 
advantage of the slaveholder by advising his slaves to leave him and make 
their escape to Canada ; nor did he take any part in what was called the 
"underground railroad." In a contest between the slave and his master on 
the question of freedom, he was neutral. He determined to abide by the law, 
creating and maintaining the institution, until abrogated by the moral sense 
of the masters themselves. He opposed slaveiy on moral and religious 
grounds, and appealed to the reason and conscience of the slaveholder and 
the slave. 

He represented Clark county in the Legislature in 1838 and 1839. He 
served as surgeon in the Sixty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry and ren- 
dered important service on several battle fields and in field hospitals. In 1868 
he was president of the Indiana State Medical Society and was well and 
widely known as a writer upon scientific and religious subjects. Doctor Field 
was of the old school of physicians, and his visits to his patients, where he 
would compound his own prescriptions from a supply of drugs in his hand case, 
were occasions where his genial humor and fund of anecdote did much toward 
the recovery of the patient. His long experience in the practice of medicine 
placed him at the top of the profession in Clark county, and his hundreds of 
surgical operations in the army, including nearly all the operations known to 
military surgery, gave him the reputation of being one of the best surgeons 
in the state of Indiana. He was pastor of a church in Jeffersonville for more 
than half a century and would never receive a dollar for such service. He 
baptized nearly one thousand persons in the Ohio river during his pastorate. 
Doctor Field was a remarkable man, an original thinker and a firm defender 
of his views and opinions. 

Dr. W. F. Collum was Mayor of Jeffersonville from 1848 to 1854, and 
was a councilman from the Third ward from 1845 to 1848, when he became 
Mayor, was a member of the Board of Health from 1855 and 1857, and 
from 1859 to 1865. He came to Jeffersonville in 1838, and practiced medi- 



414 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

cine and surgery till his death, which occurred in 1870. His death was caused 
by blood poisoning from a wound made in a post-mortem dissection. His 
oldest son was Capt. Richard Collum, who commanded a warship in the Civil 
war. Two other sons \\'illiam F. Collum and Chapman Collum, died in this 
city. His daughter, Sarah, married a Mr. Sellers. 

Doctor Collum was one among the most capable and popular physicians 
of his time, and was a surgeon of eminence. 

Doctor Holiday made his appearance some time about 183 1. He came 
from Virginia in a boat containing his family, and on his arrival in Jeffeii- 
sonville was in destitute circumstances. Chancing to call nt the office of Dr. 
Nathaniel Field, he offered for sale some of his medical tooks, in order 
to procure funds to carry him to his destination in Illinois. He was 
persuaded to relinquish this plan, and instead, with the advice of Doctor Field 
that this was a good poinl for a physician, located in Jeffersonville. where he 
remained some five years. At that time he went on down the river and settled 
in Mississippi, where he died soon after. 

Dr. H. N. Holland came here in 1849, in which year he graduated from 
the University of Kentucky. Originally a practitioner in the allopathic school, 
he becaine convinced that he could do humanity better ser\'ice by giving medi- 
cine in small doses than in large, and after a few years' practice embraced 
homeopathy in 1853. Before coming to the city he w^as a resident of Scott 
county for nine years. In 1846-47 he was elected from that county to the 
state Legislature, and served with ability. He was first to introduce home- 
opathy into Jeffersonville, and was successful in building up an extensive 
practice. He served as school trustee and member of the council. 

Doctor Farnsley. formerly a resident of Kentucky, locr.ted in Jefferson- 
ville soon after 1840, and remained for a short time. 

Dr. \\'illiam Stewart settled here about 1850. but in a few years removed 
to Washington, D. C. where he became inspector of marine hospitals. 

Dr. W. D. Fonts was a native of Scott county, Indiana, and read medi- 
cine with Dr. A. A. Morrison, of Lexington, Indiana, and \n 1857 graduated 
from the L^niversity of Louisville. During the \\'ar of the Rebellion he was 
surgeon of the Eighty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, from which he was 
promoted to a brigade and finally to division surgeon. He was captured and 
confined in Libby prison for five months. At the close of the war he returned 
to Lexington and practiced medicine until 1871. when he located in Jeffer- 
sonville, remaining here until his death. The doctor was exceedingly popular 
with all classes and enjoyed a large practice. 

Dr. C. R. McBride was a native of Clark county and passed his early life 
on a farm, which was near Dead Man's Hollow. At twenty years of age he 
began the study of medicine with the late Dr. N. Field, and ir. 1850 he entered 
the University of Medicine of Louisville. Kentuckv, but did not graduate 



BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 415 

until later years — 1866. All his life he practiced his profession in this citv. 
He served as township trustee, was City Clerk for six years, physician to the 
State Prison and township physician for several years. In 1868 he was elected 
to the state Legislature, serving a regular term and a special session. Doctor 
McBride was a good physician and a man of versatile talents. 

Dr. L. \\'. Beckwith obtained literary education at Greencastle, Indiana, 
and in 1849 began the study of medicine under Dr. Samuel Meriwether. In 
1856 he entered the University ^^ledical College in Louisville, from which he 
graduated in 1858. He began to practice in Harrison county, where he mar- 
ried, but subsequently located in Chicago. In the early part of the War of 
the Rebellion he was appointed surgeon of the Thirty-eighth Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry and served throughout the war. In 1S65 he located in Jeffer- 
sonville and was equal in ability to the ablest physician abovit here, where he 
held his own. For five years he served as physician to the Indiana State 
Prison. 

Dr. Isaac N. Griffith was a student under Dr. N. Field in 1S34-35. He 
married a Louisville lady and removed to Louisiana, where he died eighteen 
months-after he began the practice. 

Dr. \\'. H. Sheets, a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Medicine and 
Surgeiy, entered the military service of the United States as acting assistant 
surgeon, and was assigned to duty at the L'nited States Hospital at Madison, 
in 1862, immediately after leaving college. In 1865 he came to Jeffersonville 
and established a lucrative practice. He served for five years as physician to 
the Indiana Prison, South. In 1880 he was appointed pension examiner for 
this portion of the state. He has sen-ed as secretary of the Board of Health 
for several years. 

Dr. \\'. N. McCoy pursued a course of medical study with Dr. Samuel 
Reid, of Salem, Indiana, and attended lectures at the Liniversity of Louis- 
ville in i860. In his youth his opportunities were meager, and only by close 
ap])lication and persevering industry was he enabled to overcome obstacles 
that would have daunted many a man situated as he was. Early left with the 
care of a family resting on his shoulders, his success in his profession is all the 
more wonderful. After attending a course of lectures he engaged in practice 
in this county at which he was quite successful. He entered the medical ser- 
vice of the United States as acting assistant surgeon, and was assigned to 
duty at New Albany. From that place he was sent to JefTerson barracks, Mis- 
souri, and thence to Mound City hospital at Cairo. He resigned in the spring 
of 1864, and soon after opened an office in Jeffersonville. In the winter of 
1869-70 he attended a course of lectures at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
New York, from which he was graduated. In 1866 he was surgeon in charge 
of the militan,' hospital at Jeffersonville, in which he remained most of the 
time until the hospital was condemned, and the business connected therewith 
closed. Doctor McCoy enjoyed a large practice for many years. 



41<J BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Dr. David McClure was a native of New York. He pursued his medical 
studies and was graduated from Fairfield and Geneva Medical College in 
1837-38. In 1839 he came to Indiana, and in 1864 located in Jeffersonville. 
He had the confidence of the public to the extent that in 1843-44 and 1853-54 
he represented Scott county in the state Legislature, and in 1880 was elected 
as a Demoratic Joint Representative of Clark, Scott and Floyd counties in the 
Legislature. 

Dr. E. W. Bruner read medicine with his father at Utica, in this county, 
and attended lectures at the Miami Medical College in Cincinnati in 1866-67. 
After practicing in Sellersville, New Albany, and Utica, he came to Jeffer- 
sonville in 1879. 

Dr. T. A. Graham, one of the most loveable, popular and successful physi- 
cians which Clark county has ever produced, studied medicine with Dr. D. S. 
Armer, of New Washington, after his graduation from Hanover College. 
He entered the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati in 1870, where he grad- 
uated in 1871. In 1872 he took the "ad eundem" degree at the University 
of Louisville. He began active practice in Oregon township and in 1872 re- 
moved to Jeffersonville, and purchasing the drug store of Isaac Brinkworth, 
he associated himself witli his brother. T. A. Grahain. Doctor Graham was 
an exceedingly popular man, and probably no physician before or since has 
enjoyed a more e.xtensive and lucrative practice than was the deserving good 
fortune of this late lamented doctor. In his intercourse with his professional 
brothers he was high-minded, considerate, even aft'ectionate, and the very 
?oul of honor. The doctor's death in the very zenith of his usefulness, while 
yet a comparatively young man, was a crushing blow to his own household 
and a sad loss to the profession in Clark county. Doctor Graham was a mem- 
ber of the Indiana Legislature, and as a member of the Medical Association, 
among the most earnest and best. 

Dr. O. P. Graham, a younger brother of Dr. T. A. Graham, and for a 
number of years associated with him, is a native of Clark county, was grad- 
uated from the medical department of the University of Louisville in 1890. 
Doctor Graham is one of the best known and most popular physicians in this 
section of the state and commands a large practice. He served two terms as 
County Health Officer, and is a member of the state and county medical 
societies. 

Dr. D. C. Peyton is also a native of Clark county. He began the study 
of medicine in 1881 under the direction of Dr. J. M. Reynolds, and in 1882 
attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati. After practicing in Clark 
county for two years he entered the department of medicine of the L^niversity 
of Louisville and graduated in 1886. The same year he located in Jefferson- 
ville and has built up a substantial practice. He has taken several courses in 
surgery, which in connection with his varied experience have given him a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 417 

promment position in the ranks of his profession. Doctor Peyton served for 
six years on the City Board of Health, for three years as secretary of the 
County Board of Health, for three years as surgeon of the old Prison South, 
and has also served as surgeon for the Car Works, the Baltimore & Ohio 
Southwestern Railroad, the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati & St. Louis Rail- 
road, and the Phoenix Bridge Company at the time the Big Four bridge was 
building. During the Spanish war Doctor Peyton was appointed major and 
brigade surgeon by President ]\IcKinley and had charge of all hospitals in 
the state of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. David L. Field is a native of Jeffersonville and studied medicine 
under that eminent physician of Indianapolis, Dr. Thomas Harvey, and 
also under his father, Dr. N. Field, of Jeffersonville. He graduated from the 
department of medicine. University of Louisville, in March, 1868, and imme- 
diately began the practice of medicine in his native city, being associated with 
his father until the latter's death. In 1880 Doctor Field opened a drug store 
and conducted it in connection with his medical practice until 1894, when he 
sold it and devoted his whole time to his profession. He is a member of the 
State Medical Association, and the Clark County Medical Societv, and he 
enjoys a large practice in the city of Jeffersonville. Doctor Field is a well 
read man, and his name is widely known among members of the medical pro- 
fession throughout the country by reason of his valuable contributions to medi- 
cal literature, many of which have been read and discussed before state and 
county associations. Doctor Field has inherited many of the genial and at- 
tractive characteristics of his father, and these together with his wide reading 
make him an interesting companion as well as a capable physician. 

Dr. C. F. C. Hancock, a native of Clark county, began to read medicine 
under Dr. J. M. Reynolds, at Memphis, in 1885. He soon after entered the 
medical department of the University of Louisville, where he took first honors 
in a class of eighty-nine students. Later he entered the Ohio Medical College 
at Cincinnati, where he graduated in March, 1887. Doctor Hancock's first 
practice was in Jasper, Dubois county, where he formed a partnership with 
Dr. E. J. Kempf, of that city. In July, 1888, he located in Jeffersonville and 
here his success in his profession has been marvelous. His success may be 
attributed to his intense earnestness, which he has displayed throughout his 
medical career, and to his personality, which has won for him hosts of friends. 
Doctor Hancock has been a member of the county and city boards of health 
and also surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He has one of 
the largest practices in Southern Indiana and has been very successful in his 
business ventures as well as in his profession. 

Dr. I. N. Ruddle, a graduate of the medical department, L^niversity of 
Louisville, in 1881, located in Jeffersonville soon after his graduation. With 
the exception of about six months in 1882, when he had removed to Illinois, 

27 



4l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

he has practiced in JefTersonville ever since. Doctor Ruddle is one of the 
best informed practitioners in Clark county, and enjoys a very successful gen- 
eral practice. In his first year in Jeffersonville he served as the township 
physician. He later served as a member of the Board of Health of Jeffer- 
sonville several terms, and for twelve years has been on the examining board 
for pensions. 

Dr. John H. Baldwin is a graduate of the Southwestern Hospital and 
College of Homeopathy in Louisville. Kentucky, class of 1897. He served as 
a house surgeon in the city hospital after his graduation and came to Jeffer- 
sonville in 1898. where he has carried on the practice of his profession ever 
since. For several years Doctor Baldwin was a lecturer in the school from 
which he graduated, and later became professor of the principles and practice 
of medicine. He has established a large and lucrative practice, and has identi- 
fied himself prominently with things outside of his profession He is an elder 
in the Presbyterian church and is president of the Chautauqua Association, 
which has held such successful seasons for the last five or six years. 

Dr. John Locmis. at present the oldest practicing physician in Jefferson- 
ville, began the practice of his profession in 1861. He was a graduate of the 
Fxlectic School of Homeopathy, of Philadelphia, and from the Homeopathic 
INIedical University of Ohio. Although Doctor Locmis is now in his eighty- 
ninth year he enjo}-s the practice of medicine in Jeffersonville, Louisville and 
Xew Albanv. He has written much for medical magazines throughout the 
country and in his practice was fc;r many years the sole representati\-e of the 
School of Homeopathy in Jeffersonville. Doctor Lcomis' health and vigor 
at his age testify to his purity of life, and affords a valuable example for the 
5'ounger generation of professional men to emulate. 

Dr. Lewis L. Williams, a native of Jefferson county, Kentucky, began 
the practice of medicine in Jeffersonville in 1893. He had previously prac- 
ticed in Utica, where he was for one term trustee, and in Spencer county, 
Indiana. Doctor Williams was a member of the state and county medical 
societies. During the Spanish war he was the examining surgeon for the 
enlistments for Company E. One Hundred Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry. Soon after he removed to Brazil. Indiana, and still remains in the 
practice of his profession. 

In the late nineties two young men began the practice of medicine in Jeffer- 
sonville. who shortly sought other fields. 

Dr. ^\'illiam L. Samuels, a graduate of the department of medicine of 
the University of Louisville established himself in Jefferson\ ille, but in 1897 
was appointed superintendent of the county hospital at Eureka, Nevada. Doc- 
tor Samuels was a bright and studious }-oung man and would have been an 
addition to the profession in Jeffersonville. He was educated in the public 
schools of his native city, and had served three years in the Indiana National 
Guard before starting to read under Dr. T. A. and O. P. Graham. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 41C) 

Dr. Terry Townsend, a graduate of the Jeffersun\ille higli scliool, class 
of '94, read medicine under Doctor Hancock and later graduated from the 
medical department, Uni\-ersity of Louisville. A student and an ambitious 
worker Doctor To\vnsend"s future seemed bright. He removed to New 
York City soon afterward and built up an extensive practice. 

Among the }-()unger physicians of JefTersonville are : Dr. George 
Twomey, Dr. \Miayne Crum. Dr. Marshall Varble, Dr. Claude Crura, Dr. 
David Cohen. Dr. Austin Funk, and Dr. A. H. Seibert, whose sketches ap- 
pear in this volume. 

In the brief existence of Spring\ille a disciple of Esculapius named Vale 
ministered to the people as long as the town remained a town, but of his 
personality we know nothing. Dr. Morrison James also practiced in Spring- 
ville or Tullytown, as the Indians called it. He was a rough man of tliie 
period, and as was the custom, carried his medicine with him. His person- 
ality is likewise lost to history. 

In later years Charlestown had the following doctors to minister to the 
wants of her sore and afflicted : Doctors Minor, A. P. Hay, Samuel Fowler, 
Hugh Lysle. H. I. Tobias, Alban Vernon, Andrew Rodgers. William G. 
Goforth. J. S. Athan, Leander Clemmeus, Campbell, Hay, William Taggart, 
Samuel C. Taggart, D. H. Combs, R. Curran, J. E. Oldharn, Josiah Taggart, 
and others. 

Dr. Andrew P. Hay practiced medicine in Charlestown for many years, 
and during the last term of President Grant, he was appointed National Bank 
Examiner, and removed to Indianapolis, where he lived till his death, several 
years later. Doctor Hay was an eminent ]\Iason, having been grand master 
of Indiana. 

Dr. Campbell Hay also practiced his profession at Charlestown and 
was at one time Clerk of the County Circuit Court. 

Charlestown was among the most prominent towns in Indiana from 
early times, and among her earlier physicians who added to the reputation 
of the place as a center of professional prominence were Drs. Samuel C. 
Taggart, David H. Combs, James S. Athan, J. E. Oldham, James Taggart, 
Robert Curran. etc., etc. 

Doctor Athan was elected Secretary of State on the Democratic ticket 
in 1862. 

In Owen township, among the prominent physicians who are now actively 
practicing medicine, are Drs. Josiah, ^^'illiam and Robert Taggart. They are 
all natives of the county and medical men of ability. 

Among many of the doctors who shed lustre on their profession, and who 
have long since joined tlie "silent majority," may be mentioned. Drs. Abin 
Vernon, Leander Clemmens, H. J. Tobias, Andrew Rodgers, W'illiam G. 
Goforth, Hugh Lvsle, Samuel Lawler and Samuel Work Those worthy 



420 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

doctors of Charlestown stood high in the cominunity and enjoyed the love and 
esteem of all who knew them. 

Clark county can claim to have many able and successful physicians, 
who are actively ministering to the sick and the afflicted. Among them may 
be mentioned Drs. Bottorff, D. H. Combs, C. Jones and Sidney Cortner, of 
Charlestown; Doctors Walker, Prall and others, of Henryville; Doctors 
Fountaine, Meloy, Q. R. Hause, J. M. Howes, of Sellersburg, and Drs. S. D. 
Hazzard and Frank Johnson, of Utica. Sketches of most of these men will 
be found in the biographical section of this volume. 

There were always professional men in Bethlehem after its success as a 
village had become assured. 

Doctor Fowler was one of the earliest, if not the very first physician to 
practice here. He located in the township about the year 1820. He did a large 
practice. The county being new, malarial fevers prevailed and during the 
fall months nearly everyone suffered from them. 

Dr. M. Williams succeeded Doctor Fowler, between 1825 and 1830, and 
in 1828 Dr. Andrew Davis came to Bethlehem and he and Doctor Go forth 
practiced there during the early thirties. Doctor Taylor practiced in Bethle- 
hem in 1834. Later Doctor Gilpin and Dr. George O. Pond were located here 
for a short time, Gilpin locating here in 1837. From 1840 to 1846 Doctor 
Cummings practiced medicine in Bethlehem. He removed to Chicago, but 
later returned to Bethlehem, and soon after died there. During the early 
fifties Dr. John Y. Newkirk practiced in the village. 

Dr. Thomas Duerson and Doctor Fritzien, teth from Kentucky, located 
in Bethlehem in 1870. Doctor Fritzien after practicing in Bethlehem a num- 
ber of years removed to New W'ashington, w'here he died a few years later. 

Dr. Thomas Duerson was the only one of the later physicians to remain 
long in Bethlehem. He was born and brought up on the Kentucky side of 
the river, nearly opposite Bethlehem. He studied medicine with his uncle. 
Doctor Deurson, of Kentucky, and after graduation, while still a young man, 
located at Bethlehem, and remained there until the end of his life, except for 
two or three short absences of but a few months each. He died in 1903. For 
many years he did a large practice in Bethlehem and surrounding country, 
but the small compensation he received compared with the large amount of 
yvork he did, was noted by all who gave the matter any attention. During 
Doctor Deurson's residence in Bethlehem and since his death a number of 
physicians have been located there each for a short time, among whom may 
be mentioned Doctors Mayfield, Hoddenshield and Muret. Each of them 
seems to have done a good deal of work there, but all agree in pronouncing 
it a hard place to practice in on account of the broken, hilly country, bad 
roads, etc. There are no physicians located at Bethlehem at the present time, 
the practice being done almost entirely by the New Washington physicians. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 42 1 

The physicians of Owen township have been few in number, but of long 
tenure. Dr. W'ilHani Taggart began the practice in the township in 1833 or 
1834, and from that date until 1870 was continuously engaged in the practice in 
the township, except the period from 1849 to 1858. during which he resided 
and practiced his profession in Charlestown. He did a large and laborious 
practice, always traveling on horseback. He often rode an average of fifty 
miles a day for weeks at a time during the late suinmer and fall months, be- 
sides visiting and prescribing for from fifty to sixty patients daily. 

During the time Doctor Taggart resided in Charlestown Dr. \\'arren Horr 
lived and practiced medicine in Owen township for a few years. He is the 
only physician who was ever located in the township except the Taggarts 
(father and son), and except Dr. E. M. Bruner, who was located there for 
a few months in i860, when he first began the practice. 

Upon the retirement of Dr. \\'illiam Taggart from the practice his man- 
tle fell upon his son. Dr. John F. Taggart, who after serving through the 
war as surgeon of the Fourth Regiment, Indiana Cavalry, and surgeon of the 
Second Brigade, First Division Cavalry Corps, located in Owen township at 
his present residence, where he has been engaged in the practice of medicine 
to the present time. 

Dr. Samuel Adair was the first physician to practice medicine in New 
Washington of whom we have any account. He was from Ohio and located 
here about 1820. He did a large practice in this and surrounding townships, 
and continued in the practice until near the end of his life. Dr. Phillip Jolly 
was another of the earlv phvsicians of the township. He also was from Ohio 
and for many years did a large practice in New \\'ashington and vicinity. He 
subsequently removed to other parts, leaving Doctors Adair and Davis in the 
field. Dr. Solomon Davis was engaged in the practice of medicine in Xew 
\\'ashington in the forties, but being engaged at the same time in merchandis- 
ing and other occupations his medical practice was at no time extensive. 

Immediately before and during the war Drs. T. Field and L. E. Eddy, 
sons-in-law to Doctor Adair, were practicing in Xew Washington. Doctor 
Eddy removed to Charlestown at abnut the beginning of the war, and there 
engaged in the drug business in connection with the practice of medicine, and 
later both he and Doctor Field removed to Louisville. 

Doctor Armer was another physician who was engaged in the practice 
of medicine at New Washington during and for some time after the war. 
For a time he did a large practice, having little or no competition, until Dr. 
S. L. Adair, Jr.. having in the meantime graduated in medicine, began the 
practice. After practicing a few years Doctor Armer removed to other parts 
and Dr. David S. Allhands located in New ^^'ashington. and a few years later 
Dr. George \\' Haymaker. The practice was then divided between Doctors 
Adair, Jr., Allhands and Haymaker. Doctor Haymaker did nor remain long 



422 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

in New Washington. After a few years' practice in that place he removed to 
Charlestown and engaged in the practice at that place. 

In 1894 Dr. R. S. Taggart began the practice of medicine at New Wash- 
ington, and a few years later Doctor Allhands removed to Louisville. Doc- 
tor Adair. Sr., having turned over his practice to his son, Dr. S. L, Adair, Jr., 
nearly all the practice of Xew Washington township and much of the neigh- 
boring territory is done by him and Dr. R. S. Taggart. 

For a number of years Henryville had two regular physicians — Dr. H. 
H. Ferguson and Dr. William W'isner. 

Doctor Ferguson received his education principally at the Barnett Acad- 
emy, in Charlestown, under the instruction of the principal, Mr. Z. B. Stur- 
gus, a justly celebrated educator. His course of study preparatoiy to entering 
Hanover College was almost completed when the death of his father, in No- 
vember. i860, necessitated his leaving school; he was then only fifteen years 
of age. He was now thrown upon his own resources. During the winter 
of 1861. at the age of sixteen, he commenced the study of medicine, and at- 
tended lectures in Louisville the following winter, after which he stood a 
satisfactory examination and was appointed a medical cadet in the L^nited 
States army, and stationed in a hospital at Louisville, Kentucky. 

He continued to hold this position for two and one-half years, during 
which time he attended a second course of lectures and graduated as a doctor 
of medicine at the Kentucky School of Medicine in the spring of 1865. On 
the 1 6th day of October, 1865, he opened an otfice and commenced the prac- 
tice of medicine at Henryville. his native town, not yet being twenty-one years 
of age. During the winter of 1866-67 '""S again attended a course of lectures 
and graduated at the Aledical University in Louisville. After practicing five 
years he visited the city of New York and for six months devoted himself to 
the diligent study of his profession at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
at which celebrated institution he also graduated. During hi? stay in that city 
he took private courses of instruction in medicine and surgery from some of 
the most eminent men of ihe profession. Frank Hastings Hr.niilton. Lewis A. 
Sayer. and Austin Flint. After his return from New York City he continued 
to do a large and successful practice, during which time he successfully per- 
formed many of the most difScult operations known to surgery. He per- 
formed successfully the operation for strangulated hernia on a man sixty-five 
years of age, and when the patient was in a condition of collapse, it being the 
only successful operation of the kind ever performed in the county. He con- 
tinued in active practice in a constantly enlarging field until 1878. when he 
was nominated and elected Treasurer of the county over three competitors for 
the office, and in 1880 he was re-elected to the same office by the largest 
majority of any one on the ticket. 

Dr. W^ E. Wisner was born in New York state. Yates county, in 1832. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 423 

He was a smi of H. W'isner, a pnjmineiit, acti\'e farmer of that countv. 
When a young man the doctor became infatuated witl: the medical profession. 
At about the ag-e of twenty-six he commenced studying under Dr Samuel H. 
Wright, of Dundee, Xew York, with whom he principally resd. He attended 
his first course of lectures at Geneva, Xew York. Several years were spent 
in pursuit of his medical education and in teaching. In the year 1862 he com- 
menced his practice proper in ^lemphis, Indiana. In 1836 he moved to Henry- 
ville and built up an extensive practice. In 1880 he opened a drug store to be 
conducted in connection with his practice. 

Dr. S. Z. Adair, Jr., graduated from the Kentucky School uf IMedicine 
in 1868, and later received a diploma from the Hospital School of Medicine. 
He shortly after located al Xew \\'ashington. where he practiced for many 
years. 

Dr. David Haymaker and Dr. Da\-id Allhands came later. 

Although X'ew Providence was one of the early settlements in Clark 
county it seems to have gotten along without a physician for a large part of 
its history. Dr \\'. W. Britan, who had attended lectures at Cincinnati, began 
to practice medicine here in 1842. He remained but one year when he re- 
moved to ]Martinsburg. The ^'illage practically remained without a doctor 
until i860. 

About that time came Drs. Francis and AI. ^Mitchell, both of Xew Al- 
bany. Prior to that time the people when sick were compelled to send to 
Greenville, in Floyd county, or to Martinsburg or Salem, in Washington 
county, the distance to the former being eight miles, to ]\Iartinsburg five miles, 
to Salem twelve. ]\Iitchell having remained about four years, returned to 
New Albany, and Dr. \Mlliam Bright, of ]\Iartinsburg, tool: his place. Doc- 
tor Bright remained a short time, returned to ]\Iartinsburg. and in 1866 was 
succeeded by Dr. Christopher C. Clark, of Washington county. Clark, hav- 
ing remained several years, became desirous to go west. He sold out to Dr. 
Benjamin F. Stalker, of \\'ashington county, who in company with Dr. Cad- 
wallader Jones, of Washington county, opened a drug store in Xew Prov- 
idence. 

Dr. T. V Xoaks, a son of Dr. T. J. Xoaks. a noted physician of Breck- 
inridge county, Kentucky, entered the office of Doctor Wisner and remained 
with him for about two years. He attended lectures in the Cincinnati hc^spital 
and was connected with the School of Medicine and Surgery there. He grad- 
uated at the Louisville University in 1874 and immediatelv began his practice 
at Otisco. Here he met with great success, but at the end of a year removed 
to LaPrairie, Illinois. 

Dr. J. Bruner was born in Greene county, Tennessee, December 6, 1811. 
When five years of age he moved to Floyd county with his father, Jacob 
Bruner, who made that countv his home three vears, when he moved to Law- 



424 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

rence county, Indiana. His son accompanied him and remained at home until 
he was thirteen years of age, when he went to Brownstown, Jackson county, 
Indiana, and entered upon the study of medicine under Dr. Samuel P. Wirt, 
remaining two years, at the expiration of which time he engaged in the prac- 
tice of medicine with great success. After a few years' practice he became a 
minister of the Methodist church and traveled on the circuit ten years, the 
town of XJtica being his last appointment, in 1849. -'^^ this date he again re- 
sumed the practice of medicine and continued it nineteen years, when he gave 
up his practice on account of ill health. The closing of Doctor Bruner's prac- 
tice was a matter of much regret to this community. His success in restor- 
ing to health the severely afflicted was remarkable. His competitors acknowl- 
edged Iiis ability, and his practice was the largest in the county. He main- 
tained the love and confidence of his patrons that only a faithful physician can 
possess. 

Dr. James Madison Reynolds is a descendant of one of the earh settlers of 
Union township, Clark county. His grandfather, Richard Reynolds, moved 
with his wife, Sarah, from Kentucky. Dr. Reynolds was born in 1851, nearly 
six months after his father died. He graduated from the Ohio Medical Col- 
lege at Cincinnati, in 1873, and began the practice of medicine at Memphis. 
Indiana. 

Francis M. Carr, M. D., was born January 3. 1831, in Charlestown town- 
ship, and has ever since resided in the county, with the exception of three or 
four years in Washington county. His father, Absalom, was a native of 
Fayette county, Pennsylvania. He came to Clark county in 1806 and was one 
of the early pioneers of Indiana. He was a brother of General Carr, and was 
a Tippecanoe soldier. He died in 1876. Doctor Carr graduated at the Uni- 
versity of Louisville in 1855, and has ever since practiced in Clark county. 
He was married, in 1854. to Miss Martha E. Coctores. daughter of Daniel 
Coctores, of Oregon township. 

David H. Combs. M. D.. was born in Clark county. Lidiana. He was a 
son of Jesse Combs, one of the pioneers, who died in 1857. Doctor 
Combs remained at home till seventeen years of age. when he entered Charles- 
town Academy, where he attended six sessions. From the time of his leav- 
ing this institution until his twenty-first year he spent in teaching and going 
to school. At that age he entered the office of Dr. James S. Athon, of 
Charlestown, with whom he remained three years as a student. He was one 
year in Louisville ^ledical L'niversity, and graduated at Jefiferson Medical 
College, Philadelphia, in the spring of 1850. His first year he practiced in 
Salem. Indiana, after which, until 1876. he lived in Charlestown, where he 
enjoyed an extensive practice, more especially in the line of surgery. In 1876 
he moved to his wife's farm, in Utica, and practiced liis profession. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE JEFFERSOXVILLE CARXEGIE LIBRARY AXD THE 
BORDEX MUSEUM. 

THE JEFFERSOXVILLE CARNEGIE LIBR.\RY. 

An old township library had exi.^ted in Jeffersonville for many years and 
had in a small way catered to the wants of the public. It was in politics and 
was kept in the Trustee's office, usually a place where men loafed and smoked 
and discussed the issues of the day. It was no place where children or women 
could suitably visit. The W^omen's Literary clubs of the city became so 
aroused to the condition of affairs and the needs of the people that they deter- 
mined to take the initiative and established a libran,' which would be under 
better management and cater to a broader field than the old township librar}^ 
had done. At the suggestion of Miss Hannah Zulauf, a public spirited woman, 
a meeting was called at which each literary club in the city was represented by 
two delegates. Judge John F. Reed, a retired lawyer and a staunch friend 
of the project, gave aid and counsel which was invaluable. Under his sug- 
gestion the ladies raised one thousand two hundred dollars and proceeded to 
form a library association under an old law of 1852, which provided that 
when the citizens of any township had raised a fund of one thousand dollars 
and formed an association they might ask the Board of County Commissioners 
to turn the township libran,' over to them. A technicality in the law was 
discovered and a wait until the winter of 1899 had to be endured when the 
Legislature passed a law satisfying the new association. LTpon the expiration 
of the term of office of the Township Trustee then sen'ing, December i. 1900. 
the books to the number of one thousand four hundred volumes, and other 
property, were turned over to the association, and a room over the Citizens' 
National Bank was given, rent free, for their use. On December 17, 1900, 
the library was opened to the public under the name of the Jeft'ersonville 
Township Public Library, and the subscription money, as it was paid, was 
used for the purchase of new books. The income was from a tax levy of one 
cent on each one hundred dollars' worth of property assessed in the township, 
giving the library about five hundred and fifty dollars a year. At that time 
there were about one thousand seven hundred volumes upon the shelves. They 
were classified according to the Dewey system, and from the first the public 
ha? had access to all except fiction. 



426 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Miss Bertha Poindexter was secured as librarian and slie has worked 
earnestly for the upbuilding of the library and in educating the public taste 
for good books rather than catering to a taste for worthless matter. 

Soon after the library was established the idea of asking Mr. Carnegie 
for money with which to erect a building was conceived, and again Miss 
Zulauf took the initiative and a donation of fifteen thousand dollars was se- 
cured. Arthur Loomis, a citizen of Jeffersonville and an architect, drew 
the plans for the present beautiful and commodious building, and on September 
19, 1903, the Most Worshipful Grand Ltxlge of F"ree and Accepted Masons 
of Indiana laid the corner stone: the Rev. E. L, Powell, of Louisville, deliver- 
ing the address. 

The library has at present an unusually fine collection of reference books 
for a hbrary of its size. There are at present six thousand six hundred fifty- 
four volumes on the shelves : thirty-one periodicals on the reading tables : one 
thousand two hundred volumes in the children's reading room, and the num- 
ber of borrower's cards in use amounts to two thousand six hundred eighty-five. 

The popularity and recognition of the great value of the lil^rary has grown 
beyond the expectations of the most sanguine, an everage of one hundred 
nine volumes daily being issued this year. The public spirit evinced by Miss 
Zulauf, Judge Read and Air. Loomis, and the philraithropy of Mr. Carnegie 
have lidded an institution to Jefifersonville whose worth can not be estimated. 

THE BORDEN MUSEUM. 

Ranking among the finest institutions of its kind in the state of Indiana, 
is the Borden Museum of Borden. It was founded by the late Prof. William 
W. Borden, one of the wealthiest and most public spirited men which Clark 
county has ever produced. A collector of interesting and valuable specimens 
all his life, he soon realized that to preserve them he must have a building of 
some kind, and to this end erected a substantial fire-proof building, on the 
site of his parents' home. The building which this niuseum replaced was a 
substantial two-story brick erected in 18 19. The brick were made near the 
spot then, masons and carpenters were imported and its walls slowly arose. 
W'indow glass seven by nine was brought from Pittsburg. Such a house was 
a novelty in its day. The modern building is an ornate and handsome struc- 
ture well adapted for the uses for which it was intended. The professor was 
always a collector and scattered throughout his valuables are curios of his 
early days of travel. After he had become financially able he began to buy 
collections systematically. His first collection bears the date of 1844. and it 
contains few inexpensive things. He added to this his own finds, particularly 
silver and other minerals, collected at Leadville in 1878 and 1879. In 1886 
he bought the Knapp collection of Silurian and Devonian fossils and Indian 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 427 

relics. Doctor Knapp had spent thirty years in collecting relics, corals and 
crinoids from the Ohio Falls and Beargrass creek, Kentucky. 

In 1887 he purchased the collection of Dr. S. H. Harrod, of Canton, 
Indiana. Living near Spurgeon's and Paynter's Hills, places rich in the 
fossils of the St. Louis group. 'Doctor Harrod had become possessed of the 
finest crinoidea these places could afford. 

In 1889 the Doctor Lavette collection of fresh water shells was added to 
the museum. This collection was the result of a lifetime work. Shortly after 
this the Dr. C. C. Graham collection of bones of prehistoric animals was added. 
These remains had been unearthed at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. 

In 1897 a valuable collection of ancient pottery and culinary utensils of 
the Cliff Dwellers of Arizona and New Mexico, was purchased. In 1898 
the G. L. Barnes collection of mound builders' remains was added to the 
museum. This addition was one of great value. Besides these larger ad- 
ditions the professor was continually acquiring single specimens and their ag- 
gregate is considerable. 

In 1 90 1 the G. K. Greene collection of over one thousand crinoids was 
purchased, making the Borden crinoid collectiijn number over three thousand, 
and making it the largest in the state. 

Besides the many books, pamphlets, etc., which are uncatalogued, the 
museum catalogue has a voluminous list of specimens arranged under the 
heads of Palaeontology, minerals, marine shells, archaeology and curios, and 
it represents one of the most valuable and instructive collections in the state 
of Indiana. 

In his journeys to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, through Canada, 
to Alaska and through Europe, the professor was continually adding to his 
collections, and the magnificent institution which stands as a monument to 
his memory, as well as a memorial to the memory of his parents, as he intended 
it should, represents a public spirit which flourishes far less verdantly in other 
parts of the county than at the quaint old town of Borden. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

INDUSTRIES AND STATISTICS. 

That Clark county has within her borders industries of importance, 
possibihties of great value, and undeveloped resources of promise, only the 
most bilious hypochondriac will deny. The industrial and agricultural sta- 
tistics of the county compare most favorably with other counties of similar 
size in the state. In 1903, the date of the last report of the Department of 
Statistics, there were eighty-five factories in Clark county, producing every- 
thing from steamboats to sewing machines. Although the Indiana Refonn- 
atory and the United States Quartermaster's depot are not industries per se, 
yet they are important industrially and add materially to the commercial im- 
portance of the county. 

In Jeffersonville and the various towns of Clark county are manufactured 
castings, ice, bread, cruppers, lumber, saddle trees, cement, hominy, harness, 
flour, meal, spokes, grist, baking powder, extracts, carriages, wagons, cigars, 
canned goods, steamboats, small boats, chains, stoves, hollow ware, brick, 
kitchen cabinets, porch columns, wall plaster, brooms, tin and iron ware goods, 
fruit boxes, lard-oil, tile, wooden novelties, staves, cheese, hoops, electrical 
devices, steam engines, rattan and reed furniture, sewing machines and many 
other articles and commodities which a progressive and thriving county needs. 

Her agricultural statistics show conditions and possibilities not realized 
by the average citizen. With an area of three hundred sixty-eight sqviare 
miles, or of two hundred thirty-five thousand five hundred and sixteen acres, 
she has two thousand sixty-seven farms, of an average size of one hundred 
four and eight-tenths acres, and of an aggregate acreage of two hundred six- 
teen thousand five hundred twenty-six acres. Two thousand fifty-three farms 
are of less than five hundred acres, and fourteen are larger. 

In 1906 Clark county was the largest tomato producer in the state — 
nine hundred seventy-four acres producing one hundred twenty-two thousand 
three hundred fifteen bushels. 

She excells in the production of orchard grass, the yield in 1908 being 
about twenty-five thousand bushels. 

^^'ithin the last few years the adaptability of the soil in certain parts of the 
county for tobacco culture has resulted in an increased acreage. In 1900 
seventy-nine acres produced fifty-nine thousand five hundred fifty pounds of 




THE COAL llARiiUR AIIUXE |E1-1'ERSUX\ ILLE. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 429 

tobacco. In 1909 the acreage was seven hundred acres and the product 
is the best grade Hght burley. 

In 1900 there were eight hundred sixty-one acres in potatoes, and one 
thousand seventy-one acres in other vegetables. Seventeen acres in alfalfa, 
thirty thousand nine hundred two acres in com, twenty-four thousand thirty- 
two acres in wheat, and one hundred six acres in strawberries. 

The value of her yield of small fruits in 1900 was seventeen thousand 
five hundred and ninety-one dollars, and of her dairy products, one hundred 
sixty-one thousand ten dollars. 

Her average temperature is fifty-seven and four-tenths degrees and her 
average rainfall is forty-three inches. 

In 1900 the population of the county was thirty-one thousand eight hun- 
dred thirty-five, of which ten thousand seven hundred and seventy-four were 
residents of Jefifersonville, two thousand three hundred seventy in Clarks- 
ville, one thousand one hundred one in Port Fulton, nine hundred fifteen in 
Charlestown, seven hundred sixty-one in Sellersburg and one hundred sixteen 
in Claysburg. 

There are fifty-eight saloons in the county, of which forty-three are in 
Jefifersonville, but the jail statistics for 1905 showing the ten counties with 
largest jail incarcerations do not include Clark county. 

The value of her taxable property in 1905 was twelve million six hundred 
forty-three thousand nine hundred sixty-five dollars ; that of her schools was 
two hundred forty thousand eight hundred fifty dollars, and her debt thirty 
thousand dollars. 

There are twenty-one post-ofifices in Clark county and the intermediate 
points are well served by a rural free delivery. The old county seat town of 
Charlestown is one of the most interesting in the state. Historic memories of 
early state and territorial periods lend an attractiveiiess to the little town and 
her situation on the rolling hills of Pleasant Run make Charlestown an ideal 
spot. With all the inviting allurements of a quiet country town she has the 
advantages of being so closely connected with Jefifersonville and Louisville by 
traction lines that the advantages of the city are at her door. Charlestown 
promises to be one of the coming residental suburbs of Louisville. 

JefTersonville from her advantages needs but to possess energetic and 
progressive business men to develop the city into one of more than double 
the size. 

With a natural deep water harbor on her side of the river she has unex- 
celled facilities for water shipments. The largest interurban center in South- 
ern Indiana at present, she will constitute the junction point for a vast system 
of interurban diverging to every part of the state. Three tnmk railroads 
enter the city and competitive freight rates with the river transportation, to- 



430 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

gether with the cheapest coal in the west, make tlie city more than attractive 
for factories. 

A pubhc school system second to none, and wholly out of politics, a 
modem public library, many churches, many improved streets, a good sewer 
system, a police force and fire department, excellent in every detail, reasonable 
rents, moderate living expenses, fifteen minutes from the center of Louisville, 
with a five-cent fare, many desirable building lots in the city and many magni- 
ficent residence sites above the city overlooking the river, an abundant supply 
of clear, pure water, and a good health record, the city of Jeffersonville offers 
a multitude of inducements to those seeking a location either to engage in 
business or to reside. The Car \\'orks, the Ship Yards, the United States 
Quartermaster's Depot and many other industries employ a large number of 
men. and it is a fact'that all the wealthy men in the city made their fortunes 
at home. 

An enthusiastic commercial club is aiding materially in advancing the 
interests of Jeffersonville and in advertising her attractions. The rich farming 
and daily lands adjacent by reason of the excellent transportation facilities 
are just beginning to feel their natural development, and their proximity to 
the markets of Louisville give promise of large returns to those who develop 
them. The agricultural values of the northern and western parts of the coun- 
ty, the urban attractions of the southern part, the transportation and manufac- 
turing advantages of the southern and souheastern parts, the intimate rela- 
tions of all parts by means of the interurbans. the steam roads, the rural free 
delivery and the telephone make Clark county, as a county, one of the most 
desirable in the state, and her people, contented and prosperous and proud of 
her past history, her present advancement and her future possibilities. 




^-' — -? ' jyCc'-cc'-ayVGU 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



Ta:\ies ho\\'ard. 



James Howard, the founder of the famous Howard ship yards of Jeffer- 
sonville, Indiana, was born in Oldham. England, September i, 1814. The son 
of a poor weaver, the expectations of his family could not have been particular- 
ly bright, yet he so employed the talents of character and manhood given into 
his keeping that at the end of his stewardship he left a heritage of high and 
unblemished character, of unsullied business integrity, and of strength of pur- 
pose that is treasured alike in the breasts of those who were attached to him 
by ties of aflfection as well as consanguinity. His first few years were spent 
at the scene of his birth, his baptism being registered in the parish register of 
St. IMary's church. Oldham. 

In 1819 John Howard, the father, actuated by a desire to lietter his con- 
dition in life by seeking a home among the glowing possibilities of the New 
^\^orld. set sail with his good wife. Martha, and their two sons, James and 
Daniel, for the port of New York. After a rough and uncomfortable voyage 
of some six weeks they arrived at the metropolis of their land of promise and 
took up temporary residence in Brooklyn, remaining here the greater part of 
a year. In the spring of 1820. they joined a party bound for W'heeling. Vir- 
ginia, traveling overland by wagon. This journey with its hardships and its 
trials no doubt had some effect in moulding the early character of the elder 
son. The mother was a woman of sterling worth and to her James owed much 
of his early ambition and determination. 

The expenses of the trip westward being heavy for a poor family, each 
member of the party to be carried, being weighed and charged accordingly, 
the father decided to walk, but his determination w'as unfortunately shifted to 
other, but less sturdy, shoulders. He was taken ill when only a part of the 
journey had been accomplLsbed. and his wife and James were forced to change 
places with him ; James at that time, be it remembered, being not Cjuite seven 
3'ears of age. The family reached Wheeling the same year, 1820. and without 
tarrying embarked on a flat-boat, bound for the city of Cincinnati, far down 
the great river, reaching there late that year. Here the father erected a small 
mil! and engaged in the occupation of wool carding and cloth dressing, and 
from the age of eleven to fifteen. James worked in the mill with him with an 
industry indicative of his future successes. 



43- BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

For a short while after leaving his father's mill he worked in William 
Gordon's ship yard, carrying water to the men, hut was soon afterward ap- 
prenticed to William Hartshorn, a steamboat builder, of Cincinnati, to learn 
the trade of ship carpenter. While sending here he lost no opportunity to ad- 
vance himself in the art of building water craft, and having a keen mind for 
mechanics he quickly mastered the principles and details of the business, 
draughting a boat himself when hardly nineteen years of age. 

After spending four years under his master he came to Louisville, and in 
a few weeks after his arrival succeeded in getting a contract for building a 
steamboat. Jeffersonville offering the most available situation to meet his 
needs, he located his yards on a small tract of land on the river bank at the 
foot of Mechanic street, in 1834. His service under Hartshorn had been so 
loyal and he had displayed so much ability at his trade that his employer readily 
gave him the privilege of remaining where he was and building the boat. 
Starting here without a dollar in the world and with very few friends or ac- 
quaintances his success, won as it was only after years of unremitting toil, was 
one of those remarkable illustrations of what industry, integrity and ability 
can accomplish, and which should be a never-failing spring of inspiration to 
those who are bound to him by blood or affection. His first steamboat was 
the "Hyperion," and was built to run on the Chattahoochee river in Alabama. 
She was a side-wheel boat, for Captain Leonard, and was such a complete suc- 
cess that it was evident to all who saw her that the young boat-builder had a 
genius for his profession and was destined to make himself famous at it. 
When the spring came, his employer wished him to return to Cincinnati, and 
fill out the unexpired tenn of his indenture, but he obtained a release by paying 
Captain Hartshorn in full for leaving him before his time was out, and he 
finished two more boats at his yards .in Jeffersonville during the years 1834- 
1835. A complete list of the boats built here will be found in the "Histoi"y of 
Steamboating and Boat Building," elsewhere in this volume. Li 1836 he de- 
cided that Madison offered better opportunities than Jeffersonville and located 
there, remaining until 1844. 

On October 20, 1836, at Madison, Lidiana, James Howard married Re- 
becca Ann Barmore, and of this union a family of four daughters and two 
sons resulted, namely : Martha Ann, who married James Baird : John Ed- 
monds, who succeeded his father in the business ; Lucy Matilda, who married 
John Armstrong; Kate Isabella, who married William A. Baird, and William 
French and Jeanette, who both died in infancy. 

While at Madison, Mr. Howard built sixteen boats, all of which proved 
satisfactory to their owners, but the depression in business induced him to go 
on the river in 1844, and during the years of 1844 and 1845 he ran as engineer 
and as ship carpenter on the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers. His decision to 
nm on the river was unfortunate, as it kept him from the work for which he 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 433 

was peculiarly adapted, however, lie realized that his place was ashore con- 
structing steamboats, and the spring of 1846 found him back in the harness at 
Shippingsport, a prosperous and promising location below Louisville. He 
constructed six boats here and for a short while was in charge of the docks 
in the canal. 

In 1847 he had the misfortune to lose two boats by the great flood of that 
spring. The boats were on the stocks and were nearing completion, when 
carried away by high water. This disaster did not dishearten him, but decided 
him to seek a new location for his yards, so he, in partnership with a man 
named John Enos. started a boat-buiiding plant in the upper part of Louisville, 
on the point about opposite Spring street, Jeft'erson\'ille. Enos died within 
the first four or five months and James was obliged to give up the idea of fur- 
ther business at that location, and returned to Jeflfersi^nville in 1849, the scene 
of his first venture and success, nearly sixteen years previous. His brother, 
Daniel, had become interested in the firm previous to this and after finishing 
six or seven boats on the "Point," the yards there were abandoned. The yards 
at JefTersonville have added their yearly quota of water craft to the great rivers 
of the ^^'est and at present are still in active operation. His experience during 
the War of the Rebellion was most tiwing, but at the end of the conflict the 
demand for water craft gave an impetus to the business and until his death he 
continued actively to direct and supervise the work in all of its details, con- 
structing two hundred and seventy-nine boats. 

On October 14, 1876, James Howard was drowned from a ferryboat, by 
his buggy backing off into the water. The outpouring of thousands of people 
to his funeral testified to the high regard and love in which he was held. 
Doctor Craik, the Dean of Christ church cathedral, in Louisville, who con- 
ducted his funeral, said, "It was the grandest and most imposing funeral I ever 
witnessed. There were no societies, no music, no military display, the usual 
trappings of an imposing funeral, to mark the obsequies of this boat-builder. 
We have buried from this church the commander-in-chief of the United States, 
and all that the power and majesty of the great government could do to make 
the occasion grand and honorable was done, but it was nothing in comparison 
with the funeral solemnities of the simple, untitled citizen, James Howard." 

Among the older citizens of Jefl'ersonville anfl among steamboat men 
from Pittsburg to New Orleans, he was known aiYectionately as "L^ncle Jim." 
His unswerying integrity, his charity and his fair dealings with all, made his 
death a personal one to many as well as a public calamity to the city of Jeffer- 
sonville. It falls to the lot of few men to bequeath to posterity the name and 
reputation left by this master builder. 

28 



434 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

HON. JAMES K. MARSH. 

This well known attorney at law and e.x-Jiulge of the Fourth Judicial 
Circuit Court, is a native of Harrison county, Indiana, where his ancestors 
settled in an early day and with which part of the state both branches of his 
family have been closely identified from the pioneer period to the present time. 
His father, Jesse C. Marsh, a merchant and farmer, was bom and reared in 
the county of Harrison and spent the greater part of his life at Laconia. He 
was a man of influence in the community, manifested a lively interest in what- 
ever made for the advancement of the country and the good of his fellow citi- 
zens and his death, which occurred at the above town some years ago, was 
deeply lamented by the large circle of friends and acquaintances with wdiom 
he mingled. Elizabeth Shields, who became the wife of Jesse C. Marsh, was 
also born in Harrison county and, like her husband, belonged to one of the 
oldest and best known pioneer families of the community in which her an- 
cestors settled. Of the three children born to this estimable couple James 
K. is the youngest and the only sen, the others being Mrs. Eliza H. Miller. 
who lives near Corydon ; and Anna, who married Dr. C. C. Mitchell, both 
now deceased. 

James K. Marsh was born on the family homestead near Laconia Decem- 
ber 9, 1844, and received his preliminary educational discipline in the public 
schools, later pursuing the higher branches of learning in the academy at 
Corydon. Actuated by an ambition to add still further to his scholastic knowl- 
edge he subsequently took a special course in AshbuiT (now De Pauw) Uni- 
versity at Greencistle and on leaving that institution entered the law office 
of Colonel C. L. Dunham, of New Albany, where under the direction of 
that able attomey, he fitted himself for the legal profession. 

Mr. Marsh was admitted to the Clark county bar in 1867 and at once 
entered upon the active practice of his profession, overcoming in due time 
the obstacles and discouragements which usually interfere with the early 
progress of the young lawyer and forging to the front among the rising law- 
yers of Jefifersonville, by close application to business soon obtained his pro- 
portionate share of legal patronage and won the reputation of a capable and 
successful lawyer. In recognition of his ability he was elected in 1870 Prose- 
cuting Attomey of the Criminal Circuit, composed of the counties of Clark and 
Floyd, and held the position four years, following which he served two years 
as Prospector of the Civil Circuit, retiring from the office in 1876. Meantime 
he had become greatly interested in pulilic and political affairs and by reason 
of valuable senHces rendered the Democratic part)- of which for some years 
he had been a local leader, he was elected in 1876 to represent Clark county in 
the General Assembly. 

As a member of that body Mr. Marsh made a creditable record and his 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 435 

efforts ill behalf of his constitutents, as well as his activity in promoting 
measures for the best interest of the state, gained for him an honorable reputa- 
tion as an able and discreet legislator and made him many warm friends 
throughout the county, irrespective of political allignment. He served on a 
number of committees where his opinions and counsel always carried weight 
and commanded respect and as a participant in the general deliberations of the 
chamber, he proved a strong debater, an influential leader and to him, as much 
as to say to any member was due the passage of a number of bills which had 
important bearing upon the subsequent historj' of the commonwealth. 

His legislative experience terminating in 1878, Mr. Marsh devoted him- 
self closely to his profession and for a number of years his name was connected 
with nearly ever}' important case tried in the courts of Clark county and not 
infrequently were his services retained in other and distant courts. His habits 
of industry with other qualities which guarantee advancement won for him a 
commanding position at the bar, in recognition of which he was elected in 1898 
Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit and during the ensuing six years he dis- 
charged the duties of that high and honorable position with credit to himself 
and to the satisfaction of the public, bringing to the bench the result of his many 
years of successful practice and filling it with the dignity becoming the 
learned and accomplished American jurist and his judicial career, like his 
professional record, is eminently above reproach. Since retiring from the 
bench Judge Marsh has devoted his attention to his profession, which as al- 
ready stated, h takes very high rank. He also keeps in touch with the people, 
maintains a lively interest in whatever tends to the advancement of his city 
and county. He has been twice marrier, the first time in 1880 to Mrs. Mary 
A. Lutz, who died after a mutually happy wedded experience of four years, 
leaving one child, who followed its mother to the grave in 1885. His second 
marriage was solemnized with Ella L. Matthews, daughter of the late Na- 
thaniel S. Matthews, an old settler and prominent citizen of Jeffersonville, the 
union being without issue. 

Judge Marsh is a Mason of high standing, including the degree of Sir 
Knight, and an active and influential member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, besides being one of the oldest Knights of Honor in the city, taking 
great interest in all of his fraternal relations. In religion he is liberal in all 
the term implies, not being identified with any church organization, but believ- 
ing in the sacredness of their mission and recognizing in eveiy individual, how- 
ever humble, the spark of divinity which bespeaks a heavenly origin and an 
immortal destiny. His character has ever lieen above criticism and in his re- 
lations with his fellow men he exemplifies his highest ideals of life and duty. 
He has kept himself free from contaminating influences and from the habits 
which pollute the body and degrade the mind, having never taken a drink of 
any kind of intoxicating beverage in his life, nor uttered a profane oath. 



436 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

EDWARD N. FLYNN, ]\I. D. 

The "value of an ideal" was never more favorably illustrated than in the 
case of the present Mayor of Jeffersonville. Even as a boy he formed 
ambitious notions deciding, as boys often do, what he wanted to be, but unlike 
many other boys, he adhered to his resolutions until he saw his dreams fulfill. 
Undiscouraged by hardships and penury, the poor boy struggled manfully up 
to eminence. Besides being a fine sample of self-making, his career is invalu- 
able as an encouragement to others inclined to falter in the weary journey that 
constitutes human life. 

Edward X. Flynn was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1867, a 
son of John L. and Elizabeth Flynn. \\'hen two years of age his parents 
brought him to Jeffersonville, which was destined to be the theater of his life's 
work. He attended the public schools, proved to be an apt pupil and had fin- 
ished the first grade of the high school, but at this point the exigencies of his 
situation compelled a temporary abandonment of study. He had always de- 
sired to become a doctor and as early as his twelfth year this idea had taken 
full possession of his mind. ^Manifestly, if he was to escape a life of drudgeiw, 
a better education was imperatively demanded and how to accomplish this 
was the big problem in his boyish mind. Poverty acting as a good, proved 
in this case, as in many others, something" of a blessing in disguise, as the 
necessity for earning a living also brought the opportunity to continue his 
studies. Before he had completed his thirteenth year he secured a job as a 
lighter of signal lamps on the Pennsylvania Railroad, which, though the pay 
was small, furnished occupation and provided means for the passing day. 
When sixteen years old he started the learning of telegraphy, in time be- 
came a first class operator and when, after fourteen years service, he resigned, 
he was regarded as one of the most expert workmen in the service of the rail- 
road company. All of his spare time was put to excellent use in preparatory 
medical study. Entering the Hospital ^ledical College in Louisville he de- 
voted nine hours daily to mastering the theory and practice of the learned 
profession to which he had determined to devote himself. He was graduated 
from this institution in 1897 ''"''1 immediately opened an ofiice for practice in 
Jeffersonville, but owing to peculiar circumstances was not forced to wait so 
long for business as is usitally the case with young graduates. During his 
preliminary studies he was in the habit of giving medical advice to many 
friends and acquaintances, especially among the poorer classes. Those who 
were benefited by his gratuitious assistance sounded his praises over the city, 
with the result that when he "hung out his shingle" he was by no means un- 
known, but had fourteen patients the first day. Here we have an instance 
somewhat out of the ordinary of a professional man whose reputation was 
established before graduation. In the meantime by his obliging disposition 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 437 

and courteous manners he had been accumulating friends and a stock ot pop- 
ularity, which enabled him to realize another of his boyish ambitions which 
was to become Mayor of his home town. Though not a politician in the 
ordinary sense of the term, Doctor Flynn had always taken an active part in 
public affairs and was recognized among the leaders as good material for ofifice. 
In 1005 he was offered the nomination as candidate for Mayor on the Republican 
ticket, and agreed to accept if it was the desire of the part\', but he declined to 
electioneer or ask an\' man for his vote. He was given the nomination and 
in due time triumphantly elected without using any of the arts or devices usual- 
ly resorted to b\- candidates for office. Thus the two fondest dreams of his 
lx).yhood were realizetl — when he f<.uind himself Mayor of Jeffersonville, and 
one of the city's most successful physicians. Recently Doctor Flynn has erected 
a new office building, which is regarded as one of the most complete of its 
kind in the county. It is fitted with reception, consultation and bath rooms, 
each of which opens upon the entrance hall. The con.sultation room is 
equipped with the latest and most approved electric instruments for use in 
that department of medical science known as electro-therapeutics. All the 
rooms are large and commodious, well lighted and finished in white tile. 

Doctor Flynn is a \-alued member of the Advent Christian church in Xew 
Albany and his fraternal relations embrace membership in the Knights of 
Templar, Knights Pythias, Knights and Ladies of Honor and the Golden 
Cross, Pathfinders and Elks. Thus it will be seen that his activities cover 
a wide field, embracing religious, political, professional, social and lodge duties 
amid all of which the genial flavor of Jeffersonville finds himself a very busy 
man. 



PROF. FRANCIS E. ANDREWS. 

Professor Andrews, principal of the Jeffersonville high school and an 
educator of much more than local repute, is a native of Morgan county, Ohio, 
having been born in the town of McConnellsville on the 20th day of October, 
1851. Seth Andrews, the professor's father, also a native of the Buckeve state, 
was a farmer and teacher, in connection with which he also preached for a num- 
ber of years for the Christian church, of which religious body all of his 
family were members. The maiden name of Mrs. Seth Andrews was Elvira 
Thorla. She was born in Noble county, Ohio, and, like her husband, traced 
her genealog}' to German-Scotch ancestry, who came to America at a very 
early period, six generations having been represented in this country since 
the original antecedents left their native land to seek a home amid the untried 
conditions of a new world. Of the six children born to Seth and Elvira An- 
drews, all but one are living, Francis E. being the fourth in order of birth. 



.438 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Prof. Francis E. Andrews spent his early life in his native state and after 
a preliminary educational training in the public schools, was prepared for 
college under the tutorship of Prof. James G. May, of Salem, Indiana, follow- 
ing which he took the full classical course at Alarietta College, Washington 
county, Ohio, where he took the literary honors when he was graduated in 
the year 1874. Meanwhile he had devoted considerable time to teaching and 
the better to fit himself for educational work he subsequently became a student 
of the Indiana State Normal at Terre Haute, in which institution he earned 
an honorable record and from which he was graduated with a high standing 
in all of his classes in 1894. Since the latter year Professor Andrews has 
devoted his entire attention to school work and attained eminent success in the 
line of his calling. As a matter of fact, however, his experience as an educator 
began several years prior to that date, for from the early seventies until com- 
pleting his normal course he was alternately engaged in teaching and attend- 
ing school, and it may be said that all of his mature years have been devoted 
to the profession which he now follows and in which his success has been so 
signal and continuous. He was principal of the public schools of Charles- 
town for three years and for a period of eleven years held a similar position 
at Sellersburg, where he established an honorable reputation as a capable 
teacher and manager of schools and gained recognition among the leading 
educators of his part of the state. 

In the year 1886 Professor Andrews accepted a position in the schools 
of Jefifersonville, since which time he has been very closely identified with 
the educational interests of the city, passing" through several promotions until 
reaching in 1903, the principalship of the high school, w'hich honorable and 
responsible position he still holds, previous to that time having had charge of 
the Chestnut Street School. He is prominent in the religious circles of the 
city and as a member and elder of the First Christian church takes a leading 
part in the affairs of the organization, frequently filling the pulpit besides 
preaching with great acceptance to various congregations in other places. 

He is also deeply interested in secret societies of fraternal and benevolent 
work, and belongs to several organizations of this character including the 
Masonic Order, Independent Order oi Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Mod- 
ern \\'oodmen of America, all in Jeffersonville excepting the Pythian brother- 
hood, with which he holds membership at Sellersburg. Like all intelligent and 
progressive citizens the professor is a politician in the best sense of the tenri', 
but not a partisan, nor a seeker after honors or emoluments of oflice. On 
state and national affairs, in which he keeps thoroughly informed he is a 
Republican, but in local matters, where no great questions or principles are 
involved, he votes as his judgment dictates, giving his support to the candi- 
dates best qualified for the positions they aspire to irrespective of political 
affiliation. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 439 

The domestic life of Professor Andrews dates from the year 1881, when 
he was married to Ehzabeth Wells, a native of Indiana and a lady of high 
social and moral standing, to whom he is indebted for not a little of the suc- 
cess with which his career has been crowned. The pledges of this union are 
three children, namely: ]\Iay, a graduate of the State Nonnal School and a 
teacher in the public schools of Connersville; Eva, a graduate of the Spen- 
cerian Business College of Louisville, at the present time is a stenographer 
in that city; and Ada, who is still at home with her parents, all being grad- 
uates of the Jeffersonville high school and young ladies of much more than 
ordinary intelligence and culture. 



MAURICE COLL. 



The subject of this sketch is a native of Ireland, where his liirth nccurred 
on November 2j, 1833, having first seen the light of day at the ancestral home 
in County Donegal. His parents, John and Hilary (Boyle) Coll, who were 
also born and reared in the above county, came to America in the prime of 
life, bringing a family of three sons and two daughters and settling in Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania, where ]\Ir. Coll secured renumerative employment as a 
machinist. Two of the children of this estimable couple died in Ireland, the 
following being the names of those who accompanied their parents to the new 
home in the L'nited States and grew to maturity ; Charles, who departed 
this life about the year 1903; Maurice, of this review, and Bernard J., who 
lives in Pittsburg and who served with an honorable recnrd in the Civil war, 
being remembered by surviving comrades as an excellent soldier, ever ready 
for duty. He married Bridgett Burns, of Pittsburg, and has an interesting 
family of four children, who answer to the names of Charles, Mary. Eddie 
and Maurice. In early life Bernard J. Coll was a machinist and worked at 
the trade for a number of years in Pittsburg, but since the war has held 
various official positions under the municipal government of that city and is 
still in the public service. The two sisters of ^Maurice Coll died in early child- 
hood, the only sunivors of the family at this time l>eing Bernard J. and 
Maurice. 

Maurice Coll spent his early life in Pittsburg, where in due time, he be- 
came a skillful machinist, which trade he followed for a number of years as 
an employe of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. After a long and arduous 
ser^'ice with the above company at Pittsburg and Jeffersonville, Indiana, where 
he removed in 1869, he resigned his position with the railroad and entered the 
car works in this city and continued with the same until retiring from active 
life a few vears ago. 



440 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Mr. Coll was married at Louisville, Kentucky, on the 8th day of March. 
i860, to Maria Herron, a native of New Orleans, but reared in Louisville, 
to which city she was brought when a child. This marriage has been blessed 
by the birth of the following children: John P., a prosperous grocer 
of Jeffersonville; Bernard A., a shoe merchant of Jeffersonville, and one 
of the city's representative business men (see sketch); Annia M., wife 
of Cornelius McNamara. of Keokuk, Iowa : George, an attorney-at-law, 
practicing his profession in Dallas, Texas ; Nellie, wife of Doctor Edelin, of 
Louisville; Edmund, a bookkeeper in that city; Ernest J., in the employ of 
the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, with headquarters in Louisville, and 
James, who is engaged in the drug business at Seymour, this state. Three 
sons are unmarried and still live with their parents and constitute a happy 
and prosperous household. All are practically educated, having wisely fitted 
themselves for the duties of life and are doing well in their respective lines of 
effort, two being prosperous business men, one a rising lawyer and the other 
three holding important positions in the railway ser\-ice in one of the state in- 
stitutions, and with a large business finn respectively. The daughters married 
men who stand high in their places of residence and are succeeding admirably 
in the fields of endeavor to which their time and energies are devoted. 

Like his father, who was a leading Democratic politician and an active 
and influential campaigner, both in the ranks and on the stump, Mr. Coll has 
long devoted much attention to political and public matters, being a Democrat 
in all the term implies, an active participant in party affairs, but not a seeker 
after office, nor an aspirant for leadership. 

Mr. Coll is by birthright a Catholic, and has ever been true to the church 
and its teachings, rearing his family under its influence. All of the family 
in Jeffersonville worship at the St. Augustine church, of which they are com- 
municants and take an active part in all lines of good work under its auspices. 



HON. JONAS GEORGE HOWARD. 

This name suggests a flood of reminiscenses, carrying one back to the 
early settlement of Southern Lidiana and the days of struggle, adventure and 
hardship, incident to the pioneer period. In fact, the Howard family was 
practically coeval with the organization nf Clark county and have been prom- 
inently connected with all of its subsequent history and development. Jonas 
Howard, the pioneer founder, was a native of Vermont, of English descent 
and started for the \\'est before Indiana had been admitted into the Liiion as 
a state. The route traveled was by way of the Allegheny river to Pittsburg 
and thence down the Ohio river on rafts and flat boats. When they landed at 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 44I 

Jeffersonville, the surrounding country was still clothed in prime\-al forests. 
Jonas Howard, who had been a fanner in his native state, lived but a few 
months after reaching Indiana Territory, his life being shortened by an attack 
of bilious fever. He, however, left a son and namesake, who was sixteen years 
old at the time of his father's arrival and proved worthy to take up and carri- 
on to success the work mapped out by the old pioneer. Jonas Howard, Jr., 
remained in Clark county until 1824. when he removed to Floyd county and 
began farming. Six years later he returned to Clark county and engaged in 
the manufacture of brick, a Irighly important industry in the early settlement 
of a country. In association with a younger brother he made the brick that 
entered into the construction of the court-house at Louisville and the first and 
second buildings of the Gait house. In fact, the bulk of the brick used in 
building at Louisville during the late thirties came from the yards at Jeffer- 
sonville. Jonas Howard was also engaged quite extensively in farming and 
owned a large amount of land in Clark county. He died in 1849, at the com- 
paratively earl)- age of fifty-one years, after a life of unusual activity and 
business success. He married Margaret, daughter of George F. Helmer, a 
native of New York and of Gennan parentage. He came to Clark county 
by the usual river route, but lived only a short time after arrival. His daughter, 
Margaret, who was bom in Herkimer county, Xew York, was about fourteen 
years old when her parents disembarked from the flat toat at the Falls, after 
a long and tedious trip from the East. She survived her husband many years 
and died January i, 1866. She was the mother of nine children, who grew 
to maturity, but of these only two are now living. Jonas George Howard, 
eldest of the sons, was born in Floyd county, Indiana, May 22, 1825. and was 
consequently about five years old when his father returned to Clark county. 
He was reared and educated in Jeffersonville, but spent much of his time on 
the farm, his early experiences being similar to thousands of other boys whose 
life began in the pioneer period of the state. When twenty years old he entered 
old Asbury Uni\-ersity at Greencastle, Indiana, but after remaining there 
three years was called home while a senior on account of the ill health of his 
father. One of his classmates at Asbury was the afterwards celebrated Daniel 
^^". Vorhees, between whom and Mr. Howard a friendship was formed which 
continued throughout their lives. Shortly after returning home JMr. Howard 
began reading law, but as the eldest child, much responsibility of taking care 
of the family fell upon his shoulders. In 1848 he entered the law school at 
Louisville and later was a student in the law department at Bloomington, 
Indiana. L'niversity. from which he was graduated in the class of 185 1. being 
now the sole survivor of those who figured on that occasion. He immediately 
entered upon the active practice of his profession at Jeffersonville and continued 
without intermission until his voluntary retirement in 1905. at the age of 
eiglitv vears. In 1867 he formed a partnership with Ji^ihn F. Reed, which 



442 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 



during its continuance of thirty j-ears, was one of the most successful legal 
firms in the state. Aside from their strictly professional work, Howard and 
Reed did much to promote the industrial development of Jeffersonville. A 
signal achievement in this line was their promotion of a corporation which 
finally resulted in building the bridge across the Ohio between Jeffersonville 
and Louisville, now known as the Big Four bridge. Another important in- 
dustry promoted by this firm was the plate glass works, which was successfully 
operated for nine years under the presidency of ]\Ir. Reed. 

Mr. Howard's political career was in keeping with his achievements at 
the bar, as he has been recognized as one of the leaders of the Democratic 
party for over a half century. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1862 
and re-elected in 1864, thus gomg through two of the stormiest sessions of 
that body during its history. In 1868. Mr. Howard was chosen as one of 
the Democratic electors and was given a similar honor during the exciting 
campaign of 1876. On both occasions he made a canvass of his district on 
behalf of his party. In 1884 he was nominated as Democratic candidate for 
Congress from the Third District and also again made the race as elector, this 
time being successful and having the pleasure of casting a vote for Grover 
Cleveland in the state's electoral college. After serving one term in Congress 
satisfactorily, Mr. Howard was re-elected in 1886 and ranked during the four 
years' service among the leading representatives in the Lower House. Since 
1852 Mr. Howard has not missed canvassing his district in the interests of 
his party at every election period and always paid his own expenses. As late 
as the campaign of 1908, this old "wheel-horse" was still found in harness and 
at the age of eighty-three displayed all the vigor of his earlier years, making 
numerous speeches and keeping in good voice during addresses that consumed 
two hours' time. He is a man of remarkable vigor, one of the best preserved 
of all our older statesmen. 

On November 23, 1854, Mr. Howard married Martha J. Roswell, a 
native of Clark county and member of an old pioneer family. Her parents, 
James and Drusilla (Dills) Roswell, came to Clark county from A'irginia in 
1829. To Mr. and Mrs. Howard three children have been b<5rn. the only sur- 
vivor being Anna L., wife of William T. Ingram, of Jeffersonville. His first 
wife dying in 1872, Mr. Howard subsequently contracted a marriage with 
her sister, Elizabeth Roswell, by whom he has two children: Jonas G., Jr., 
who is an attorney at Jeffersonville, and Ethel, who remains at home with her 
father. Since his retirement from active practice Mr. Howard spends much 
of his time in reading, being especially interested in the study of history and 
politics, on which subjects his remarkably accurate memory makes him an 
authority. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 443 

EDWARD G. DAVIS. 

Mr. Davis is a native of Kentucky, born at the town of W'est Point on 
February ii, 1874. His father, the late Dr. Jacob T. Davis, of Jeffersonville, 
for many years one of the most distinguished physicians and surgeons of 
Kentucky and Indiana, was born in Littleton, Wiltshire, England, Februai-y 
24, 1833, received his literary education in the land of his birth and became 
a resident of the United States February 25, 1855, graduating from the Louis- 
ville IMedical College at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1872. Previous to receiv- 
ing his degree from the above institution, however, he practiced ten years in- 
cluding his service as assistant surgeon in the hospitals at St. Louis, Missouri, 
and at Madison and New Albany, Indiana, during the Civil war and also serv- 
ing as assistant surgeon of field hospitals while attending the army in the field. 
In looking after the wounded at the battle of Perryville, Kentuckv, he re- 
ceived a veiy severe wound and for two nights and one day lay helpless and 
unattended within the enemy's lines, suffering untold agony from pain and 
thirst until discovered by a comrade, John Marx, late of Madison, Indiana, 
who bore him to a place of safety and ministered to his necessities. After the 
war he practiced his profession with marked ability at ^Vest Point, Kentucky, 
and while there achieved honorable distinction for his success m fighting an 
epidemic of cholera which raged with terrific violence in various parts of the 
state in 1873, especially in the cities and towns along the Ohio river, and he 
was equally fortunate in his treatment of small pox patients during the epidemic 
of that dread disease a few years later. Doctor Davis was not only a learned 
and skillful physician but was profoundly versed in many subjects, possessing 
fine literary taste and the ability to express his ideas fluently and forcibly with 
the pen. He contributed frequently to the leading medical journals of the 
country besides writing on general topics. Many of his manuscripts on various 
subjects are now in the possession of his son who holds them beyond price. 
He was the originator of the Jefferson County, Kentucky, Medical Society at 
Jffersontown in 1876, and was elected its first president. After ministering 
to the ills of suffering humanity until infirmities of advancing age together 
with the pain from the injury received on the battle field, rendered the active 
practice of his profession difiicult. the doctor, in March, 1873, was appointed 
by Governor Leslie, Judge of West Point, Kentucky, the duties of which with 
his office business brought him a very comfortable and satisfactorv income. 
He was a man of strong religious convictions and a devout member of the [Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. South, and a number of years ago entered the public 
ministry of that denomination, being ordained a deacon April 20, 1879, in Jef- 
fersontown, Kentucky, by Bishop H. H. Kavanaugh, in \\hich capacity he 
rendered effective service, preaching the Gospel among his fellow men. He 
was ordained elder by Bishop Joyce in Madison, Indiana, September 29. 1889, 



444 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

at a session of the Southeast Indiana Conference. About the year i88g he re- 
moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he continued his professional duties 
for a number of years, but finally on account of impaired health, due to ex- 
posure and injury while in the anny he retired from the practice and from that 
time until his death on September 17, 1901, resided in Jeffersonville being 
sixty-nine years old. 

Sarah Catherine Earhart was a native of Jefferson county, Indiana, and 
daughter of John and Rosanna Earhart. She bore her husband thirteen chil- 
dren, five sons and eight daughters, and departed this life in Jeft'ersonville on 
the 17th day of June, 1908, at the age of seventy years. Ten of the children 
born to doctor and Mrs. Davis are living, two daughters dying in infancy and 
one at the age of fifteen years. The oldest of the family. Flora R., wife of 
Burdette Golay, lives in the town of Wirt, Indiana. The following in order 
of birth are: Harriet M.. who married Thomas O. Ogden, of Paris, Indiana; 
Annie Laurie, now Mrs. Charles H. Hurlbut, of Jeft'ersonville : John ^^^, a 
hardware merchant and bicycle dealer of Indianapolis: Thomas W. G., a car- 
penter and builder of that city: Maud L., unmarried, who makes lier home 
with ]\Irs. Hurlbut : Edward G., of this review : Daisy Catherine, wife of 
Charles R. Rigsby, of Jeffersonville; Nevaston P., a car accountant in the car 
accountant's office of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, Louisville, and Al- 
mond H., city salesman for the Pelknap Hardware & Manufacturing Company 
of the same city. 

Edward G. Davis spent his childhood and early youth at West Point, Ken- 
tucky, and received the greater part of his educational discipline at North 
Madison high school, where he made rapid progress and earned an honorable 
record as a student. When fourteen years of age he became day clerk of the 
Madison Hotel, which position he held for a short time and then accompanied 
his parents to Heniyville, thence subsequently came to Jeffersonville. where he 
secured employment with the American Car & Foundry Company, then the 
Ohio Falls Car works, with which he remained four years, during which time 
he worked in the decorating and finishing departments and became quite a 
skillful artisan. Severing his connection with the above company at the expira- 
tion of the period indicated he accepted a position in the finishing department 
of the Harland Pump Works at Louisville, where he remained one and a half 
years and then entered the employ of the Bee Hive Furniture & Manufacturing 
Company of Jeffersonville. beginning in an humble capacity, but by the end of 
the first year had worked up through various promotions until he became man- 
ager of the business. 

Mr. Davis's rapid advancement indicates business ability of a high order 
and during the three and a half years he was at the head of the company's in- 
terests in Jeft'ersonville his management was marked by wise discretion and 
rare foresight, while his correct methnds and well directed policy added much 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 445 

to the reputation of the firm in the city and elsewhere. At the end of the time 
mentioned resigning the position which lie had so ably and faithfully filled he 
accepted the management of the branch store at Jeffersonville, owned by the 
Denhard Manufacturing Company. At the expiration of one year he pur- 
chased the business of the Bee Hive Manufacturing Company and engaged in 
the manufacture of picture frames and art novelties, in which during the last 
eight years he has built up an extensive business, his establishment being the 
only one of the kind in the city. He not only manufactures all kinds of frames, 
but also conducts an establishment for the overhauling and repairing of furni- 
ture and mattresses. Besides carrjnng full lines of goods for the retail and 
wholesale trade his place of business is complete in its even,' department and 
amply equipped to meet all the demands of the extensive trade which he now 
commands, and which is continually growing in magnitude and importance. 

In connection with his business and industrial enterprises ]\Ir. Davis has 
gained wide repute as the manufacturer of "Shinette," a furniture polish of 
superior quality which has an extensive sale and from which he derives no 
small share of his income. 

The domestic history of the subject dates from the 30th day of December, 
1897, when he contracted a matrimonial alliance with Ida ]\Iav Smith, of Pee 
Wee Valley, Kentucky, daughter of the late James F. Smith of that place, the 
union being blessed with one child, Evelyn Christine, whose birth occurred on 
December i, 1898. 

In his fraternal relations ^[r. Davis holds membership with the Knights 
of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Woodmen of the 
^^'orld and is also identified with the Travelers' Protective Association. The 
Methodist Episcopal church represents his religious creed and at present he 
sen-es as vice-president of the Methodist Brotherhood of the \\'all Street Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. In his political allignment he is a Republican, but 
not partisan in the sense of seeking public position. He also maintains a lively 
interest in military matters and sensed three years in Company G, First Regi- 
ment Indiana National Guard, under Capt. Lewis C. Baird, during which 
time he became skilled in the manual of arms. 



BERXARD A. COLL. 



During a continuous residence in Jeffersonville of nearly forty years, 
practically all of his active life, Mr. Coll has earned important officialpo'sition 
and a liberal amount of this world's goods. For a number of years he has been 
actively interested in commercial pursuits and is now one of the leading busi- 
ness men of the community, his establishment at 406 Spring street being one 
of the largest and most successful of the kind in the city. 



446 baird's history of clark cc, ind. 

On the paternal side Mr. Coll is of Irish descent, his father, Maurice Coll, 
being a native of the Emerald Isle as was also his grandfather, John P. Coll, 
whose ancestors for many generations lived in County Donegal. John P. Coll 
spent the greater part of his life in the land of his birth and died from the 
effects of an accident at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years, his wife, Nancy, 
departing this life in Jeffersonville, when ninety-five years old. 

Maurice Coll, whose birth occurred in 1833, came to the United States 
when young and spent a number of years in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where 
he worked as a machinist, removing in 1868 to Jeffersonville, where he has 
since resided. The maiden name of Mrs. Maurice Coll was Maria Herron, a 
native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and she has borne her husband the follow- 
ing children, all living and doing well in their respective spheres of endeavor : 
John P. is a grocer of Jeffersonville: Mrs. C. A. McNamara, of Keokuk, 
Iowa; Charles J., chief clerk at the Indiana Reformator}- : Edmund J., book- 
keeper for a wholesale grocery firm in Louisville: Ernest, a car builder em- 
ploved at the Louisville & Nashville Railroad shops of Louisville, and James, a 
chemist at Seymour, Indiana ; Bernard A. 

Bernard A. Coll was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of Oc- 
tober, 1862, but at the age of seven years was brought to Jeffersonville by his 
parents and he has since made his home here. After attending the public 
schools of the city until completing the prescribed course of study he entered 
the grocery store of his uncle, Frank Voigt, where he remained for some time, 
subsequently engaging in the same capacit}' with another uncle by the name of 
P. Herron, in whose establishment he continued until engaging in business for 
himself. On resigning his clerkship he became a member of the grocery firm 
of M. Coll & Sons (consisting at the time of his father and brother), and was 
instrumental in building up the large and successful establishment at the corner 
of Chestnut and Fulton streets which his brother, John, now conducts and to 
which he devoted his attention until 1899. During the time thus engaged he 
made a careful study of the principles and ethics of mercantile life and laid the 
foundation upon which his subsequent success and present liberal fortune rest. 

In the year indicated above Mr. Coll withdrew from the grocery firm to 
take charge of the County Treasurer's office, a position to which he was tri- 
umphantly elected in 1900 and the duties of which he discharged in an able 
manner for two terms, having been chosen his own successor in the year 1902. 
At the expiration of his second term, January i, 1905, he retired from 
office with the confidence and good will of the people of the county and accept- 
ing a position as traveling salesman with the wholesale firm of J. C. Hubinger 
& Brother, of Keokuk, Iowa, soent the ensuing two years on the road and 
built up an extensive patronage for his employers. 

Severing his connection with the above house on January ist of the year 
T907, Mr. Coll purchased the boot and shoe store of J. R. Lancaster and has 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 447 

since devoted his attention to tliis line of merchandising, increasing his stock the 
meanwhile, and greatly extending his patronage until he now has the larg- 
est establishment of the kind in the city, having a well equipped store and 
giving employment to four legular clerks, a number he is obliged 
to increase during the busy seasons of the year. He owns in addition 
to his store a beautiful modem home and other valuable property, both real 
and personal, and is considered one of the solid and reliable men of. the city 
whose credit has never been impaired. 

As a representative Democrat few men in Clark county have been more 
influential. In party councils he has been a judicious adviser and in a number 
of hotly contested campaigns, it was by following his directions that victory 
was achieved. That his services have been fully appreciated by his co-workers 
is readily admlitted and that he is entitled to still further recognition by his 
party is the general verdict of his many friends and fellow citizens. 

Mr. Coll belongs to several fraternal organizations, in all of which he has 
been an influential worker besides holding imp<3rtant official positions from 
time to time. Among these societies are the Benevolent and- Protective Order 
of Elks, Improved Order of Red Men and Ancient Order of Hibernians. Knights 
of Columbus, and Catholic Knights of America, the last three being largely 
under the auspices of the Catholic church and designed to inculcate a religious 
and patriotic spirit and make for a higher standard of manhood and citizenship. 
He was reared within the fold of the mother church, and has ever been one of 
its loyal sons and true to its teachings, his wife and family also being members 
of the same body. 

Mr. Coil's marriage was solemnized with Carrie Meadows, of Jeft'erson- 
ville, daughter of Galen Meadows, a well-to-do fanner and representative citi- 
zen of Clark county, the union resulting in the birth of three children : Edna, 
Louise and Bernard J., the oldest of whom is the only one living, the second 
dying at the age of eight years, and the youngest in infancy, at which time 
the mother was also called to her eternal rest. Edna, who is still a member of 
the home circle, was educated in the graded schools and high school of Jefifer- 
sonville, and is a young lady of pleasing personality and many admirable traits, 
being popular and moving in the best society circles of the city. 

On September i. 1904. Mr. Coll married his present wife, Mrs. Chrissie 
Anderson (nee Frank), the union being without issue. 



RICHARD L. FLOOD. 



At one time conditions in Ireland were such that large numbers of her 
citizens bade farewell to their native soil, bound for America, with the firm in- 
tention of making this land their permanent abiding place. Among the 



448 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

number were tlie ancest(jrs of Richard L. Flood, one of the successful business 
men of Jeffersonville. 

Mr. Flood was born in New Albany, Indiana, on the 21st of December, 
1855, the son of Joseph and Alice (Xear\') Flood, both natives of Ireland, 
where they grew to maturity, having married before migrating to America. 
They arrived here in due time and after casting about at various places, finally 
took up their abode at New Albany, where they lived out the remainder of their 
davs, ^Ir. Flood departing this life in 1864, being survived by his wife until 
January 21,1 899. 

Richard's boyhood days were spent under conditions that made him fa- 
miliar with the rugged pathway that lies before the boy that must largely make 
his own way in the world. He was the only son in the family. Of the sisters, 
the following sur\'ive : Bridget, wife of William A. Elliott, a contractor in 
Jeffersonville; Mrs. Anna Gregg, a resident of Terre Haute; Kate, a trained 
nurse, having her home in Jeffersonville, being employed at the Mercy Hospi- 
tal ; Mrs. Benjamin Stallings, now residing at Dallas, Te.xas. 

When approaching manhood Richard engaged in any kind of manual labor 
at which he could find employment. This often meant exceedingly hard work 
and small pay, but he never shirked his duty, nor went out of his way to avoid 
facing a hanl day's task. For some time he was engaged at the Casting Hall 
Glass Works. After 1884 he became a salesman, and in 1887 went into busi- 
ness on his own responsibility, and has continued so ever since. 

On June 5, 1888, he was joined in marriage with Annie 'SI. Eagan, born 
in Jeffersonville. She was reared and educated in Kentucky, near the town of 
Alorganfield. She has become the mother of four sons and one daughter, viz : 
Mary A., Richard L., Jr., Robert E., William P.. and James A. These chil- 
dren, according to the custom among these families, have been educated in the 
Catholic Parochial School. Robert is taking a course calculated ti.^ fit him 
for subsequent work in the business w'orld at the Bryant and Stratton's Busi- 
ness College in Louisville. 

Mr. Flood and family are members of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic 
church, loyal in their support and zealous in their observance of all that their 
church represents. Our subject adheres, for the most part, to the tenets of the 
Democratic party, but has no aspirations for political preferment. His desires 
have rather been in harmony with the ideas consistent with an unassuming 
citizenship, believing that the ballot should be used only as an instrument for 
the advancement of the best interests of the community at large. He is a mem- 
ber of the Catholic Knights of America and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. 
being one of the charter members in the latter organization. He was the char- 
ter treasurer of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Jeffersonville. and is held 
in high esteem by all who have had opportunity to make his close acquaintance. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 449 

AUSTIN FUXK. A. B.. M. D. 

This distinguished physician whose reputation is much more than local 
is a native of Harrison county, Indiana, horn in the old historic town of Cory- 
don, where he also spent his childhood and early youth. His father, Joseph 
P. Funk, who was of Genv.an descent, devoted the greater part of his life to 
educational work and achieved marked success as a teacher and school official. 
He was the first superintendent of the Lawrence county pulilic schools, later 
served as superintendent of the schools of Corydon and for many years was 
principal of the New Alhany high school, in which position he achieved much 
of his distinction as an educator. ^Irs. Joseph P. Funk was of Scotch lineage 
and inherited many of the sterling qualities of head and heart for which that 
nationality has always been noted and which in a marked degree have been re- 
produced in her son, Austin. 

Doctor Funk received his preliminary' education in the public schools and 
after being graduated from the New Albany high school entered the State 
University, where he laid the intellectual foundation upon which his subsequent 
professional career has lieen buikied, yielding to a desire of long standing bv 
taking up the study of medicine, he became in due time a student of the med- 
ical department of the Louisville University and after complet'ng the course of 
that institution began practice pf his profession at New Alliany, where his 
ability as a physician and surgeon sijon brought him prominently before the 
public. Aleanwhile the better to increase his efficiency in his chosen calling, 
he joined the Second Army Corps for service in the Spanish-American war, 
later was appointed acting assistant surgeon of the Alarine Hospital at Cairo, 
Illinois, and afterwards was made a surgeon on S. S. ^Montreal of the British 
Naval Reserve during the Boer war. 

Resuming his practice at New Albany on his return to the United States, 
Doctor Funk remained in that city until 1906, when he removed to Jefferson- 
ville, where he has since devoted his entire attention to the treatment of dis- 
eases peculiar to the eye, ear, nose and throat, fitting himself for special work 
by taking a course in the Royal London Ophthahuic Hospital and in the Cen- 
tral London Throat and Ear Hospital, where he was instructed bv some (.}f the 
most distinguished specialists of the age. 

Doctor Funk is a inember of the Clark County Medical Society, the In- 
diana State Medical Association and the American Medical Association, taking 
an active interest in the deliberations of these distinguished bodies and con- 
tributing in no small degree to their influence in ad\'ancing the standard of pro- 
fessional efficiency. While devoted to his chosen calling and prosecuting his 
studies and researches with an enthusiasm characteristic of the man who aims 
to reach the highest possible standard in his profession and become a true 
healer of afflicted humanity he keeps in close touch with the trend of modern 

29 ^ 



4SO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

thoug-ht and activity. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic Order, 
and he also holds membership with the two college fraternities, the Phi Delta 
Theta. with which he united while a student of the Indiana State University, 
and the Phi Chi of the Universitv of Louisville. 



WILLIAAI G. YOUXCx. 



This voung business man, proprietor of one of the largest jewelry estab- 
lishments in the city of Jefifersonville, is a native of Kentucky and the older 
of two children. Their parents were Jtihn and Charlotte Young, the fonner born 
in Harrison county. Indiana, and the latter in Germany. John Young was 
reared to maturity in his native county and state and when a young man lo- 
cated in Louisville, where he learned the machinist's trade and where in due 
time he married Charlotte Kraushaar. He still follows his chosen calling in 
that city and with his wife is highly esteemed by a large circle of friends and 
acquaintances, being a man of sterling worth and fully entitled to the ci:)nfi- 
dence with which he is regarded. Besides \\'illiam G. Mr. and ^Irs. Young are 
the parents of a daughter who is the wife of Charles P. Crowder, a mail carrier 
of Louisville. 

\\'illiam G. Young was born in the above named city on the 4th day of 
May, 1874, and spent his childliood and youth under the parental roof, at- 
tending meanwhile the public schools and receiving a good practical educa- 
tion. At quite an early age he gave evidence of more than ordinary mechanical 
skill and having a decided liking for tools he began while still young to learn 
the jeweler's trade. 

Animated by a detennined purpose to become something more than a 
mere subordinate he addressed himself cheerfully to his labors and during the 
ensuing fifteen years was employed in Louisville and Jefifersonville and made 
substantial progress in his vocation. His great proficiency in the more skill- 
ful lines of work gave him an enviable reputation and within the period indi- 
cated his services were constantly in demand by the best jewelers of the city, 
with the result that he was never out of empl(iyment and always commanded 
the remuneration of an expert. 

In 1903 he started the nucleus of his present establishment and within 
a comparatively brief period had all the work he could do in the way of re- 
pairing, besides building up quite a lucrative patronage in the commercial line. 
Of necessity he was obliged to begin in a somewhat modest way but it was not 
long until his business increased to such an extent that he was enabled to in- 
crease his stock and employ an assistant. Without detailing the growth of his 
business or noting specifically the various steps in his successful business career. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 45I 

his enterprise advanced not only steadily and substantially but rapidly until 
within the brief space of five years he became one of the leading jewelers of 
Jefifersonville, his establishment at this time being one of the largest and best 
stocked of the kind in the city and his patronage second to that of few others 
in the southern part of the state. 

Mr. Young carries full and complete lines ^>i watches, clocks table cutlery, 
all kinds of jeweln,^ from the ordinary priced to the most valuable on the 
market, also a large and varied assortment of cut glass and fine hand painted 
china-ware, making a specialty of the finer repair work on watches and jewelry. 
A skilled artisan himself he employs none but the most proficient workmen and 
guaranteeing everything that goes from the repair department, it is not strange 
that the best people of the city are among his patrons or that his reputation 
has become much more than local. Keeping fully abreast of the times in all 
matters relating to his calling, he is well informed concerning the making of 
jewelry and time-pieces of all kinds and thoroughly familiar with the trade, 
being a careful and judicious buyer and a successful salesman as well as an 
artisan of great ability and much more than ordinaiy artistic talent. Few 
men have achieved such signal success within the brief space of five years, ad- 
vancing from a common work-b'^nch and a kit of tools to become the head of 
one of the largest jewelry establishments in a populous center. His success 
financially has been commensurate with the energy and ability displayed in his 
chosen sphere of endeavor and today though comparatively a young man with 
the greatest part of his life in the future he occupies a conspicuous place among 
the substantial business men of his cit)' with prospects of still greater success 
as the years go by. 

Mr. Young is a married man and the father of four children, three of 
whom. Selma. Catherine and Dorothy are living, and one, a son. by the name 
of \\ illiam G.. died when eighteen months of age. Mrs. Young was formerly 
Dora Kreutzer, and the ceremony by which her name was changed to the one 
she now so worthily bears was solemnized on November 29th of the year 
1898. She was born in New Albany. Indiana, and is the daughter of Jacob 
and Catherine (Bomwasser) Kreutzer, of German descent and both deceased. 

For a number of years Mr. Young has taken an active interest in Ma- 
sonry, joining Lewis Lodge, No. 191, in Louis\ille, at the age of twenty- 
three. Later in 1901 he transferred his membership to Jefifersonville Lodge, 
No. 340, and has since been one of its most active and influential members, 
besides being at intervals honored with important official positions, holding- 
at the present time the high and responsible post of worshipful master, to which 
he was elected in 1904. He is identified with the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, belonging to Hope Lodge. No. 83. at New Albany and his name 
also occupies a prominent place on the records of Hope Lodge, No. 13, Knights 
of Pythias, in Jeffersonville. Politically he is a Republican, of which party 



452 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

he is a recognized leader in the ward in which he resides. In 1905 he was 
elected to represent his ward in the City Council, of which body he is still a 
member, his term expiring January i. 1910, and in which he has been faith- 
ful, laboring earnestly for the general welfare of the municipality. 



CHARLES EDGAR POINDEXTER. 

The ancestors of Mr. Poindexter were of that sterling type which should 
excite the admiration of everv'one. and many of their noble traits have de- 
scended to the present generation of the Poindexters. Charles Edgar Poin- 
dexter was born in Jeffersonville Indiana, December 4. 1853. the son of Gabriel 
and jMary F. (W'illey) Poindexter. Barzillai \\'illey, grandfather of Charles 
Edgar, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. from Connecticut. His son, 
John F. Willey, was born in June, 1809, where the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, 
now stands, and the following year he was brought to Clark county, Indiana, 
his father having moved near Memphis. The family came down the Ohio 
river before steamboats were in common use and landed at Jeffersonville, the 
Poindexters having come from Louisa county, Virginia, a year or two pre- 
viously, this family having long been residents of the Old Dominion state, 
from which Clevias S. Poindexter's father, Gabriel Poindexter. Sr., went 
as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Both the Virginia and Connecticut 
branch of this family were well known and influential in their day, all people 
of genuine worth. 

Charles E. Poindexter is one of a family of four children now living, 
namely : Harry C. is Judge of the City Court in Jeffersonville ; Bertha F. is 
librarian of the Carnegie Public Librarj' in Jeffersonville; Frank C. is in 
the postal services in Indianapolis. The following are deceased: Fountin 
W., who married Emma Willey, of Madison, Indiana, left two children; Ella, 
who married Chester T. Berryman, and Randall ; they both reside in Louis- 
ville. Mary A. married Dr. Edward L. Elrod, of Henryville, Clark couny; 
they both passed away early in 1908, leaving one daughter. Bertha Mary. 

After leaving school Mr. Poindexter received his first business expe- 
rience in the employ of the A.dams Express Company in Jeffersonville, in 
which he remained for eight years, most of that time acting as agent for the 
company. He then went to the Louisville & Cincinnati Aldil Boat Line, in 
whose employ he remained for a period of six years, giving the same un- 
qualified satisfaction as he had his former employers, acting for the latter as 
cashier and agent in Louisville. After this he was freight agent for the 
Pennsylvania Railroad in the city of Jeffersonville for a period of eight years. 
Then in the year 1893 he was employed by the Citizen's National Bank of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 453 

Jeffersonville as cashier, which responsible position he still very creditably 
fills, having done much to increase the prestige of this institution through his 
able and conscientious sen-ice and courteous treatment of its patrons. 

The matrimonial chapter in the life history of Charles E. Poindexter 
began in April, 1884, when he united in the bonds of wedlock with Ophelia 
Read, of Port Fulton. She is the daughter of John F. Read, who was bom 
in ^^'ashington, Daviess county, Indiana, October 4, 1822. He was educated 
at Hanover College, studied law with the noted Humphrey Marshall, of the 
same family as Chief Justice ^Marshall of the United States. He made a sub- 
secjuent record at the bar, sen-ing one term in the Legislature. He was in the 
United States land office at Jefifersonville for a period of eight years. He was 
not onlv prominent in legal affau's but also in business circles, having been 
at one time president of the Ford Plate Glass Company of Jeffersonville ; also 
president of the Citizens' National Bank of that city. In 1840 he married 
Eliza Keigwin, who died in 1852, and in 1853 Mr. Read married Eliza Pratt. 
One child was born to the first union and nine to the latter, the wife of Charles 
E. Poindexter being the eldest. Mr. Read is deceased and his widow lives 
with Mr. and ]\Irs. Poindexter. Mr. Read was a very prominent man in his 
day and one of the most useful in this county in both public and business life. 

One son, James Edgar, has brightened the home of Charles E. Poin- 
dexter and wife. He is individual bookkeeper in the Citizens' National Bank, 
and is a young man of much promise. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Poindexter is a member of Clark Lodge, 
No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons : Horeb Chapter, No. 66 : Jefifersonville 
Commandery, No. 27. H is a member of the Presbyterian church. 



A. RUDOLPH SCHIMPFF. 

Jefifersonville has reason to be proud of her newspapers, among the most 
progressive and ably conducted in the city as well as in the southern part of 
the state, being the Jeffersonville Star, which under its present management, 
has made rapid strides to the front and met with popular favor of a cumula- 
tive order and became an unfailing index of the civic pride and commercial 
and industrial prestige of the city. 

A. Rudolph Schimpft' is a nati\'e of Jeft'ersonville, Indiana, where his 
birth occurred on the 14th of November, 1875, of German descent, his grand- 
parents on both sides of the family having been born m the Palatinate 
Rheumth, Bavaria. His father, Charles A. Schimpfif, also a native of the 
Fatherland, came to the United States in 1858. at the age of eleven vears and 
located with his mother, four brothers and three sisters, in Louisville, 



454 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Kentucky, where he remained until liis removal ten years later to Jeffersonville, 
where he engaged in the confectionary business and in due time became one 
of the substantial men of the city. He married in 1873, Alvina Rossler, 
daughter of Charles and Caroline Rossler, and became widely known, not 
only in business circles but as an energetic man who took pride in the growth 
of his adopted city and did all within his power to foster and encourage all 
enterprises tending to this and other laudable ends. 

A Rudolph Schimpff was reared to maturity in Jeffersonville, enjoyed 
the best educational advantages the city schools afiforded and at an early age 
entered the office of the Star, with which paper he was connected for a period 
of fourteen months, during which time he served on the editorial staff and 
became skilled in nearly every department of newspaper work. At the ex- 
piration of the time indicated he took charge of the city circulation of the Jef- 
fersonville Star and Clark County Republican, which position he held until 
January, 1903, when he became business manager of the two plants under 
the receivership. 

In August, 1903, in partnership with Charles A. Schimpff, Mr. Schimpff 
purchased a half interest in the Star and Republican and on the loth of De- 
cember following became sole owner and publisher, this being the only Re- 
publican paper out of a total of nineteen in thirty-five years to weather the 
stomis of discouragement and succeed. Under his able and judicious man- 
agement the Star has made steady and substantial progress, meeting with a 
favorable reception from the time of his taking charge of the office and prov- 
ing an alert, progressive and admirabl)' conducted paper, attractive in make- 
up and latter press and an able exponent of the political principles to which 
it is pledged. Mr. Schimpff is not only an easy, graceful and forcible writer 
who impartially discussess the leading questions and issues of the day, whose 
editorials are widely ciuoted and copied, but is also an enthusiastic and enter- 
prising newspaper man who has made the Star a credit to himself and an 
honor to the city. He has an office thoroughly equipped with modern ma- 
chinery and appliances which with a large and constantly increasing circula- 
tion and a liberal advertising patronage, the plant is now one of the most valu- 
able of the kind in the county, with every prospect of continuous growth in 
power and influence. Through the medium of his paper, Mr. Schimpff' has 
advocated all worthy measures for the upbuilding of Jeffersonville and the 
advancement of Clark county. 

As already indicated J^Ir. Schimpff is a Republican and by reason of his 
position as editor of the official organ of his party and vice-chairman of the 
County Central Committee, he has become one of its leaders in Clark county, 
and an influential factor in formulating and directing its policies, not only in 
local matters but in the larger and more extended affairs of district and 
state. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 455 

In his religious faitli Air. Schimpff is a member of tlie German Ex-an- 
gelical Lutheran church, belonging to the local congregatinn in Jefferson- 
ville, known as St. Luke's church, his wife being identified with St. Augustine 
Roman Catholic church of this city. Fraternally he holds membership with 
Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 340, Free and Accepted IMasons, Hope Lodge, No. 
13, Knights of Pythias, in the latter of which he now holds the ofiice of chan- 
cellor and for a number of years he has been one of the prominent workers in 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Tabor Lodge, No. 92. 

Margaret Fredricks, who became the wife of Mr. Schimpff on the 13th 
of April, 1898, was born at Port Fulton, Clark county, Indiana, August 20. 
1880, being the daughter of Air. and Mrs. E. J. Fredricks, well known resi- 
dents of Jeffersonville. The pledges of this union are two interesting children, 
who answer to the names of Margaret and Alvina. 



JOHN GIENGER. 



John Gienger, wholesale dealer in pr(.)duce and feed at Jeffersonville, 
Indiana, is a native of W'urtemburg, Germany, and the son of George and 
Katherine Gienger, both born and reared in that kingdom and descended from 
ancestors who, from time immemorial, lived and bore their parts in the affairs 
of the German nation and figin"ed more or less conspicuously in their respective 
places of abode. George Gienger, in 1880, emigrated to the L^nited States and 
settled at Jeffersonville, Indiana, where for seven years he conducted a suc- 
cessful dairy business, but at the expiration of that time disposed of his inter- 
ests in this city and movetl to the state of Oregon, where he continued dairying 
until retiring from active life at a comparatively recent date. Having acquired 
a competency he sold out his business and with his good wife is now enjoying 
the fruits of his many years of toil and judicious management in a comfortable 
home in the city of Portland. 

John Gienger whose birth occurred on the 19th day of November. 1863, 
spent his early life in the land of his nativity and enjoyed the advantages of 
a good education in its schools. At the age of seventeen he accompanied his 
parents upon their removal to the New World and for some time thereafter 
assisted his father in the daii-y at Jeffersonville, subsequently engaging in the 
produce trade upon his own responsibility and in due time building up a 
thriving business. Since the year 1887 he has devoted his attention to pro- 
duce and feed, which he handles in immense quantities, supplying the local 
market and shipping to a number of tradesmen in neighboring towns, his 
wholesale house at 303 Court avenue, being the largest and most extensively 
patronized establishment of the kind in the city, and one of the best known 



456 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

in the southern jiart of the state. Mr. Gienger"s business career has been 
eminently creditable and satisfactory, presenting a series of successes which 
have gained for him a conspicuous place among the progressive merchants 
of his citv. He gives steady employment to five men every working day 
of the year and during the busy seasons it is found necessary to augment 
this force by several additional assistants, the demand for his goods being 
so great at times as to tax the establishment to its utmost capacity and keep 
the proprietor busy almost day and night in order to supply his numerous 
customers. 

Mr. Gienger is a stalwart advocate of Democratic principles and policies 
and in the local ranks of his party he has been an active and valued worker. 
He has sen-ed in various positions of honor and trust and in ver\- instance 
has proven worthy of the confidence of his fellow citizens as well as of the 
party to which he belongs. He represented his ward for some time in the City 
Council and as a member of that body was industrious and untiring in his 
efforts to promote the interests of the municipality, having introduced a 
number of important bills which became ordinances and in other ways made 
his influence felt as a safe and judicious local legislator. As a member of the 
local educational board he has done much to advance the schools of the city 
and make them among the best in the state. He is an active worker in the 
fraternity of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and 
in religion subscribes to the creed of the Gennan reformed church, holding 
at this time the position of elder in the local congregation with which he is 
identified. 

^Ir. Gienger is essentially a business man and as such ranks among the 
most enterprising and successful of the city in which he lives. He has so man- 
aged and prosecuted his afifairs as to acquire a liberal share of this world's 
goods, a third interest in two successful canning factories in Jeffersonville and 
is also interested in a similar enterprise in the town of Henryville, besides 
holding considerable valuable real estate in both city and country and a large 
amount of personal property to say nothing of private investments which add 
very materially to his income. 

Mr. Gienger's domestic life dates from 18S5, on November 5th of which 
year he was united in marriage with Catherine IMosser. whose birth occurred 
in Kentucky, but who for some time prior to the date men*:ioned lived with 
her parents in the city of Jeffersonville. This union has been blessed with 
one child, a daughter by the name of Amelia, who is now a young lady, the 
pride of her parents and popular in the social circles of the city. The Gien- 
ger familv is highlv esteemed socially and religiously and the name is closely 
identified with charitable work and benevolent enterprises through which the 
desen-ing poor and unfortunate receive assistance. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.j IXD. 457 

OSCAR THEODORE JOHNSON. 

The family of whicli Mr. Johnson is a representative has been identified 
with the histon- of Clark county since the pioneer period, his grandfather, 
Stephen Johnson, leaving been among- the early ministers of this part of the 
state and one of the first to preach the doctrines of Methodism to the few- 
scattered settlers who subscribed to the faith of that church. Stephen John- 
son was a man nf good mind and sound practical sense, a de\out Christian and 
an influential minister who hesitated not to declare the whole counsel of God 
as he understood it, and for a number of years his labors in this and other 
fields throughout Southern Indiana were greatly blessed. He not only visited 
the scattered pioneers in the wilderness and preached and otherwise instructed 
them in their humble cabin homes, but frequently conducted public worship in 
the towns, and to him belongs the credit of organizing a number of societies in 
a field which even at this date feel the effect of his teaching and the influence 
of his consecrated and God-fearing life. 

John R. Johnson, son of Stephen and father of Oscar Theodore, was 
born in Clark county and grew to maturity in Oregon township, where he 
lived until alxiut the year 1883, when he removed to his present place o£ 
residence in the village of Utica. In his voung manhood he married Susan 
Fields, also a native of Oregon township, and in due time became the father 
of three children, two sons and one daughter, namely. Dr. J. W. Johnson, 
practicing physician of Utica: Oscar T., whose name introduces this sketch, 
and Stella, who married William J^Iartin, of Louisville, Kentucky, and resides 
in that city. 

Oscar Theodore Johnson, whose birth occurred on the 3d day of Decem- 
ber, 1873. spent his early life in Oregon township and received his education 
in the public schools of Utica. \\ hile a mere lad he entered his father's barber 
shop in that town and under the latter's instruction soon became proficient in 
the trade, which he followed with gratifying success until the year 1898, when 
he accepted employment as guard of the Indiana Reformatory. After filling 
that position to the satisfaction of the management of the institution for a 
period of five and a half years, he resigned to become special officer in the 
employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the duties of which he dis- 
charged in a creditable manner for fourteen months, during which he devoted 
his attention closely to the interests of the corporation, proving faithful to the 
important trust reposed in him, and rising high in the esteem and confidence of 
his superiors. Severing his connection with the road at the expiration of the 
time indicated Mr. Johnson joined the police force of Jefifersonville and for a 
period of two years bore his full share in maintaining the peace and quietude 
of the city. 

Resigning from the force at the expiration of two years I\Ir. Johnson was 



458 BAIRD'S history of CLARK CO., IND. 

nominated by tlie Repuljlican party for the office of Sheriff, being opposed by 
a popular candidate backed by a normal Democratic majority of four hundred. 
Xotwithstanding the formidable strength of the o]iposition and his apparent 
hopeless outlook he entered boldly into the campaign and with his accustomed 
vigor and energy conducted a canvass which extended to every part of the 
countv, resulting in triumph at the polls, defeating his competitor by 186 votes, 
running far ahead of his ticket and being the only Republican candidate 
elected that year. Mr. Johnson's nomination by acclamation and signal vic- 
tory in a reliably Democratic county were complimentary t(3 his sterling worth 
and personal popularity with the people irrespective of political allignment, 
and since takmg charge of his office on January i, 1908, his able and judicious 
course has fully justified the wisdom of his election. 

Air. Johnson on June 22. 1898, was married to Mollie Conlen. daugh- 
tei of James and Winnie Conlen, of Jeffersonville, the father deceased, the 
mother still living in Clark county. '\lx. and Mrs. Johnson have a pleasant 
and attractive home in Jeffersonville and move in the best social circles of the 
city, having many warm friends and admirers among th(xse with whom they 
mingle and a popularity extending to the limits of their acquaintance. 

Fraternally Mr. Johnson belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Modern 
Woodmen of America, and the Union Fraternal League, in all of which organi- 
zations he is active and influential, besides holding various positions of honor 
and trust. Mrs. Johnson is identified with the Women's Relief Corps and 
belongs to the Catholic church. 



HENRY F. DILGER. 



Mr. Dilger, a prominent local attorney, is a native of Perry county. In- 
diana, where his birth occurred on the 26th day of FebruaiT. 1865. being 
the son of Joseph and Rosina (Brugger) Dilger. These parents came from 
Baden. Germany, a number of years ago. and were married about the year 
1858 in Perry county, Indiana, where the father followed agricultural pur- 
suits for a livelihood. Subseciuently they removed to Michigan, thence tii 
Spencer county. Indiana, where they spent the remainder of their days, the 
mother dying in 1884, the father in 1891. Their family consisted of three 
children, namely: John \\^, who lives in Missouri; Benjamin, a resident of 
Jeft'ersonville, engaged in the river trade, and Henry F., whose name appears 
above. By a previous marriage Mrs. Dilger had two sons and a daughter, 
whose names are as follows: Theodore H. Dilger, a fanner and miller of 
Spencer county, Indiana, and a large land holder in Alabama ; Robert W. 
Dilger, a mechanic of Louisiana, ^Missouri, and Freda, who married Peter 
Weidner, a grocer of Jeffersonville. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 459 

Henry F. Dilger was educated in the schools of ]\Iichigan and Spencer 
county, Indiana, and spent his early life in close touch with nature on the 
farm. ±\t the age of fourteen he began working for himself as a farm hand and 
later was employed for some time in a mill, the meanwhile husbanding his 
earnings with the greatest care for the purpose of adding to his scholastic 
knowledge. At the expiration of five years he was enabled to earn' out a 
desire of long standing by entering the Crawford county Xorma! School, 
which he attended until completing the prescribed course, thus fitting him- 
self for teaching, a work to which he had long been favorably inclined. After 
teaching two years in the district schools of Crawford county he went to Ken- 
tucky, where he devoted one year to educational work but at the expiration 
of that time returned to Indiana and spent the ensuing two years in Jefferson- 
ville, township schools, the meanwhile earning an honorable reputation as a 
capable and painstaking instructor. 

Not caring to make teaching his permanent work Air. Dilger in 1893 
took up the study of law at Aurora, Indiana, in the office of McMullen & 
McAIullen and later entered the law department of the Central Normal 
School at Danville, where he made substantial progress in the profession be- 
sides attaining a high standard as a close and diligent student. Returning 
to Jefi'ersonville he continued his legal studies under the directon of George 
H. Voigt, in whose office he remained until his admission to the bar in 1897, 
after which he devoted the greater part of the ensuing three years to educa- 
tional work, not beginning the practice of his profession until 1901. In the 
latter year Mr. Dilger opened an office in Jeft'ersonville and in due time gained 
his proportionate share of legal patronage, \^'ith a spirit born of a determina- 
tion to succeed Air. Dilger persisted in the course upon which he set out and 
by ably and faithfully attending to such business as came to his office, he 
soon gained the reputation of a capable and thoroughly honorable attorney, 
with the result that in due time he succeeded in securing quite a number of 
patrons and building a safe and fairly lucrative business. Since the year 1901 
his legal career has compared favorably with that of the majority of the 
members of the Jefl:'ersonville Bar, and at the present time he has a large and 
lucrative practice in the courts of Clark county, being esteemed a safe and 
reliable counsellor, a judicious practitioner who spares no reasonable eiTorts 
in behalf of his clients and whose ability before judges and juries seldom fail 
to win verdicts for the causes he represents. 

A\'hile devoted to his profession he is also interested in public matters 
and political afifairs, being one of the influential Democrats of Jefferson\-ille 
and a leader of his party in both city and county. He has served several 
years as Treasurer of the County Central Committee and as a campaigner 
his services have been especially valuable, being a judicious adviser and ag- 
gressive worker. In May, 190J, he was made City Attorney of Jeft'ersonville 



460 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

and discharged the duties of the position with credit and abihty until Sep- 
tember of the year 1906, this being the only public office he has ever held or 
to which he has ever aspired. 

Mr. Dilger is a member of the Tell Lodge. Xo. 272. Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, Jeffersonville, in which he holds the title of past grand and 
in the general deliberations of which he takes an active and influential part, 
having served one temi of three years as trustee and recently re-elected to that 
office. His domestic experience dates from the 28th day of December. 1898, 
at which time he was united in marriage with Annie L. Meyer, of Jeffer- 
sonville, daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth ^Nleyer. natives of Germany 
and Indiana respectively, the union resulting in the birth of one son, Frank 
H.. who first saw the light of day December 6th of the year 1899. 



JOHN R. JOHNSON. 

Now in the sixty-second year of his age Mr. Johnson can review with 
pride an unblemished business career, and a war record so meritorious that it 
won for him recognition from the great commonwealth of Indiana in the 
way of a medal of honor. Despite the crude educational facilities of his boy- 
hood days he is regarded as one of the leading literary lights of the town in 
which he lives, Utica, Indiana, being a man of wide knowledge of the world. 

John R. Johnson's native heath is Scott county, Indiana, having been 
bom there August 14, 1846, the son of Stephen and Lavina (Williams) John- 
son. Scott county was also the place of nativity of the parents, and they 
spent the greater portion of their lives there. The father, a farmer, and a 
Methodist preacher, died at the age of sixty-three years, his wife surviving 
him eleven years. They reared a family of four sons and four daughters. 
Sarah became the wife of John McClure, of Clark county: ^^'ilIiam spent four 
years as a soldier in the Civil war, being adjutant of his regiment, and he is 
now engaged in the manufacture of brick in Illinois; John R. and David are 
twins, and the latter has for the last thirty years been in the concrete busi- 
ness in Illinois ; James is employed in the inteiiu"ban service at Indianapolis ; 
Caroline is the wife of Samuel Ferguson, of Kansas; Martha is the widow of 
John Smith, and also resides in Kansas; Mary is the wife of ^^'illiam Owens 
and lives on the old home farm in Scott count}'. 

John R. was educated in a typical log school-house of the pioneer days, 
but as the result of a lifetime of study and investigation he is the possessor 
of a thorough education, few men with his limited opportunities being so 
well equipped intellectually. In May, 1864, he enlisted in the army as a mem- 
ber of Company K, One Hundred Thirty-seventh Indiana, and sen-ed one 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 46 1 

year. As stated in the introductory of this sketch he was presented a medal 
of honor by the state of Indiana as a recognition of his gallantry and valor 
on the field of battle. This medal is regarded as a sacred heirloom in the 
family. Returning from the anny he engaged in business, and some time 
thereafter married Maria Susan Fields, a daughter of Milford and Samantha 
(Carroll) Fields, early pioneers of Clark county. The first home of the sub- 
ject and his wife was at Mary-sville, Clark county, where they lived for 
about six years. In the year 1886 they moved to Utica, Clark county, and 
built their present pleasant and comfortable dwelling. Three children have 
been bom to them : Dr. William Francis is practicing medicine in Utica with 
great success ; Oscar Theodore is the present Sheriff of Clark county • Estella 
is the wife of William Martin, chief clerk of a large mercantile establish- 
ment in Louisville. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson attend the ^Methodist Episcopal 
church, and they are counted as among its most faithful members. Po- 
litically Mr. Johnson is a Republican, having been identified with that party 
all of his life. He i^ always to be found in the councils of his party, and is 
known as one of its leaders locally. He never sought but one political office, 
however, and that was during the Harrison administration when he applied 
for the postmastership of Utica and was appointed to the position. He had 
the hearty endorsement of the people of the community generally, without 
regard to their political affiliations and he discharged the duties of the office 
in a highly satisfactory manner. Mr. Johnson is very much mterested in local 
literarj- work, and particularly m lyceums and debating clubs. 



WALTER G. SHADDAY. 

The Shadday family in this countiy lived originally in North Carolina 
and from that state migrated to Indiana in an early day, and located in Swit- 
zerland county, of which they were among the first pioneers. George Shad- 
day, the grandfather of \\'alter G., was born in Switzerland county, but moved 
to the county of Ripley when a young man and there married and spent the 
remainder of his life. He ser\'ed during the Civil war in the Forty-fifth In- 
diana Cavalry, participated in a number of campaigns and bloody battles and 
earned an honorable record as a brave and gallant soldier. 

^^'alter G. Shadday, one of the leading real estate dealers of Clark county, 
also at the head of a thriving investment and insurance business, is a native 
of Indiana, born in the county of Ripley on the 3d day of December, 1882. 
His father, John H. Shadday, a well known contractor and builder of Jef- 
fersonville, was for many years a resident of Ripley county and a man of 
much more than ordinary standing and influence in the community honored 



462 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

by his citizenship. John H. Shadday has devoted the greater part of his life 
to the business which he now successfully follows, first in Ripley county, later 
in Jeffersonville, to which city he moved when his son, Walter, was a child 
and in which, since 1903, he has been the successor of Henry Pollock, for 
manv vears one of the largest contractors and builders in the southern part 
of the state. The maiden name of the subject's mother w^as Arminta Spears ; 
she became the wife of Mr. Shadday in Ripley county and bore him one 
child while living there, to-wit : \\'alter G., whose name introduces this re- 
view. In addition to his long and successful business career John H. Shad- 
day has a militaiy record of which he feels justly proud, having serv'ed five 
years in the regidar army as an officer of Company A. Se\enth United States 
Cavalr}-. during which time he experienced much active service in various 
parts of the country and earned honorable distinction liy reason of duty ably 
and faithfully performed. Since retiring from the army he has devoted his 
attention exclusively to his business aflfairs. though always interested in civic 
matters and taking an active part in politics, being a pronounced Democrat, 
but not a partisan in the sense of seeking office or aspiring to leadership. 

As already indicated \\'alter G. Shadday was a child when hi? parents 
transferred their residence to Jeffersonville and since three years of age his 
life has been closely identified with the city and its interests. After receiving 
a good education in the public schools he acquired a knowledge of practical 
affairs under his father's direction and in due time turned his attention to the 
lines of business in which he has since been engaged and in which he has 
achieved such marked financial success, namely, real estate, insurance and 
various kinds of investments, building up a large and lucrative patronage in 
Jeft'ersonville and vicinity, besides dealing extensi\-ely in real estate in Clark 
and other counties and states, all of which liusiness resulted in liberal pro- 
fits and gained for him an h(;nora])le reputation as a safe and reliable business 
man. His investments both in his own name and for others have invariably 
proven satisfactory and profitable, and in the matter of loans he has also been 
successful, placing a large amount of money on real estate and other first 
class security, his operations in this department alone represe'.iting many thou- 
sands of dollars, annually, and yieUling a large share of his income. He 
is the local agent for a number of the largest and most relialile insurance com- 
panies in the United States and foreign countries and his veiw extensive busi- 
ness in this line is steadily growing in magnitude and importance, comparing 
favorably with tliat transacted b\- any other man or firm in the city similarly 
engaged. 

He is a member of the Jeft'erson Social Club, and a prominent participant 
in its meetings and deliberations and his name is also found on the records <if 
Lodge. No. 340. Free and Accepted Masons, in which ancient and h.onnrable 
brotherhood he has risen to high standing, besides be'mg honored at different 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 463 

times with important official positions. Although reared a Democrat his 
reading and investigations led him into the opposite political belief and ever 
since old enough to exercise the I'ight of citizenship he has been an uncom- 
promising Republican, believing the principles and policies of the party to be 
for the best interests of the American Republic and having faith that in the 
future as in the past the party will continue to fulfill the grand mission which 
its founders had in view. An active worker in the ranks and a judicious ad- 
viser in party councils he has never entered the political arena as an office 
seeker, but contents himself with voting for his favorite candidates. He is 
married and still an inmate of the parental home, to the maintenance of which 
he is a liberal contributor and to the attractiveness of which he adds greatlv. 



tho:mas j. brock. 

The career of Mr. Brock, who, though a yourig man with but limited ex- 
perience has made his example an inspiration to those who shall come after 
him and his presence a pennanent benefit to those with whom he mingles. 
Thomas J. Brock, attorney -at-law. and one of the rising meiubers of the Jef- 
fersonville Bar. was born on a farm near Borden, Clark county, Indiana, July 
9, 1876, being one of three children whose parents, Francis M. and Abigail 
I. Brock, were natives of Washington and Clark county, respectively. Francis 
M. Brock was liorn near ]\Iartinsburg, Indiana, on the 22d day of Julv, 
1849, and his wife first saw the light of day on the family homestead near 
Borden. November "th of the year 1854. The family of this estimable couple 
consisted of three children, the oldest of whom, a daughter by the name of 
Cora !May, died when six years of age. Thomas J., of this review, being the 
second in order of birth and John B., the youngest. 

The early life of Thomas J. Brock, in close touch with nature on the 
farm, was conducive to well rounded physical development and accustomed 
to habits of industiy from childhood he grew up with well defined ideas of life, 
its duties and responsibilities. After acquiring an elementarv education in 
the public schools he entered the Borden Institute, where he made commend- 
able progress in the higher branch of learning and earned an honorable record 
as a student, graduating in the Teachers Scientific and Academic courses in 
the year 1892. During the six years following his graduation ]Mr. Brock 
taught in the public schools of Clark county and gained worth}^ prestige as a 
capable and enterprising instructor, popular alike with pupils and patrons as 
is indicated by his long period of service in but few places of labor. Fnnn 
1896 to 1897 inclusive he was principal of the town school of Borden, and 
while holding this position he took up the study of law which he subsequently 



464 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

prosecnted in the Borden Institnte. his progress being such that he was chily 
admitted to the bar in 1898, since which year he has been actively engaged in 
the practice of his profession in Jeffersonville. 

In September. 1900, Mr. Brock was appointed City Attorney of Jeffer- 
sonville, and held the office to the satisfaction of all concerned until May, 
1904, proving an able and judicious public servant who spared no pains in 
looking after the interests of the people. Since retiring from office he has 
devoted his attention verj' closely to his profession and at the present time has 
a large and lucrative practice, standing in the front rank of the successful 
members of the local bar and being held in high esteem by his professional 
brethren as well as by the public at large. In connection with his professional 
duties Mr. Brock is also largely interested in religious work, being a zealous 
member of the Christian church, and since Febraary, 1892, an ordained 
evangelist of the same. He is an able and forceful speaker. He occupies 
no small place in public favor and enjoying the confidence and esteem of the 
people of his city, and with a promising outlook before him there is every 
reason to believe that the past 's but an earnest of the higher honors which 
shall come to him by reason of duty ably and faithfully performed. 

Mr. Brock is a member of four fraternal organizations and an active and 
influential worker in each, namely, the Free and Accepted Masons, Modern 
Woodmen of America, Knights of Pythias and Order of F.astern Star, and 
in politics he is stanchly and uncompromisingly Democratic. 

On December 3d of the year 1894, Air. Brock and Ada A. Littell daugh- 
ter of Milburn and Rachael Littell, were united in the holy bonds of wedl(ick. 
the union being blessed with two children, H. Curtis and Byron J., aged 
twelve and ten years, respectively. 



CAPT. EDMONDS J. HOWARD. 

Captain Edmonds J. Howard, president of the Howard Ship Yards Com- 
pany, was born at Madison. Indiana. ^Nlarch 14. 1840. His father was the 
late Captain James Howard, the founder of the famous Howard yards, whose 
sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. His mother was Rebecca Barmore, 
a native of Hamilton county, Ohio. 

The family located permanently at JefYersonville in 1848, where the father 
was engaged in boat building, and here the son grew to manhood. He re- 
ceived his education in the public and private schools of Louisville, and after- 
wards attended the Kentucky ^Military Institute at Frankfort, Kentucky. 

Before he had become of age he had entered business life, and following 
his father's .example had turned to the river. In i860 he went to the South 




RESIDEX'CE OF CAPTAIX E. I. HO^^\\RD, PORT FULTOX. 





^'^y ^^^X-C^^ (X^.^ 




BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 465 

and served as clerk on a steamboat running up Ouchita river. Here the break- 
ing out of the War of the Rebellion found him, and reaHzing the need of his 
presence at home he severed his connection witli tlie boat and started North. 
Reacliing Jef^ersonville after many chfficulties he entered the emplov of the 
United States government as a clerk in the Ordnance Department, but re- 
mained there but a short while, leaving to become connected with his father's 
yards. His career in the boat building business has not been one of easy suc- 
cess, but rather a fight to master the business from the first to the last detail. 
He began as an apprentice and learned every department of boat building by 
actual contact with the work. In 1865 the firm of James Howard became 
James Howard & Company, by the addition of John C. Howard, a brother, 
and Edmonds J. Howard. In 1876, upon the death of his father, he bmight 
all of his father's interest in the company and several years later also that oi 
his uncle John C. The firm was then known as the E. J. Howard, and as such 
has turned out a vast fleet of magnificent steamers, as well as a large numljer 
of smaller water craft for the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf coast rivers. 
Boats have been built at his yards for the waters of Central America, and the 
first large steamers to ply the Yukon river in Alaska were contsructed by him, 
shipped to Dutch Harbor and put together there. For beauty, speed and con- 
struction the boats from the Howard yards at Jefifersonville stand as the peer 
of any on the rivers of the West, and all show the result of the experience and 
skill at the head of the business. Captain Howard's business ability is not 
limited to the plant at Jeffersonville. for in 1905 he acquired the Marine 
Ways at Cincinnati, Madison, Paducah, Kentucky; and Mound City, Illinois, 
all operated under separate organizations except the plants at Madison and 
Jeffersonville. At present this business, known as the Howard Shipyards 
Company, is the most extensive inland ship building industry in the United 
States. It has been in continuous operation since 1848 with the exception of 
a short period in i860. At times the ship yard at JefTersonville has employed 
as many as four hundred men, and it is considered one of the most successful 
businesses of the kind in the United States. 

Captain Howard was married to Laura Burke, a native of Louisville, 
Kentucky, on January 6, 1863. Their two sons, Clyde and James, are both 
interested in the business with their father, Clyde being the secretary and 
treasurer of the concern and James the vice-president. 

Besides Captain Howard's business at the local ship yards and Marine 
Ways, he is a director in the First National Bank, and the Citizens' National 
Bank of Jeffersonville. 

In politics he is a Democrat, and while a resident of Jefifersonville, ser\'ed 
as Councilman from his ward for several years. During the War of the Re- 
bellion he sen,'ed as a member of the Home Guards, but participated in no 

30 



466 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IND. 

active sen'ice. He and his family are members of St. Paul's Episcopal church, 
where he served as vestryman for a number of years. 

Captain Howard's residence in Port Fulton, just above Jeffersonville, and 
overlooking the ship yards, is one of the finest in Southern Indiana, and the 
grounds which surround it, including one whole city block, are evidence of a 
love of home which is one of his strong characteristics. 

Elsewhere in this volume will be found the history of the Howard Ship 
Yards from 1834 to 1909. 



f 

REV. FRANCIS MARION BROCK. 

This name is well known in Wood township, Clark county, where Rev- 
erend Brock has maintained his home all his life, where his parents were num- 
bered among the pioneers. 

Francis Marion Brock was born in Wood township in 1849, the son of 
Michael and Elizabeth (Stover) Brock. Michael Brock's father, George 
Brock, is believed to have come from North Carolina. He was a Baptist 
minister and a man of considerable prominence in his time. His wife was 
Elizabeth McKinley before her marriage. Elizabeth Stover was the daughter 
of Daniel Stover, of Virginia, who located in Jackson township, W^ashington 
county, Indiana, where he died, having reached the remarkable age of one 
hundred and four years. His wife was Polly Ann Carvia before her mar- 
riage. All these ancestors of Francis Marion Brock were influential in their 
respective communities and were people of much sterling worth, and many of 
the admirable traits which they manifested are today exemplified in the gen- 
tleman whose name introduces this sketch. 

Francis Marion Brock has lived in Wood township all his life. He was 
educated in the public schools and at May's Academy at Salem, Indiana. He 
was an ambitious student and applied himself to his studies in the most arduous 
manner which resulted in his receiving a good education. Early in life he 
decided that his true "bent" was in teaching and accordingly began to pre- 
pare himself for this profession, which he followed with unqualified success 
for a period of seventeen years, at the same time preaching the Gospel in 
such a manner that he became one of the most useful men of his localit}'. His 
services as an educator were eagerly sought after and he was in constant de- 
mand in the various capacities of a minister. He is still a minister in the 
Christian church and is at this writing pastor of Chapel Hil! church in Floyd 
county. He also preaches at Canton, Washington county, and at Old Zoah, 
Scott county. Wherever he preaches he is always greeted by large cnngre- 
gations. 

Reverend Brock's domestic life began in 1872 when he was united in 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 467 

marriage with Abigail Brown, a native of Wood township. She is the daugh- 
ter of Henry and Nancy Brown, and to this union three children have been 
bom, nanaely : Thomas J. Brock, an attorney living in Jeffersonville and John 
B. Brock, who is teaching school in Wood township. One of the subject's 
children is deceased. 

Reverend Brock is a member of New Providence Lodge, No. 237, Free 
and Accepted ]\Iasons. He is one of the oldest Masons in this lodge, and his 
daily life gives evidence that he believes ni fostering the sublime principles 
taught by this ancient order. He has filled all the offices in the local lodge. 

Mrs. Brock is the representative of a Southern family, her mother hav- 
ing been a native of Tennessee, and her father, who was the son of Isaac and 
Nancy Brown, were from North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. Mrs. 
Brock's mother's maiden name was Nancy Rippy. Her father was John 
Rippy, a native of Tennessee, and her mother was Elizabeth (Robinson) 
Rippy. also a native of Tennessee. 



ELI ]\I. LINDLEY. 



The paternal branch of ]\Ir. Lindley's family has been identified with 
the South from a very remote period, the genealogy being traced through a 
number of generations to the early histon.' of Virginia and North Carolina, 
in both commonwealths the name appearing in connection with the founding 
and growth of various localities. Maternally he is descended from ancestors 
who moved from the North in an early day and settled in the ]\Iiddle W'est 
and a few years prior to 1820 his mother's parents located in Clark county, 
Illinois, and became actively identified with the history of the old town of 
York on the \Vabash, at that time the metropolis of the southeastern part of 
the state and a place of much importance and promise. 

Abraham Lindley, Eli M.'s father, a native of Virginia, was born in 
1801, married when still a young man, Maria Curtis, whose birth occurred 
at York, Illinois, in the year 1820, this couple spent the greater part of their 
married life in Powhattan, Arkansas, and it was there that their respective 
deaths occurred, the father's in 1865, the mother's in the year 1875. Of 
their family of five sons and two daughters but three are living, namely: 
Mrs. Callie McNaughton, of JeiYersonville, Indiana ; T. J. Lindley. a success- 
ful merchant and prominent ci<-izen of the same place, and Eli M. of this 
review. 

Eli M. Lindley was born at Powhattan. Arkansas, on the 15th day of 
September, 1851, and until his sixteenth year, lived on a fami and became 
familiar with the nigged duties and wholesome discipline of outdoor life in 



468 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

the fields, meantime attending the public schools during the winter months 
and by diligent application made substantial progress in his studies but was 
unable to finish his education by reason of entering upon an apprenticeship 
at the age indicated to learn the tinner's trade. After ser\'ing five years at 
Powhattan and Pocahontas and becoming a proficient workman he was mar- 
ried on February 5, 1871. to Elvira Rainwater, of Alabama, but since her child- 
hood a resident of Lawrence county Arkansas, immediately following which 
event he set up his domestic establishment on a farm and during the ensuing 
six years devoted his attention to the pursuit of agriculture. At the expira- 
tion of that period he discontinued tilling the soil and moving to Jefferson- 
ville, Indiana, entered the employ of his brother, T. J. Lindley, who had pre- 
ceded him to that city by ten years and who, during that time, hatl been en- 
gaged in the mercantile business. 

After remaining with his brother two years ^Ir. Lindley in 1885 re- 
signed his position and established the business in which he has since been 
engaged, the hardware trade, including stoves, house furnishings, tin and 
sheet iron and in connection with the commercial line he also conducts a large 
manufacturing establishment devoted to all kinds of tin and sheet iron ware 
and general repair work. He 'legan operations by purchasing the stock of 
Gibson & Neal, who, at the time designated, had a fairly well established 
trade, but since then he has greatly enlarged the scope of the business, in- 
creasing the stock from time to time, adding new lines and building up a 
patronage second to no other enterprise of the kind in the city and earning 
much more than local repute in industrial and commercial circles. In addi- 
tion to the lines of trade indicated above he is now doing an extensive and far- 
reaching business in the manufacture of pumps and pump fixtures, this with 
his other manufacturing interests affording steady employment for twelve 
mechanics, but during the busy seasons he is frequently obliged to employ a 
much larger force in order to meet the demands of the trade. 

He has been one of the Democratic leaders of Jefifersonville and Clark 
county, having represented his city as City Treasurer for a period of four 
years besides rendering valuable service to his party during the progress of 
campaigns. Another evidence of his enterprising spirit is his membership 
with the ancient and honorable order of Masonry, in addition to which he 
also belongs to the Elks and Odd Fellows, having been honored with im- 
portant official positions in their different fraternities. In his religious belief 
he subscribes to the creed of the Methodist Episcopal church. South, but is 
liberal in his views, believing all churches to be agencies in the hands of God 
for the redemption of the race and assisting by his means and influence in 
disseminating the Gospel among men both at home and abroad. In a financial 
way he has met with well earned success, being the possessor of an ample 
competence and admirably situated to enjoy the fruits of his many years of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 469 

labor and good management, owning a beautiful and attractive home in Jef- 
fersonville. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lindlev are popular in the social circle in which they move. 
Of their three children, two are living, a daughter by the name of Lillian, 
who is the wife of Jefiferson D. Rainey, a business man of Jefifersonville. A 
son, Roy I., a 'young man of twenty-one. a graduate of the Xew Albany Busi- 
ness College and at the present time bookkeeper in his father's business es- 
tablishment. \\'illiam. the second in order of birth, died when five years old. 
Mrs. Rainey. the daughter, is not only an accomplished business women, but 
is also a lady of fine domestic tastes, besides being the mother of three bright 
and interesting children, who answer to the names of Fern. Josephine and 
Kenneth. 



TAMES E. TAGGART. 



A member of the law firm of Burtt & Taggart. Jefl:'ersonville. and one of 
Clark county's native sons is James E. Taggart. who was born in Charles- 
town on the 1st day of July. i8^8. His ancestors on both sides were among 
the early pioneers of Southern Indiana, his maternal grandfather, Samuel 
. McCampbell, settling in Clark county about the beginning of the last cen- 
tury, the Taggart family moving to this part of the state some years later. 
James Taggart was the subject's paternal grandfather, a native of Ireland, 
came to the United States in 1817 and after a brief residence in the city of 
Philadelphia migrated to Tennessee, thence to Kentucky and about 1833 
moved to Clark county, Indiana, locating on a fann near Charlestown, where 
he resided until his removal to that towm in the year 1850. He was a physician 
by profession and practiced the healing art in Clark county from the time of 
his arrival until advancing age obliged him to retire to private life after 
which he spent the remainder of his days in Charlestown. dying in that town 
when eighty years of age. 

Samuel C. Taggart, son of James and father of the subject, was also a 
physician and followed his profession in Clark county for a number of years, 
meeting with encouraging success in his practice. He graduated from the 
Medical College in Louisville. Kentucky, after which he devoted his attention 
to his chosen calling for about thirty years, having long enjoyed an honorable 
reputation as an able and skillful physician and surgeon. 

Cynthia E. McCampbell, daughter of Samuel McCampbell, was bom in 
Clark county, became the wife of Samuel C. Taggart when a young man and 
bore him three children. Charles. James E.. of this review, and Jennie, now 
Mrs. C. E. Lewis, of Charlestown. the first named dying in infancy. Samuel 
C. Taggart was a man of high social standing in his community and for many 



470 BAIRD'S history of CLARK CO., IND. 

years bore an active and influential part in the affairs of Charlestown and 
Clark county, having been Clerk of the Circuit Court from 1880 to 1884, 
inclusive, besides sei-ving ten years as president of the First National Bank 
at Jefifersonville. He was originally a Whig, but after the old party of that 
name had fulfilled its mission and passed out of existence he became a Repub- 
lican and continued as such to the end of his days, wielding a strdng influence in 
political circles and enjoying distinctive prestige as a leader of his party. He 
lived an active and eminently useful life and at the age of seventy-three was 
called from the scenes of his earthly trials and triumphs, his death being widely 
lamented and felt as a personal loss by all who were favored with his friend- 
ship and acquaintance. Mrs. Taggart, a lady of estimable character and fit 
companion and helpmeet to her distinguished husband, departed this life at 
the age of sixty-two years. This excellent couple were deeply religious. 

James E. Taggart attended the public schools in his youth and later 
pursued the higher branches of study in Barnett Academy at Charlestown, 
the training thus received being afterwards supplemented by a course at 
Hanover College, where he laid the intellectual foundation upon which his 
subsequent success in one of the most responsible and exacting of the learned 
professions was based. Having decided to devote his life to the law he began 
the study of the same soon after completing his collegiate course and in due 
time entered the College of Law at Chicago, where he made rapid progress 
in the profession and earned an honorable record. 

Mr. Taggart was admitted to the bar of Clark county county in 1885 
and immediately thereafter became associated with Henry A. Burtt, of Jef- 
fersonville, with whom he has since practiced, the firm thus constituted being 
one of the oldest law partnerships in the city as well as one of the best known 
and most successful. Ever since his admission to the bar his name has been 
connected with many of the important cases tried in the courts of Clark and 
adjacent counties. In his professional character he enjoys the confidence of 
his fellow members of the Jefifersonville Bar, and the general public, and his 
career, steady and substantial rather than spasmodic and brilliant, has been 
marked by continuous advancement and signal success. 

His financial success has been commensurate with the al)ility and energy 
displayed in his professional career and he is today the possessor of an ampie 
competency and one of the financially solid and reliable men of the city in 
which he resides. 

The domestic chapter in the life of Mr. Taggart dates from 1885, on 
September 24th of which year was solemnized his marriage with Nettie B. 
Winesburg, of Jeff ersonvi lie, daughter of John P. Winesburg, a merchant of 
the city and one of its well known and substantial business men. Mr. and 
Mrs. Taggart are the parents of two children, Jennie and Samuel Clarence, 
both at home, the former being a graduate of the Jeffersonville high school, 
and the latter now in the fifth grade of the Jeffersonville schools. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 47I 

In religious faith ^Ir. and Airs. Taggart subscrilie to the Calvinistic creed 
and for some years past they have been respected members of the Firrt Presby- 
terian church of Jeffersonville. in wliich organization Air. Taggart holds the 
positi(3n of elder. 



CAPT. GEORGE \\'. CO\\'ARD. 

A view at the strenuous and honorable career of Capt. George W. 
Coward, E'nited States Claims Attorney, Jeffersonville, and one of the well 
known and highly esteemed men of the cit}-, shows him to be a Kentuckian 
by birth and one of five children, whose parents were Joel Aliltnn and Char- 
lotte (Ellingsworth) Coward, natives of Tennessee and Indiana, respectively. 

Joel M. Coward, whose birth occurred near Greenville, Tennessee, in 
the year 1815, was a mechanic in early life but later became superintendent of 
a large plantation in Jefferson county, Kentucky, in which capacity he seiwed 
for a number of years. In 1854 he engaged in the hutel business at Jefiferson- 
town, which he continued successfully until the breaking out of the Civil war 
when he located his family in Louisville in June, 1861, and the following Sep- 
tember he became a member of Company D, Thirty-fourth Kentucky Infan- 
try and was made second lieutenant, subsequently on account of meritorious 
conduct becoming captain of his company, which position he held until his dis- 
charge by reason of disability in March, 1864. Returning to Louisville on 
quitting the service he made that city his home the remainder of his da^'S, th- 
ing xA.ugust 26, 1873, from the effects of injuries received while in the army. 
Mrs. Coward survived her husband thirteen years, departing this life at 
Charlestown, Indiana, on the 9th day of August, 1886. Of the five children 
of this estimable couple that grew to maturity the oldest is Mrs. Louisa K. 
Knight, who lives in the town of Vesta, Clark county. Mrs. Alillie J. Tyler, 
the second of the family, died at Louisville, Kentucky, in the year 1896; 
George W., of this review, being the next in order of birth: \\'illiam Wallace, 
a farmer living near Vesta, is the second son, and Airs. lessie B. Winter, 
who died in 1897 in Louisville, was the youngest of the family. 

Capt. George W. Coward, whose birth occurred in Jefferson county, Ken- 
tucky, on the 19th of October, 1842, received his early education in the sub- 
scription schools of his native state. Inheriting a tendency to study and an 
ardent love of books he availed himself of every opportunity to improve his 
mind, and while in the army he sought the assistance of those capable of in- 
structing him in certain of the higher branches, besides devoting every leisure 
moment when not occupied to the perusal of such books as he was enabled to 
secure. He served an apprenticeship at stone and marble cutting and after be- 
coming a proficient workman found employment in Louisville, where he was 



4/2 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

engaged until the breaking out of the rebellion, when he exchanged the tools 
of his trade for the death-dealing implements of war. 

Soon after the beginning of hostilities Mr. Coward's employer, Lewis H. 
Ferrell. organized Company D of the Thirty-fourth Kentucky Infantry and 
was made captain of the same and it was in this command that George W. and 
his father enlisted, the latter serving with an honorable record for a period 
of three years and four months, during which time his regiment formed part 
of the Twentv-third Army Corps under General Schofield and took part in 
all of the .skirmishes and battles of the East Tennessee campaign. George \\". 
Coward was made a commissioned officer in April. 1863, and in due time rose 
to the command of his company before his twenty-first year, which fact speaks 
much for his efficiency as a soldier and for the trust reposed in him by his 
superiors as well as by the members of his company. In 1864. by unanimous 
vote of his companv, he was chosen to command the same during the absence 
of the captain on detached sen-ice and held the position of captam and drew 
pav as such during the last six months of his service and in this as in other 
capacities proved a brave and gallant soldier until honorably discharged. Janu- 
arv 28, 1865. His record is without a blemish and one of which any defender 
of the national honor might well feel proud. 

On retiring from the army Captain Coward engaged in the contracting 
for street paving and other kind of stone work in Lx)uis\-ille, where he re- 
mained until 1875 when he removed to Charlestuwn. After continuing con- 
tracting for tour years in the latter city he abandoned the business and turned 
his attention to the collecting and prosecuting of claims, pensions, back-pay 
and other legal work of similar character, in the meantime having been regu- 
larly admitted to practice before all the departments at \\'ashington, D. C. 
and empowered to transact such business as came within the province of his 
profession. Since the year 1879 he has had all he could well do in the matter 
of claims, pensions, bounties, back-pay, etc., and his business is still large and 
lucrative and takes very wide range, his clients coming from all parts of South- 
em Indiana and Northern Kentucky and representing many thousands of 
dollars ever}' year. In the prosecution of his business he is exceedingly care- 
ful and methodical, sparing no pains in looking after the interests of his 
clients and it's a compliment worthily bestowed to say that in no intsance has 
he proven unworthy of the trust which the people repose in his integrity and 
honor. Since July, 1900, he has maintained his office and residence in Jef- 
fersonville. 

Captain Coward was married on March 17th of the year 1870, to Lucy 
McGan^ey, of Middletown, Kentucky, a union terminated by the death of 
the wife on July 14, 1873. after bearing him two children, Clyde S. and John 
Claude, both deceased. On September 7, 1886. the captain married his pres- 
ent wife, ladna (Tyler) Oglesbey. daughter of William J. Tyler and widow 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 473 

of William H. Oglesbey. By her previous marriage Mrs. Coward had a son 
by the name of Tyler Oglesbey. who is now a lawyer practicing his profession 
in the city of Louisville. 

In his political affiliations Captain Coward is a pronounced Republican 
and as such wields a strong influence for his party in Jeffersonville and Clark 
county. He is an active member of the local Grand Army of the Republic 
post, in which he has held even.- office within the gift of the organization 
and is also identified with the Order of the Golden Cross, in which he has been 
honored with important official positions from time to time. His activity and 
influence in the former societv" with which he has been connected for over 
twentv-five vears has brought him prominently to the notice of the leaders in 
Indiana and other states, having held a number of offices in the department 
to which he belongs, including that of senior vice-commander of the depart- 
ment and attended many of the national encampments and other gatherings. 
Religiously the captain and his wife adhere to the ^Methodist faith and are 
members of the church in Jeffersonville. 



CHARLES A. SCHniPFF. 

Charles A. Schimpff. the present efficient and popular comptroller of the 
cit}- of Jeffersonville. was born March i8. 1847. in Rhenish. Bavaria. Ger- 
many, being one of eight chi'dren, whose parents. August Rudolph and 
Magdalena (^Landes) Schimpff. were also natives of the Fatherland, as were 
their ancestors for generations beyond the memory of man. The father, a 
candle maker by trade and a most excellent citizen, departed this life on the 
17th day of Januan,". 1848. when but thirty-eight years of age: the mother 
sunived him about eighteen years, dying at Louisville. Kentucky, in May. 
1864, in her fifty-second year, having been a resident of that city from 1854 
until her demise. Of the eight children born to August R. and ilagdalena 
Schimpff. four sur\-ive. nam.ely : Gustav A., confectioner, of Jef- 
fersonville; Susan M.. wife of Louis Spelger. of Louisville. Kentuclo.-; Charles 
A., of this review, and August R., a bookkeeper for a real estate firm in San 
Diego. California. The deceased members of the family were Rudolph A., 
a member of "The Louisville Legion" in the Civil war. killed at the battle of 
Chickamauga : Adolph G.. also a soldier in the army of the L'nion during 
the great rebellion, who died at Dayton. Ohio, from injuries received in the 
battle of Shiloh; Augusta Xeeb died in Cincinnati, as did also a daughter by 
the name of Kate. who. at the time of her death, was the wife of Michael 
Schmitthenner. 

Charles A. Schimpff spent Hie first eleven years of his life in the land of 



474 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

his birth and in 1858 came to America, locating at Louisvihe, Kentucky, where, 
during the ensuing two years, he attended the pubHc schools and acc]uired a 
fairly thorough knowledge of the English language. At the expiration of the 
period indicated he entered a confectionery establishment for the pui-pose of 
learning the trade and by diligent attention and consecutive effort in due time 
became quite a skillful workman, besides becoming familiar with e\ery other 
feature of the business with the object in view of making it his life work. 

In 1868 he came to Jeffersonville and opened a confectinery establish- 
ment, which he conducted with fair success during the ensuing seventeen 
years, but at the end of that time closed out the business and engaged in the 
book trade, starting in 1885, which, under his efficient management, soon 
grew into a large and important concern and became one of the leading com- 
mercial enterprises of the place. To this line of business Mr. Scliimpff has 
since devoted his attention the meantime building up a large and lucrative 
trade in books, stationery, wall paper, office supplies, etc., of which he carries 
full and complete lines and his place is now one of the best known in the city. 
From a somewhat modest beginning he has gradually enlarged the scope of his 
operations, adding to his stock to meet the demands of the t-rade and at the 
present time his patronage takes a wide range, his establishment being the 
largest and most successful of the kind in Jeffersonville and the center of sup- 
plies for a number of other tradesmen in the city and elsewhere. He takes 
great pride in his business and has spared neither pains nor expense to make 
it meet the popular demand. Financially his success has kept pace with the 
energy and enterprise displayed in his business affairs and he is ni:w classed 
with the solid men of the community. 

In public matters he has long been deeply interested and as a life long 
Republican and political worker his judicious counsel has tended greatly to 
the success of his party besides Vvinning for himself the recognition which his 
services so well deserve. For a period of eight years he has held the office of 
Police Commissioner, to which he was first appointed by Governor Mount 
and later by Governors Durbin and Hanly successively and in recognition of 
his political services he was appomted as City Comptroller, the duties of which 
responsible position he has since discharged in the able and businesslike 
manner characteristic of the man. 

Mr. Schimpft' has been secretary of the German Reformed church of 
Jeffersonville since 1878 and superintendent of the Sunday school during the 
greater part of the interim, besides being otherwise actively engaged in re- 
ligious and benevolent work. 

Mr. Schimpff was married in the year 1873 to Alvina Roessler. of Louis- 
ville, who has borne him the following children, all living: Charles J., his 
father's business associate ; A. Rudolph, manager of the Daily Star and 
Weekly Republican and one of the well known and successful newspaper men 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 475 

of Jeffersonville; Emma, wife of Prof. S. L. Scott, superintendent of the Clark- 
county public schools ; Alvin. chief draughtsman of the Cincinnati Car Com- 
pany ; Alma, Mrs. Fred Gehle, of Cincinnati ; John, j\'Iildred, William, Thomas 
G. and Edith are still members of the home circle. 

Mr. Schimpff has traveled quite extensively in both the old and new 
world, visiting nearly every coimtry in Europe and many places of historic 
interest there besides seeing all parts of the United States and becoming ac- 
quainted with its phenomenal resources and wonderful progress. He is a very 
close student and a great reader and is well informed on many subjects. 



THOMAS W. PERRY. 

Among" the native sons of Clark county who have gained honorable recog- 
nition in business circles and high standing in the service of the public is 
Thomas \V. Perry, the present efficient and popular City Treasurer of Jef- 
fersonville. Mr. Perry was born September 7, .i860, in Utica township, and 
is a scion of one of the early families of that part of the county, his grand- 
father, a native of Pennsylvania, settling there many years ago and taking an 
active and influential part in the material development of the country'. Red- 
ford R. Perry, Thomas W.'s father, accompanied his parents to Clark county 
when a boy and spent the remainder of his life in Utica as an enterprising and 
prosperous business man, dying in that town in 1881, at the age of sixty-one 
years. Letitia Robinson, wife of Redford Perry, was born and reared in Beth- 
lehem township, Clark county, and, like her husband, was a descendant of 
one of the early settlers, her father. Rev. William Robinson, a native of Scot- 
land, and for many years a well known Presbyterian divine, moving to South- 
ern Indiana in pioneer times and locating a home in the township of Bethlehem. 
Mrs. Perry was a woman of beautiful character, a devoted wife and mother, 
and departed this life in the month of March, 1891, when seventv-four years 
of age. 

Of the nine children born to Redford R. and Letitia Perry, two only are 
living, the subject of this review, who was the fifth in order of birth, and 
Samuel R., the youngest of the family, who is now engaged in the marble and 
granite business at Columbus, Indiana. Catherine R., who also grew to ma- 
turity, became the wife of Theodore Perry and was called from earth at the 
age of thirty-eight years. Gertrude lived to be twenty years old. The other 
five died in infancy. 

Thomas W. Perry spent his early life in his native town of Utica and 
after obtaining a fair education in the public schools entered a school of phar- 
macy in Cincinnati, where in due time he completed the prescribed course and 



476 BAIRU'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

fitted himself for a business career. Beginning life for himself as a drug 
clerk when but se\enteen years old. he soon acc|uired great proficiency in his 
chosen calling and by reason of his professional training, it was not long until 
he became manager of one of the largest and most successful pharmaceutical 
establishments in the city of Jefi'ersonville. After a three years' clerkship he 
engaged in the drug trade upon his own responsiliility and during the ensuing 
twenty years built up a large and lucratiye business in Jeffersonyille. 

Mr. Perry demonstrated marked ability as a business man and his suc- 
cess as such, together with his broad yiews and actiye influence in ciyic mat- 
ters, in due time brought him prominently before the public with the result that 
he became a local leader of the Democratic party and one of the successful 
politicians of his city and county. Disposing of his business interests in 1900, 
he turned his attention to other matters until September. 1904-, when he was 
elected City Treasurer of Jeffersonyille. the duties of which responsible posi- 
tion he has since discharged in an eminently able and satisfactory- manner, 
fully meeting the high expectations of his friends and justifying the wisdom 
of his choice. Personally, he commands the esteem of the people of the city, 
irrespectiye of political alignment, as a trusted official. 

As a Democrat Mr. Perry takes a keen interest in the success of his party 
and in the general trend of national, state and local political eyents. His in- 
tegrity of purpose is firmly established and his deyotion to the public weal 
has been con.spicuously demonstrated during his seryices thus far in one of 
the people's most important trusts. He was a member of the City Council 
from May, 1894, to May, 1898. and while in that body participated actively 
in all its deliberations, besides serving on a numl>er of the leading committees 
and bringing about much important municipal legislation. For two years he 
was a member of the City School Board, resigning the latter position in 1904 
to accept the treasureship. Fraternally he is identified with a number of secret 
and benevolent orders, belonging to Clark Lodge, Xo. 40. Free and Accepted 
Masons, Horeb Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Jefifersonville Commander}-, 
Knights Templar and Valley Lodge. No. 57, Knights of Pythias at Ltica. 

Mr. Perry's domestic experience dates from December, 1882, when he 
was united in marriage with Rosabel Bennett, a native of Clark county and 
daughter of S. J. Bennett, an enterprising farmer and respected citizen of 
Prather township, the union resulting in the birth of three children : Ethel M., 
now Mrs. Samuel Barrett, of San Diego, California ; Irwin R. and Halbert. 
The mother of these children dving April 10. 1890. Mr. Perrv on June 29th 
of the following year contracted a matrimonial alliance with Cora A. Swartz, 
of Utica, a daughter, Letitia. being the only child of this marriage. Mrs. 
Perry passed to her reward July 10, 1907. The third marriage of Mr. Perry 
occurred December 29. 1908. to Mrs. Nellie Field, daughter of Charles S. 
Ferguson, of Teft'ersonville. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 477 

In his religious views Mr. Perrj' subscribes to the Presbyterian creed and 
with his wife worships with the church of that denomination in Jeffersonville. 
Both are well known in the best social circles of the city. 



JEFFERSON D. GOYXE. 

The family of this name are of old Virginia origin, and members of it 
have been long settled in the historic county of Henrico. As this locality ad- 
joins Richmond it suffered much during the Civil war by the marching and 
countermarching of the contending armies. The old plantation that sup- 
ported generations of Goynes is still in the possession of descendants, being 
owned undivided by two brothers, Joseph Goyne, who was of Scotch-Irish an- 
cestry, married "Martha Vaughn, of German descent, and several children were 
born to them, the only survivors being Allen, now in the West, and JetTer- 
son D. The latter was born near Richmond. Virginia, May 15. 1S66, and 
his mother died at his birth. Three years later he lost his father by death, 
but was provided with a home by John W. Bamhill, at Owensborc. Ken- 
tucky, with whom he lived until the completion of his majority. He was edu- 
cated by his uncle Barnhill in the public and private schools of Kentucky and 
later was apprenticed to learn the trade of a machinist. As a journeyman he 
secured employment at the works of the American Car & Foundry Company 
in Jeffersonville, and remained there eight years in the tool dressing and saw 
filing departments. Subsequently he embarked in the mercantile business, but 
suffered a loss of some six thousand dollars as the result of fire that destroyed 
his entire stock of goods. After this disaster he returned to his old home farm 
in Henrico county, but eventually returned to Indiana to start life over again. 
He was Town Clerk of Port Fulton for over six years and in 1906 was elected 
Justice of the Peace for Jeffersonville township. He is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the 
Modern Woodmen of America. His political affiliations have always been 
with the Democratic party and his religious connections with the Methodists. 

In 1890 Mr. Goyne married Alice Eliza White, a resident of Port Ful- 
ton, but a native of New Albany. She is a daughter of William H. White, 
a well known citizen of Port Fulton, and graduated at the Jeffersonville high 
school. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goyne have two sons and two daughters, Amiinta. the 
eldest, was born April 25, 1892; Catherine. Alarch 3, 1895; Erol Jeft'erson, 
April 5, 1899. and William C. March 15. 1904. Mr. Goyne is popular both 
as a citizen and an official. In all the positions he has held, whether political, 
clerical, judicial or business, he has so discharged his duties as to gain the 



4/8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

reputation of being a conscientious, square-dealing man. In politics he is a 
good mixer and he has many friends among all classes of people who respect 
him for his upright life. He has the old Virginia cordiality of greeting and 
inherited from his ancestors a love of home and the hospitality that goes so 
far in making home life enjoyable. 



GEORGE W. FINLEY. 



Mr. Finley enjoys the distinction of being, with a single exception, the 
oldest photographer in the state of Indiana, having spent fifty consecutive years 
in his profession and achieved honorable distinction as an artist of merit and 
skill. 

George W. Finley is a Southern man, hailing from Patrick county, \'ir- 
ginia, where his birth occurred on the 14th of November, 1831. His parents, 
George H. and Sallie ( Penn) Finley, natives of the same cotmty and state, 
were of Irish descent and representatives of old and highly esteemed families 
that fig'ured auspiciously in the affairs of their respective places of residence, 
their antecedents migrating to this country at a very early period and becom- 
ing quite well known in the pioneer history of the above county. George H. 
Finley, a farmer by occupation, spent the greater part of his life in his na- 
tive commonwealth and died when his son, George \\'., was in his seventh year; 
his wife sur\'ived him a number of years, departing this life in the town of 
Bainbridge, Ross county, Ohio, when but two days of the ninetieth anniver- 
sar)^ of her birth. W'hen fifteen years of age George ^^^ Finley accompanied 
the family to New Petersburg, Ohio, and shortly after his arrival followed 
the bent of his early and cherished inclinations by entering a g-alleiw to learn 
the art of photography. 

After acquiring sufficient knowledge and skill to make the business a 
success Mr. Finley worked at different places until 1863, when he organized 
a company of carpenters for service in the Civil war, and spent the ensuing 
year in the employ of the government, devoting the greater part of the time 
to the construction of hospitals, quarter-master's buildings and other carpen- 
tn,' work at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. At the expiration of his period of ser- 
vice in 1864 he came to Indiana, but within a short time went to Danville, 
Kentucky, thence to Louisville, in 1865, where he followed his profession until 
his removal to Charlestown, Clark county, Indiana, two years later. 

Mr. Finley in August, 1867, opened a gallery at Charlestown and con- 
ducted a very successful business tmtil 1870, when he disposed of his establish- 
ment and sought a larger and more promising field for the exercise of his 
artistic skill, in the city of Jefifersonville, where he has since resided, the mean- 
while building up a large and lucrative patronage. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 479 

During the fifty years which he has devoted to his profession he has been 
untiring" in his eft'orts to keep in touch with the latest results of scientific re- 
search and prove himself an artist in the modern sense of the term. In com- 
mon with the majority of men he has encountered discouragements and met 
with reverses of fortune, but in the main his career has been characterized by 
a series of advancements. 

Mr. Finley has been twice married, the first time on December 15, 1863, 
to Kate Dawson, of Cincinnati, who bore him four children, two of whom 
are deceased, those sur\-iving being Harry W. and Grace Young, both re- 
siding in Louisville. His second marriage, which was solemnized with Kate 
Hunter, of Canada, is without issue. Mr. and Mrs. Finley are highly es- 
teemed among their neighbors and acquaintances and have many warm friends 
in the city and move in an eminently respectable social circle. They belong 
to the Presbyterian church, take an active part in all lines of religious and 
charitable work under the auspices of the local congregation with which iden- 
tified and strive to make their daily lives correspond with the faith which they 
profess. Since the year 1864 Mr. Finley has been a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, but by reason of a partial deafness has recently been demitted, al- 
though still an enthusiastic belie\er in the truths of the order and a great ad- 
mirer of the principles and precepts upon which it is based. In politics he is 
firm in his adherence to the Republican party, but has never sought office or 
aspired to any kind nf public honors. 



WENDELL BROWN. 



Mr. Brown is an American by adoption, only, being a native of Germany, 
born on the loth day of October, 1849, in Baden, grew to manhood and re- 
ceived his education in that kingdom, but in 1872 decided to try his fortune in 
the great republic beyond the sea, where he was satisfied better opportunities 
could be found than in the land of his birth. In the meantime his brothers, 
Ludwig and Rudolph, had found homes and employment in the United States 
and it was largely upon their solicitations that he was induced to bid farewell 
to the Fatherland and carve out a new career under new conditions in a countiy 
where the accident of birth cut little figure and the means of obtaining a com- 
petency were open to all. 

In due time Mr. Brown rejoined his brothers who had located in Jeffer- 
sonville, Indiana, and it was not long until he secured employment at the ship 
yard at Port Fulton, where he was obliged to work at the hardest of manual 
labor to obtain a livelihood. About seven years after his arrival he was united 
in marriasre to Marv Letzler, who is also of German birth, and from that time 



480 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

until 1892 devoted all his energies to manual toil with the result that his earn- 
ings, barely sufficed for the support of himself and growing family. 

In the latter year Mr. Brown engaged in the liquor business at Port Ful- 
ton, and since that time has conducted a very decent, orderly establishment, 
and met with encouraging success. His patronage consists very largely of the 
employees of the ship yard and coal boatman, and his place has the reputation 
of being one of the most quiet and law abiding resorts of the kind in the city, 
being conducted in an eminently respectable manner, nothing of a disorderly 
nature being permitted on the premises. 

It is worthy of note that Mr. Brown did not embark on his present busi- 
ness from choice, but rather from necessity, as he found it almost impossible 
to provide for the needs of his family at the poorly paid labor which he fol- 
lowed so long and which had he not abandoned in time would laltimately have 
undermined his health and physical strength, and reduced himself and those 
dependent upon him to dire poverty. As a means of bettering his condition 
he finally opened the place of which he is still proprietor. 

^Ir. Brown has so conducted himself as to gain the esteem of the public. 
He takes an active interest in municipal affairs and for about ten years repre- 
sented his ward in the Common Council in which capacity he labored zealous- 
ly for the city and proved an able and faithful servant of the people. In 
politics he is a Democrat, but not a partisan, and with the exception of the 
above office has never held nor aspired to public position. He owns a sub- 
stantial home which is enlivened by the presence of his wife and four children, 
namely : Emma, Andrew, Harrv' and Clara. 

In matters religious Mr. Brown and family adhere to the Catholic faith 
and belong to the German speaking church of that denomination in Jefferson- 
ville. Among their many friends and acquaintances they bear an honorable 
name. 



CHARLES A. SCHWANINGER. 

Progressive in the broadest sense of the term, Charles A. Schwaninger, 
proprietor of the large drug and pharmaceutical establishment at 328 Spring 
street, Jeffersonville, Indiana, which bears his name, is a native of this city, and 
dates his birth from September 27, 1878. His father, the late Abraham Schwa- 
ninger, for many years one of the distinguished citizens of Clark county, 
held several important official positions in Jeffersonville, having served as 
Mayor of the city, and at the time of his death, October 16, 
1906, was Judge of the Municipal Court, in both of which he 
acquitted himself with signal honor. As the name implies the 
Schwaninger family is of German origin, although Charles A.'s paternal 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 481 

ancestors lived for many generatiiins in the Republic of Switzerland, of 
which country the above Abraham was a native. He was brought to 
the United States when cjuite young, and grew to maturity in JefTersonville, 
where as a young man, lie married Sarah A. Carwardine, whose birth occurred 
in England, but who, like her husband, spent nearly all her life in the city 
in which both became residents in childhood. Mrs. Schwaninger, who is still 
living at a good old age, is a woman of beautiful character and many sterling- 
qualities of head and heart not a fev>' of which have been reproduced in her 
children. Aneina, the oldest of the family, is the wife of Lewis Gridler, su- 
perintendent of the Belknap Cement Company, of Louisville; W'illiacy J., the 
second in order of birth, was formerly the luisiness associate of Charles A.. 
but is now proprietor of a drug house of his own in Jef^ersonville, and doing a 
very successful business. Agnes, now ^Irs. Emil Kiel, lives in the citv of New 
Albany, where her husband is engaged in the tobacco trade : Edith married 
Walter E. McCullough and resides on a farm in Jefferson township, the next 
in order of birth is Charles Abraham, of this review, after whom comes Jacob, 
an employe of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, with headquarters in Jef- 
fersonville. all but Charles A., being married and all doing well at their re- 
spective vocations. 

Charles A. Schwaninger was reared and educated in his native citv and 
while still a ycmng man fonnulated his plans for the future by deciding to be- 
come a pharmacist. To fit himself for this important and responsible profes- 
sion he entered in due time the Louisville School of Pharmacy, where he earned 
a creditable record as a close and critical student and from which he was grad- 
uated in the year 1898, standing among the first in his class. Previous to 
taking his professional course, however, he obtained a practical knowledge of 
the business by entering in 1895 the employ of Hawes and Perry, the leading 
druggists of the city, and after receiving his degree he became a partner of the 
latter gentleman, JMr. Hawes, retiring from the concern in 1898. Before the 
expiration of the following year, W. J. and Charles A. Schwaninger purchased 
Mr. Perry's interest and under the firm name of Schwaninger Brothers con- 
ducted the business with success and profit during the ensuing five years, at 
the end of which time the subject bought the entire stnck and became si:)le pr(3- 
prietor which relation he has since sustained and in which he has built up the 
trade until his establishment is now the largest and one of the most extensively 
patronized of the kind in the city with a reputation in business circles much 
more than local. 

Since taking sole charge nf the business September i, 1907, Mr. Schwan- 
inger has made commendable progress and the enterprise in which he is en- 
gaged has rapidly grown in magnitude. Being well fitted by careful profes- 
sional training for his chosen calling and possessing business ability of a high 
order, his career thus far has been one of activity and steady advancement. 

31 



482 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 

He carries a complete line of all goods essential to the make-up of a first 
class drug store, which are displayed to the best advantage in a room one hun- 
dred twenty by t\\enty-four feet in area and equipped with all the necessary 
appliances required by an up-to-date establishment. In addition to this large 
and well arranged apartment is a basement fifty by twenty-four feet in which 
are kept a full and complete stock of paints, oils and other goods, including 
a fine line of liquors for medicinal purposes and the legitimate trade, the build- 
ing throughout being complete in all of its parts and admirably adapted for 
the purpose to which it is devoted. Mr. Schwaninger handles only first class 
goods and caters to a trade which will not be satisfied with any other kind, 
hence his customers include the best people of the community. 

He holds membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also actively identified with 
the Apollo Athletic Club of Jefi^ersonville. Politically he is a Republican, but 
not a partisan and religiously subscribes to the Protestant Episcopal faith, be- 
longing to St. Paul's church, to the support of which he is a liberal ci;ntril:)utor. 
He bears an enviabe reputation in all circles. 



GEORGE H. HOLZBOG. 



The manufacture of wagons, carriages and other vehicles has long been 
among the leading industrial interests of Jefifersonville, and the largest enter- 
prise of this kind at the present time is that operated under the finn name of 
George H. Holzbog & Brother, which has added much to the city's reputa- 
tion as an important business center. The business was estabished in 1854 by 
George J. Holzbog. and has been in continuous operation ever since, either by 
himself or members of his family, having grown from a modest beginning to 
its present leading position among the industries of the place, affording at this 
time employment for fifty skilled mechanics every working day of the year, 
and doing an annual business of not less than three hundred thousand dollars. 
George J. Holzbog, a native of Germany, immigrated to the United States in 
the early fifties and located at Louisville, Kentucky, thence, after a brief resi- 
dence, removed to Jeffersonville, Indiana, and in the year above indicated estab- 
lished the business which still bears his name and which he conducted 
with marked success until succeeded by his sons some years later. 
He was a fine mechanic, a successful business man and stood 
high as a public spirited citizen, doing much to advance the indus- 
trial interests of Jeffersonville and lending his influence to all worthy 
enterprise for the general welfare. He reared a family of four chil- 
dren and died in this city, leaving to his sons not only a well established 



BAIRD'S history of CLARK CO., IXD. 483 

business, but an honored name, which thej- regard as a priceless heritage. 
Sophia, the oldest of the family, married W. F. Seibert, a contractor, and lives 
in Jeffersonville : George H., whose name introduces this sketch, being the sec- 
ond in order of birth: Alfred M.. tb.e second son, is secretary of the Todd 
Manufacturing Company, of New Albany; Henry J., is the junior member of 
the present firm of Holzbog & Brother, one child dying in infancy. 

George H. Holzbog was born in Jefifersonville, Indiana, on the 15th day 
of January, 1862 received his educational discipline in the city schools and at 
an early age entered his father's manufacturing establishment where, in due 
time, he mastered the principles of the trade and became a skillful workman. 
Inheriting a taste for mechanical pursuits and reared under the tutilage of a 
master of his craft, it is not strange that young Holzbog made rapid progress 
in the trade to which his energies devoted and become familiar with the busi- 
ness matters, for which he also manifested a decided inclinaton while still a 
mere lad. After acquiring proficiency as a mechanic he took up the work of 
wagon and carriage making with his father, and continued in the latter's em- 
ploy until given an interest in the business after which the plant was operated 
for some years, under the name of Holzbog & Son, and as already stated, 
forged rapidly to the front among the city's important industrial interests. 

On becoming a partner in the concern George H. Holzbog took charge 
of the plant as manager in which capacity he demonstrated ability of a high 
order and contributed largely to the growth and far reaching influence of the 
business. Upon the death of his father he became the head of the enterprise 
and with his brother, Henry J., as his associate, the business has since been 
conducted under the name of George H. Holzbog & Brother, being one of 
the best known and most successful of the kind in Jefifersonville, and with a 
reputation second to none in the industrial and business circles throughout 
the country. 

]Mr. Holzbog's career as a business man has been eminently creditable, 
and he stands today among the leaders of industn,^ in his city. By adhering to 
the safe and consen-ative policies laid down by his father, and using his well 
matured judgment in canying the same into efifect. he has built up an estab- 
lishment which has made him widely known as a successful manufacturer. 

Mr. Holzbog was married in 1889. to Anna M. Pfau, daughter of George 
Pfau, a prominent citizen fif Jefifersonville. and for many years closely identi- 
fied with its material interests. Mrs. Holzbog is a native of Jefifersonville. 
was carefully educated in the schools of the same and has spent her life within 
the limits of the city, being a lady of many estimable qualities, well known 
and highly esteemed in the social circles and respected by all with whom she 
comes in contact. To Mr. and Mrs. Holzbog two children have been bom. the 
older a daughter by the name of Alma M., being a lady of culture and refine- 
ment, a graduate of the Jefifersonville high school and of the Semple School 



484 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

of Louisville. After finishing her studies in the latter institution, she entered 
the Young Ladies' Seminary at Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson, New York, where 
she completed the prescribed course and earned an honorable record as a dili- 
gent and painstaking student. Desiring to add still further to her scholastic 
knowledge, she subsequently became a student of the Cheevy-Chase, at Wash- 
ington, D. C, where she is now prosecuting her studies and researches 
with the object in view of fitting herself for a useful position in the 
world. Chester Connette. the second in order of birth, now sixteen years of 
age, is a student of the Jeffersonville schools and has made commendable 
progress in his studies, standing among the highest in his classes. 

Mr. Holzbog and family attend the Presbyterian church to the faith of 
which they subscribe, and are active in religious and philanthropic work, con- 
tributing liberally to the material support of the local church with which iden- 
tified, and assisting in spreading the truths of the Gospel throughout the world. 
In his political affiliations Mr. Holzbog is a Republican, but in local matters is 
independent, voting for the man instead of the party. Fraternally he belongs 
to the Masonic Order, in which he has risen to high degrees, including those of 
the Royal Arch Mason and Sir Knight, and he is also an active and influential 
member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 



EDWARD B. CAIN. 



]\Ir. Cain, who occupies the responsible position of assistant secretary of 
the Bauer Machine Company, of Jeffersonville, was born in Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, on the 24th day of April, 1878, and is the only child born to Edward 
A. and Addie (Bvron) Cain. He has in his veins l»th Irish and French 
blood. His paternal grandparents were natives of Ireland, and in youth im- 
migrated to this countr}-. settling at Sellersburg. this county. Both are now 
dead, having reached advanced ages. The subject's maternal grandparents 
were of direct French descent. Edward A. Cain was born in this county 
and his wife was born in Louisville, Kentucky. The foiTner was in early life 
a cabinet maker, but later became superintendent of a coffin manufactory in 
Kentucky. He died at the early age of thirty years, and his widow subse- 
quently became the wife of Daniel Cameron, of South Louisville. 

Edward B. Cain's life thus far has been spent in the city of his birth and 
in Jeffersonville. He received a good education in the public schools and 
prepared for a business career by taking a complete course in the New 
Albany Business College. He has occupied his present position during the 
past two years and is giving most faithful and efficient service to the company 
with which he is identified. 



BAIRD"s history of CLARK CO., IXD. 485 

On the 1 2th of January, 1899, Mr. Cain was united in marriage to Cora 
Mitcliell, the daughter of James R. and EHzabeth Mitchell, of Jef¥ersonville, 
both now deceased. To this union have been born a son and a daughter, 
Edwin B. and Dorothy E. Politically Mr. Cain is a stanch believer in the 
doctrines embodied in the platform of the Republican party, and fraternally 
he is a member of Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted ]\Iason?. He 
and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

The Bauer Manufacturing Company is one of the leading industrial con- 
cerns of Jeffersonville and is devoted to the production of machinery for the 
manufacture of harness. The mstitution numbers among his stockholders 
some of the leading business men of the community. George H. Holzbog be- 
ing president of the company, and representatives of the concern are sent to 
every part of the United States They put out none but goods of the very 
highest quality and now control practically the entire field in their line. Mr. 
Cain has been a definite factor in the remarkable success which has come to 
this concern and is held in the highest esteem by his fellow officials and all 
who come in contact with him. 



FRANK R. :\r. GILBERT. 

The gentleman whose name forms the caption t-) this brief sketch is the 
proprietor of one of the leading livery and feed barns in Jeft'ersonville. his 
business being located at 120 Maple street. 

Mr. Gilbert was born in Jeft'ersonville on December 8, 1S43, and is a son 
of Frank R. I\L and Elizabeth (Reynolds) Gilbert, both natives of Kentucky, 
the fomier born in Hardin county in 182 1 and the latter in Lancaster. They 
were married in Jeft'ersonville in 1842 and resided here during the remainder 
of their lives, the father dying in September, 1903, and the mother on Janu- 
ary- 12, 1907. They became the parents of eleven children, of whom Frank 
R. M. is the eldest. Of these, three sons and two daughters are now living, 
namely: Laura A., Hallie A., the wife of Clarence Beeler, of Elizabethtown, 
Kentucky; James L.. an engineer on the Pennsylvania lines, though residing 
in Jeffersonville : Aubrey resides in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is employed as 
chief clerk with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. 

The subject's paternal grandfather. Squire Gilbert, was a Canadian by 
birth and during the ^^'ar of 18 12 he was drafted into the British army. Not 
being in sympathy with the mother country, he and four comrades escaped and 
joined the American anny in New York. After leaving the militar)- sen-ice 
he "laid" his land warrant in Hardin county, Kentucky, where he lived until 
1836, when he removed to Jackson county, Lndiana. Here he spent the re- 
mainder of his days, dying in 1864 and leaving many descendants. 



486 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Frank R. 'SI. Gilbert received his education in the public schools of 
Jeffersonville, and in 1870 began his business career here as a liverj'man, to 
which line of activity he has since devoted his attention. Socially he is a 
member of Clark Lodge. No. 40, Free and Accepted ^lasons, while in politics 
he is a Democrat. In church relations the family is identified with the ^leth- 
odist Episcopal church South. 

On October 26, 1869, Mr. Gilbert was united in marriage with Florence, 
A. Boyer, of Charlestowai, a daughter of James A. and Charlotte Temple 
(Daily) Boyer, both parents being members of old families in the vicinity 
of Charlestown. The Boyer's especially have been very prominent in the his- 
tory of Clark county. To Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have been born eight chil- 
dren, six of whom are living, namely : Rufus. who is engaged in business in 
Atlanta. Georgia, is married and the father of four children : Charlotte Temple 
is the wife of E. G. Holmes, of Indianapolis; Paul J., of Manchester, Iowa, 
who \vas formerly a minister of the [Methodist Episcopal church, resigned his 
pastoral work in order to enter what is known as the "singing evangelist" 
work in the Young Men's Christian Association : he is married and is the 
father of two children ; William B. is married and resides at Indianapolis 
where he is employed with the Merchants' Dispatch; Laura A., at home; 
Howard \\'., at home, and two who died in early life. 



JOSEPH G. SXIDER. 



The subject of this sketch, who conducts a successful livery, sale and 
feed stable at 124 East ]\Iaple street, Jeffers(inville, is a native son of the old 
Hoosier state, having been born at Utica, Clark county, on the 25th day of 
February, 1843. ^^ 'S a son of William H. and Elizabeth (Nealy) Snider. 
His paternal grandfather, John A. Snider, who was a native of North Caro- 
lina, came to Barren county, Kentucky, in an early day and there lived the re- 
mainder of liis life. William H. Snider was bom near Asheville, North 
Carolina, in 1807, and when a mere boy accompanied his father on his emi- 
gration westward. They came over the mountains in wagons and crossed 
the Ohio river into Indiana at Utica. He was one of the earliest settlers 
of Utica township and had much to do with the early development and or- 
ganization of the varied interests of that locality. He assisted in the organ- 
ization of the first Sunday school in that township and for a long period of 
twenty years he was postmaster at L'tica, being appointed to the office under 
President Pierce's administration. He died in 1878 and his widow sun-ived 
him four years, passing away in 1882. She was born in Clark county, 
Indiana, in 181 5. They were the parents of eleven children, all of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 487 

whom grew to matiii'ity, and eight oi wliuin are now living. These chilch"en 
were as follows : Sarah, who is the widow of M. S. Hobson, lives in 
Utica; John Alexander died July 5. 1907; Lucinda. Mrs. Benjamin Smith, 
of Utica: William H., of Utica: Mary, Mrs. Poillon. of Jeffersonville; Joseph 
G.. of this review; Julia, now deceased, who was the wife of P. H. Weeks; 
Delilah, deceased, who was the wife of Charles \'anPelt: Laura is the widow 
of the late Prof. S. A. Chambers, who was a prominent educator and minister 
at Graniteville, South Carolina ; James is a farmer in Jefifersonville township, 
this county, and Emma, Mrs. Dunn, (jf Ctica township. 

Joseph G. Snider was reared on a farm and received his education in 
the common schools of Utica township. During the War oi the Rebellion, 
and before he had attained his majority, 'Sir. Snider enlisted, on August 14, 
1862, as a Union soldier, becoming a member of Company B, Eighty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which command was assigned to the Army of 
the Cumberland, under the command of General Rosecrans. His first baptism 
of fire was at Perryville, following which they were almost daily engaged in 
battles and skirmishes up to the battle of Stone River, which lasted two days, 
terminating in the terrific struggle at Chickamauga. The command then 
went on the Atlanta campaign, during which they were under constant fire 
for twenty-four days and nights, including the pitched engagements at Buz- 
zard's Roost, Resaca, Tullahoma, ^Marietta. Peach Tree Creek, Kenesaw 
Mountain, the siege and battle at Atlanta and the fierce fight at Jonesboro. 
Returning then to Atlanta, the Fourth Corps, to which Mr. Snider's command 
belonged, was assigned to General Thomas's army which then returned 
towards Xashville. During this march, practically all the way from Columbia 
to Franklin, the Union forces were engaged in conflict with the enemy, cul- 
minating in the general engagement at Xashville. wh.ich practically disor- 
ganized the Confederate army. The remnant of Hood's army was chased 
down to Huntsville, Alabama, where the Union troops went into winter quar- 
ters. In the spring of 1865 the brigade to which Air. Snider's regiment be- 
longed went to Asheville, Xorth Carolina, and prepared fnr battle, but news 
was received of General Lee's surrender and that hostilities had practically 
ceased. Thereupon the troops were marched to Xashville. Tennessee, and. on 
the 29th of June. 1865. Mr. Snider was honorably mustered out of the military 
service. He had faithfully served his country in her hour of peril, but was 
glad to again see the dove of peace settle over the land. 

Mr. Snider returned to the parental home in Utica township, where he 
remained until the spring of 1869, when he went to Kansas and during the 
four following years he was in various parts of the W'est. including Indian 
Territory. Arkansas, Missouri and Texas. With two companions he drove 
a wagon into Texas and visited fourteen counties endeavoring to find a suitable 
place to locate. In 1872-3 he assisted in grading the roadbed of the Missouri, 



488 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Kansas & Texas Railway from Red River to Sherman. Texas. Deciding 
that the East was, after all, the most desirable place in which to reside, he 
started home bv wagon, having traveled overland nearly three thousand miles 
without mishap. During the following fourteen years Mr Snider was en- 
gaged in farming in Jeft'ersonville township, this county, at the end of which 
time he relinquished raral pursuits and engaged in the Hvery business in Jef- 
fersonville, and during the subsequent years he has remained at the same 
stand. During these years he has conducted the business in such a way as to 
insure for him a full share of the business in this line. His convenient and 
well-equipped stable has a frontage of seventy-one feet and a depth of two 
hundred and thirteen feet, with forty stalls and abundant space for carriages. 
etc. His horses and carriages are all as good as can be found in any livery, 
the very best of service being at all times possible. Mr. Snider enjoys the 
best class of patronage and has found his business profitable and satisfactory. 

On December 28. 1875, Mr. Snider married Elizabeth Oglesby, a union 
blessed by the birth of two sons, Edgar O., a young man of much promise, 
who was a bookkeeper for a business house in Louisville, died in his twentieth 
year; and Ernest DeHaven, who is secretary' and treasurer of Mooney's Tan- 
ning Company at Columbus. Indiana. The latter married Elsie Lyle. of 
Columbus, and they are the parents of a son. Edgar. Mrs. Elizabeth Snider 
died in December, 1895. and in 1897 Mr. Snider married Mrs. Elizabeth 
(Robbins) Donahue. Mrs. Snider was, by her first marriage, the mother of 
three children, all of whom reside in Jeft'ersonville. 

Religiously Mr. Snider is in sympathy with the creed of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, in which faith he was reared. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, being the only member of his family to affiliate with that party. 
Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Rathbone Sisters, 
the Lincoln League, the L'nion \^eterans' L'nion and Joel R. Sparr Post, No. 
580. Grand Army of the Republic. 



JACOB EDGAR GLOSSBREXXER. 

The president of the Louisville and Jeffersonville Ferr}' Company is Jacob 
E. Glossbrenner, with headquarters at 122 Front street in the latter city, who 
is a native of Clark county. Indiana, born in Utica township. N^ovember 2^. 
1866. His father. John P. Glossbrenner. wliose birth occurred in Jeft'ersonville. 
in the year 1842. spent the greater part of his life in his native city and sen-ed 
in the Civil war as a private in Company C. Forty-ninth Indiana Infantry, de- 
voting three and a fourth years to the sen-ice of his country, during which time 
he took part in a numlier of noted compaigns and battles, and earned an honor- 
able record as a soldier. At the close of the war he returned to Jeft'ersonville. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 489 

where lie was employed fur a number of years, in the government department 
with which branch of the sen-ice he was identified at the time of his death, on 
the 15th of April 1882. Rachael Catherine Swartz. wife of Jolm J. Gloss- 
brenner. and mother of Jacob E., was also a native of JefTersonville, w^here 
her birth occurred on Februan^ 25. 1845. She was married in this city and is 
still a resident of the same, being- the mother of four children, three of whom 
are living, the only daughter, Cora C, dying in infancy; the names of the sur- 
viving members of the family are Jacob Edgar, Herbert ^I.. of Indianapolis, 
and James C who is secretan- of the company of which Jacob E. is the execu- 
tive head. 

Jacob Edgar Glossbrenner was reared in Jefi'ersonville, where he received 
his early education in the public schools and from infancy to the present time 
has been identified with the city and interested in its advancement and wel- 
fare. His first practical experience was as a dry goods clerk with his uncle. 
A. A. Swartz, whose employ he entered at the age of fifteen, and with whom 
he continued for a period of five years, dm'ing which time he applied himself 
very closely to his duties and not only became an efificient and popular sales- 
man but acquired a knowledge of business which proved of great value to him 
in after years. The better to fit hiniself for a business life he took a commer- 
cial course in Biyant and Stratton Business College from which he was grad- 
uated in 1887, and shortly thereafter entered the employ of the Louisville and 
Jeffersonville Ferry Company, beginning in a somewhat modest capacity, but 
soon rising by successful promotions to higher and more important positions. 

Mr. Glossbrenner was well prepared for the duties which devolved upon 
him and displayed such ability and faithfulness in discharg'ing the same that 
he was soon given work requiring much greater responsibility and tiiist. As 
already indicated he passed successively from one of the lowest and subordin- 
ate positions to the higher and more responsible posts, being made superin- 
tendent and secretar}^ of the company on April i, 1898, and served in this dual 
capacity until promoted to the presidency on July 7, 1908. He has been con- 
nected with the company for a period of twenty-one years, during which time 
he has managed its afifairs in an able and businesslike manner. In his present 
position he is much in the public view, the passing years have continually added 
to his reputation as an official, while his high standing in social and business 
circles have gained for him a place among the enterprising citizens of the city 
in which he resides. 

Mr. Glossbrenner, on the i6th day of January, 1893. contracted a matri- 
monial alliance with Estelle Lutz, daughter of George and Emma Lutz, of 
Clark county, the union being blessed with two children : Eugenia Mary, bom 
December 9. 1896. and Edgar Lutz, whose birth occurred on September 4. 
1900. 

In his political views i\Ir. Glossbrenner is a pronounced Republican, but 



4^0 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

has never sought office at tlie hands of his fellow citizens, nor aspired to lead- 
ership, notwithstanding which he has held various positions in the municipality 
including among others, that of the School Board, of which body he is now 
ser\'ing as secretary. He is a firm believer in revealed religion, and holds to 
the Methodist Episcopal faith, himself and family being members of the church 
of that denomination in Jefifersonville, and interested in all lines of work under 
the auspices of the same. 



ALBERT LeROY ANDERSON. 

'Sir. Anderson, who occupies the responsible position of City Clerk of 
Jeft'ersonville, and is also sening efficiently as the bookkeeper for the George 
S. Anderson Company, is a native son of the Buckeye state, having been born 
in Cleveland, Ohio, June 23, 1880. He is the son of Charles and Minerva 
(Addison) Anderson. The Anderson family has been for many decades 
prominently identified with the history of Clark county. The subject's pa- 
ternal grandfather, Charles C. Anderson, a native of the state of New York, 
came to Jeft'ersonville in pioneer days and had much to do with the early de- 
^'elopment of this locality. He had four sons, George S., Robert C, John 
and Charles. Excepting John, the brothers remained here during their lives 
and were identified with the varied business interests of the community. There 
were also two daughters, Mrs. Mary Small and Mrs. Martha Lueders, both 
now residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Charles Anderson was born 
in Jeft'ersonville, Indiana, and his wife in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Charles Anderson was married in 1868 to Miner\-a Addison, of Cleve- 
land, Ohio, and to this union were born six children, namely: Neva May, the 
wife of James S. Hall, of Jeffersonville ; Charles M., Deputy Sheriff of Clark 
county; Frank C, a moulder in his father's foundry, and also ser^'ing as a 
member of the City Council; Jesse H., Bishop of Jeffersonville; Albert Le- 
Roy and Walter E., a mail carrier in Jeffersonville. Charles Anderson is a 
faithful member of the Advent Christian church, while his wife is a member 
of the Baptist church. Politically he is a Prohibitionist and has been ver\' 
active along many moral and religious lines of activity. 

The Anderson foundry and machine shop, with which Albert LeRoy 
is so closely identified, was established many years ago just north of the Falls 
City Hotel by Charles C. Anderson, the subject's grandfather, and his brother- 
in-law, Hamilton Robinson. There the plant was operated until 1855, when 
the old building was destroyed by fire, after which the shop was established 
at its present location on Watt street. In 1889 George S., Charles and 
Robert C. Anderson purchased the business from their father. William H. 
Lang was subsequently admitted as a partner. Two of the brothers are 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 49I 

deceased and the Juisiness is now owned by Charles Anderson, Sarah Cadi- 
erine, the widow of George S. Anderson, and Mr. Lang. The output of the 
plant consists chiefly of foundry and machine work and considerable atten- 
tion is given to repair work, employment being given to about twelve men. 

Albert LeRoy Anderson was brought to Jeffersonville when but two 
years old and received his education in the schools of this city. Upon com- 
pleting his education he entered his father's office in the capacity of book- 
keeper and for eleven years he has remained in this position, performing his 
duties efficiently and faithfully and winning the warm regard of all with 
whom he is thrown in contact. Two years ago he was elected City Clerk of 
Jeffersonville, and to the duties of this office he gives the same careful and 
painstaking attention which he devotes to his regular employment. The duties 
of the office are multitudinous, but they are discharged in a manner that has 
won for Mr. Anderson the highest commendation. 

On July 7, 1904, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Minnie Over- 
ton Cook, daughter of John and Marietta Cook, of Jeffersonville. Mr. Cook 
is a river engineer and is now attached to the steamer "Columbia." ]\Irs. 
Anderson was educated in the public schools. To this union have been born 
two sons, Bert Mitchell, bom April ii, 1906, and Nelson Oscar, born July 
24, 1907. 

Politically Air. Anderson is a zealous Republican, and fraternally is 
identified with Jeffersonville Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Jeft'erson- 
ville Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Myrtle Lodge. Knights of 
Pvthias, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 



FRANK M. MAYFIELD. 

Prominent among the leading legal lights of Clark county who have 
attained high standing at the Jeft'ersonville Bar and gained more than local 
repute as a successful practitioner is Frank M. Mayfield, ex-Prosecuting At- 
torney of the Fourth Judicial District and a man of influence among his pro- 
fession brethren in the southern part of the state. Mr. Mayfield was born in 
Washington county, Indiana, July 21, 1870, the son of James H. and Mary 
(Hartley) Ma3-field, the father a native of Tennessee and an early pioneer 
of Washington county, where for many years he was engaged in farming. 

Frank M. ]\Iayfield acquired his education in the public schools of Jef- 
fersonville and the New Albany Business College and in 1896 entered the In- 
dianapolis Law School, where he prosecuted his legal studies until complet- 
ing the prescribed course and receiving his degree two years later. Imme- 
diately after his graduation he was admitted to the Clark County Bar, where 



49^ baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 

in due time he won recognition as a capal.)le and successful attorney and Imilt 
up a large and lucrative practice in the local courts and elsewhere, having been 
retained as counsel in a number of important cases soon after engaging in his 
profession. He continued the general practice with gratifying success until 
1900 when he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of the Fourth Judicial Dis- 
trict, the duties of which position he discharged in such an able manner that 
at the ensuing election two years later, he was chosen his own successor by 
a veiy decisive majority. 

Mr. Mayfield's official record is an honorable one and the ability dis- 
played in looking after one of the people's most important interests gained 
for him great popularity as a faithful public ser\'ant. At the close of his sec- 
ond term he resumed the general practice and is now at the head of an ex- 
tensive legal business with a large and appreciative clientele in Clark and 
neighboring counties, his continued success and advancement winning for 
him a conspicuous place among the rising young lawyers of the bar tn which 
the greater part of his patronage is confined. 

Mr. Mayfield is also interested in various other lines of activity and takes' 
a prominent part in encouraging and furthering all projects and enterprises 
for the material advancement and general welfare of the city in which he re- 
sides. He is prominent and influential in a number of social and fraternal 
orders, among which are the Free and Accepted Masons, the Modern W'ood- 
men of America, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Union 
Fraternal League, in all of which he has been an active worker and from time 
to time an honored official. In politics he is a Democrat and for a number 
of years has been one of his party's able and judicious counsellors and an in- 
fluential worker in a number of hotly contested campaigns. 

On November 16, 1899, he was married to Julia L. F-^lker, the accom- 
plished daughter of George W. and Lucretia Felker, of Jefifersonville, in 
which city she was for a period of twelve years a teacher in the public schools. 
Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield have a beautiful home, rendered especially attractive 
to them by the presence of a thi/d inmate in the person of their only child, a 
daughter by the name of Helen. Mrs. Mayfield is a devoted member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and interested in its various lines of efifort. Al- 
though liberal in his religious views and tolerant of the views and opinions 
of others, Mr. Mayfield has profound regard for the church. 

James H. Mayfield, the father of Frank M., was a soldier in the Civil 
war, enlisting in Company M, Sixty-third Indiana Infantry, with which he 
sensed with an honorable record until discharged on account of physical dis- 
ability. He departed this life in 189 1, his wife preceding him to the eternal 
world in the year 1874. Their family consisted of fourteen children, of whom 
five are deceased, the names of those living being as follows: Mrs. Laura 
Morgan, of Jeffersonville : Rufus, of Washington county. Indiana, a manu- 



BAIRU'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 493 

facturer and dealer in timber and lumber; Dorcas, wife of J. B. Blunt, of 
Jeti'ersonville; Joseph, a general merchant, of Washington county; Stella, now 
Mrs. John F. Davis, the husband a conductor on the Pennsylvania Railroad ; 
Claude, who is also in the employ of that company, with headquarters at 
Clarksville; Ethel, who married Frederick Shannon, a railroad man living in 
the city of Louisville; Festus, a cartoonist, of Cincinnati; and Frank M., of 
this review. The deceased members of the family who were all older than 
the subject were: William, Emma, Harriet, Serrilda and John. 

William W. Mayfield, the great-grandfather of Frank M., was a native 
of Virginia, a planter by occupation and at the breaking out of the War of 
the Revolution joined the American anny and took part in a number of cam- 
paigns and battles, serving until independence was achieved. At the close 
of the struggle he returned to his estate in Virginia, where his death oc- 
curred a number of years ago. Both the Mayfield and Hartley families were 
from England, the latter emigrating to America direct from London and 
settling in Scott county, Indiana, in pioneer times. Rev. Wesley Hartley, a 
brother of Mrs. James H. Mayfield, was for many years a prominent minister 
of the Christian church and became widely known in religious circles through- 
out Central and Southern Lidiana. He entered upon the duties of his holy 
office when but sixteen years old and after a continuous service of fifty-seven 
years, retired fr(jm his labors, dying at the old family homestead in Scott 
county, near the town of Scottsburg, at tlie advanced age of eighty-three. 



FREDERICK W. DAVIS, D. D. S. 

Standing at the head of his profession in Jeffersonville, Doctor Davis 
enjoys an excellent patronage. Frederick W. Davis has lived all his life in 
Indiana, having been born in Fulton county, this state, on October ii, 1873. 
He is the son of John M. and Catherine ( Packer) Davis, who were both born 
in the state of Ohio. John M. Davis now occupies the responsible position of 
insurance inspector for Fulton county, an office under the jurisdiction of the 
state. He is a veteran of the W'ar of the Rebellion, having enlisted in the 
regular army from this state, and being stationed during the greater part of 
his enlistment in New York, where he was assigned to the coast defense. He 
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and is also a Royal Arch 
Mason. To him and his wife were born the following children : Cyrus M., 
a merchant in Rochester, Indiana; Ostinella A., a successful attorney at 
Rochester; Henry A., a civil engineer in Michigan; Rosella who is the wife 
of Frank McKee, of Rochester; Frederick W.. the inunediate subject of this 
sketch; Charles A., an electrical engineer at Rochester; Vernon J., engaged 



494 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

in the manufacture of telephones and telephone supplies at Buffalo, New 
York; Marion L., who died at the age of four years. 

Frederick W'. Davis received his general education in the public schools 
of Rochester and then entered the University of Indianapolis, where he took 
a full course in dentistry, graduating with the class of 1900. He at once 
came to Jeffersonville and established himself in the active practice of his 
profession, in which he has been successful to a marked degree. He enjoys a 
constantly increasing practice among the best class of patrons. He has a 
well appointed suite of rooms and possesses a full line of the latest and most 
up-to-date mechanical appliances. He is a member of the P. G. C. Hunt So- 
cietv, an organization closely allied to his professional work 

Politically the doctor is a stanch Democrat on national issues, though in 
local affairs he believes the man should be elected who is best qualified to fill 
the office. Socially he is a member of the Masonic Order, belonging to the 
Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery, and is also identified with the Knights 
of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His profes- 
sional relations are with the Indiana State Dental Society, the annual meet- 
ings of which he attends and in which he has taken some active part. 

Doctor Davis has had a creditable military record as a member of the 
Indiana National Guard and the Spanish-American war volunteers. He en- 
listed in the Second Regiment of the National Guard on May 26, 1890, and 
gave efficient and faithful service, passing through all the grades from private 
to first sergeant. He then received special recognition, being "jumped" from 
first sergeant to first lieutenant. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American 
war, the subject's patriotism was aroused and, on April 12, 1897, he enlisted 
in Company B. One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
and served until November 4, 1898. He was commissioned first lieutenant of 
his company, the greater part of the service being at Camp Thomas, Chick- 
amauga Park, and at Camp Poland, Knoxville, Tennessee. 

The apparent ease with which Doctor Davis has attained to his present 
position in his profession marks him as the possessor of talent, and. being a 
close student of professional literature, he keeps in close touch with the lat- 
est advances in his profession. 



REV. JOHN S. WARD. 



The gentleman who is serving efficiently and faithfully as pastor of the 
Wall Street Methodist Episcopal church in Jeffersonville is numbered among 
the leading clergymen of the city and wields a wide influence for good 
throughout the community. Rev. John S. ^^'ard is a native son of Indiana, 
he having been born at Greenville. Floyd county, on Christmas day. 1876. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 495 

His father. Rev. J. A. \\'ard, was a native of Illinois and for forty years was 
engaged in active pastoral work as a member of the Indiana conference of 
the Methodist Episcopal church, having filled some of the leading pulpits of 
that denomination in this conference. He married Sylvinia Farmer. They 
now reside at Hymera. Sullivan county, Indiana, the father having retired 
from the active ministry. 

The subject of this sketch received his preliminary education in the com- 
mon and high schools, completing his education at that solid Methodist seat 
of learning, DePauw University. Ha\-ing detemiined to enter the sacred min- 
istry, he also during this time took the theological course of the conference 
itinerant school. In 1898 he was given his first appointment as an active pas- 
tor, though during the three years previously, while a student in college, he 
had done some preaching. During the first seven years of his ministry he held 
appointments at Indianapolis and vicinity and in 1905 he was appointed pas- 
tor of the Wall Street church, Jeffersonville. where he still continues. E.x- 
cepting one church of this denomination at Evansville, the ^^'all Street church 
is the largest Methodist Episcopal society in Southern Indiana, having a mem- 
bership of about seven hundred and fifty, and it requires abilities of high 
order to successsfully cany on the varied interests of so large an organization. 
\\'hen the fact is considered that Mr. Ward is the youngest member of the 
conference occupying so important a charge, and that he has been continued 
at this point four successive years, it stands in marked evidence of his strength 
not only in the pulpit but also as an administrator of the affairs of the 
church. 

The Wall Street church is one of the most active and progressive re- 
ligious bodies in the city and is a tower of strength in upbuilding the spiritual 
life of the community and maintaining a high moral standard. In connection 
with the main society, there are several healthy auxiliary organizations, among 
which may be mentioned the Sunday school, with an enrollment of three hun- 
dred and fifty members : the Methodist Brotherhood, of one hundred and 
sixty memljers, and of which Prof. C. ]M. Marble is the president : the Ladies' 
Aid Society; the Woman's Foreign Missionan,- Society; the Young Ladies' 
Society ; the Standard Bearers, the King's Heralds and the I-ight Bearers, the 
latter being the strongest organization of its kind in Southern Indiana, the 
same being true of the Methodist Brotherhood; the Epworth League, one 
hundred and sixty-five members : the Junior Epworth League, one hundred 
and twenty-five members. 

In 1896, at Greencastle, Indiana, the Reverend Ward was married to Hat- 
tie Combes, a native of Owen county. Indiana, and a daughter of A\'oodford C. 
and Lucinda Combes. To this union have been born three children. Ruth, 
Genevieve and John. Politically INIr. Ward is a Republican while his social 
affiliations are with the Masons, Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows. 



40 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Reverend Ward is forcible in the pulpit, strong in his administrative 
ability, affable in his social relations and sincere and earnest in everything he 
does and says. Though comparatively young in years he has already re- 
ceived marked recognition in his church and there stand bef<Tre him the open 
doors of a useful and successful career. 



PROFESSOR WILLIAM W. BORDEN. 

It is impossible within the circumscribed limits of this review to give 
more than a mere glance at the leading facts in the life of one of Indiana's most 
scholarly men, whose distinguished achievements in the realm of research at- 
tracted the attention of educational circles, and won for him an honorable po- 
sition among the eminent scientific minds of the age in which he lived — nor 
was it by such achievements alone that he earned his fame and impressed his 
personality upon the minds of his fellows as a leader of thought and public 
spirited citizen. In the broadest and best meaning of the term he was a bene- 
factor in that he ever labored for the material prosperity of this county and 
state and in his efforts to promote the intellectual advancement of the youth 
of the land, the institution which he founded and maintained w'ill long stand 
as a monument to the noble purposes and high ideals by which his life was 
directed and controlled. 

William W. Borden was born in the town of New Providence, or Borden, 
Clark county. Indiana, on the i8th day of August, 1823. His paternal ante- 
cedents were among the sterling Quaker yeomanry of New England, the 
branch of the family from which he is descended having located many years 
ago in Rhode Island. 

His father, John Borden, whose birth occurred in Portsmouth, that state, 
near the close of the eighteenth century, was by occupation a blacksmith and 
machinist, having learned the former trade under his father and from a 
Mr. Low, of A\'altham, Massachusetts. Joh.n amassed a competency by the 
manufacture and installing of spinning machinery and the building of fac- 
tories. In 1816 he moved to Clark county, Indiana, and entered several tracts 
of land in what is now Wood township, and in due time became one of the 
leading farmers and public spirited citizens of the community. In addition 
to tilling the soil he operated a blacksmith and general repair shop, engaged 
quite extensively in sheep raising and managed an inn for several years besides 
establishing stores at New Providence and Salem, and in various other ways 
contributing to the material prosperity of the country and general welfare of 
the populace. 

In a beautiful little valley surrounded by hills he platted a small village 








' I 



^f; /3cr^cA^, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 497 

of a few blocks which he named New Providence, in honor of the metropohs 
of his native state, and which from that time to the present has continued to 
be an important local trading point and the center of a cuiure and refinement 
seldom found in villages of its size. 

In May, 1822, John Borden married Lydia Bellows, of Groton, Mas- 
sachusetts. She, too, was among the early pioneers of Clark county and ac- 
customed to all the vicissitudes and hardships of life in a new and undeveloped 
country, nobly bore her part in establishing a home and looking after its mu- 
tual interests. In the little village founded by his father, William W. Bordon 
first saw the light of day on the date indicated above, but shortly after tlie first 
anniversary of his birth he was deprived of his father's loving care and 
guidance. 

The death nf John Borden on Xovember 7, 1824. caused a feeling of gloom 
throughout the little community, as he was a leader among his fellow men and 
greatly esteemed by all who knew him. He left a widow and one cliild. the sub- 
ject of this review, to battle with the world : a second son by the name of John, 
being bom five months after his demise. \\'ith practical intelligence, sound 
judgment and rare tact the good woman took charge of the estate, and in ad- 
dition to administering upon the same and attending to all her husband's un- 
settled business, also ran the hotel and so conducted her affairs as to add con- 
siderably to the value of her possessions. In his time Mr. Borden had con- 
ducted several lines of business, all of which his good wife assumed, and for a 
number of years she managed the interests of the estate in a safe and method- 
ical manner, which gained for her a high reputation as a capable and far- 
sighted business woman. She also looked carefully after the early training of 
her children and until William had reached the age of nine years, sent them 
to the subscription schools of the neighborhood and did everything within her 
power to arouse in their young minds an interests in books and study. 

Entering the \\'ashingtnn County Seminary at Salem, at the ag-e in- 
dicated, young Borden took up the study of arithmetic, Latin, penmanship 
and several other branches and during the ensuing three years made such 
progress that at the expiration of that time he was able to matriculate at the 
Indiana State University, which institution he attended until finishing his 
scholastic course. Reared to agricultural pursuits he early manifested a liking 
for rural life and among the experiences of his youthful days, which he was 
often wont to recall, were the breaking of ground with a wooden plow% cutting 
grain with the hand-sickle and cradle, mowing the heavy hay crops with a 
scythe, then resting from his labors on a straw bed in an attic through the un- 
plastered walls of which the breezes of summer fanned him to sleep and the 
snows of winter not infrequently covered his bed with a layer of virgin white. 
Under the direction of his mother who. as already stated, was a woman of un- 
common energ}', well read and conversant with the questions of the da3^ his 
32 



498 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

mind early took the proper bent, and while still a youth he became familiar 
with public matters and political issues, and in due time earned the reputation 
of being one of the most intelligent and studious boys of the neighborhood. 
When old enough he began to repay his mother for her useful devotion and as 
long as she lived he looked after her interests and comfort and ministered ten- 
derly to her necessities, until her death, which occurred on the 2d of June, 1851. 

It was in the year 1862 that an apparently trifling incident occurred which 
had a decided influence on the mind of Mr. Borden and very materially affected 
his subsec|uent career. \\'hile at New Providence on a professional visit Doc- 
tor Reid, of Salem, showed the young man several fcssils which he had found, 
and in expaining their stnicture. formation, etc., aroused a keen interest in the 
young man, which from that time until liis death increased to such an extent 
as to gain him a conspicuous place among the distinguished scientists of his 
day. At the doctor's suggestion the young man purchased a copy of Dana's 
Geology, the study of which, in connection with explorations in his own 
neighborhood, and later while guiding a number of professors of geology over 
various parts of the county, soon gave him a practical knowledge of this fas- 
cinating subject and gained him more than local repute as a critical and pains- 
taking student and investigator. From the professors referred to he obtained 
many practical suggestions which proved of great value in his subsequent study 
and research, both of which he continued with unabated interest until' the 
knowledge of his ability coming to the attention of the leading scientists of In- 
diana led to his appointment in 1873 ''^ assistant to Professor Cox, the official 
geologist of the state. 

During the three years spent in the above capacity Professor Borden 
assisted in making geological surveys of Clark county as well as numerous 
other counties, the published reports of which proved a valuable contribution 
to the scientific literature of the state, and in addition to his official wi irk lie 
also carried on investigations of his own in various parts of the country. In 
1878 he was engaged in silver mining in Colorado with his brother and nephew 
and later became a member of the mining firm of Borden, Tabor & Company, 
the latter gentleman afterwards representing Colorado in the United States 
Senate, and a third partner, Marshall Field, becoming one of the merchant 
princes of Chicago. 

Professor Borden's knowledge of geology proved of great advantage in 
the mining business and under his personal direction the company achieved 
great success and became one of the wealthiest corporations of the kind in the 
West. After obtaining a competency he disposed of his interest in the com- 
panv and in 1880 returned to the old home in Clark countv with the object 
in view of carr^-ing out certain ideas for the benefit of his fellow men. Believ- 
ing a liberal education the best preparation for a successful life, he encouraged 
the erection of the necessary buildings for a college in his native town and 
until the dav of his death maintained the institution at his own expense and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 499 

Otherwise looked carefully after its welfare. The great value of this school 
to the community cannot be estiaiated and on one occasion when speaking of 
the hundreds of young men and women who had gone forth from its walls, 
equipped for the struggle of life. Professor Borden said, "\Mien I think of 
them as good, honest citizens, playing their parts resolutely in the affairs of 
life, this alone is sufficient to reward me for all I have done." 

Besides founding the college the professor established a museum on the 
site of his old home, an account of which, with its rare collections of minerals, 
fossils, archffiological specimens, shells, bones of prehistoric animals, Indian 
relics and remnants of the handiwork of the Mound Builders, etc., is fullv set 
forth in another part of this volume. 

Professor Borden was married November 13, 1884, to Emma Dunbar, of 
New Albany, Indiana, daughter of John and Margaret (Whitson) Dunbar, 
and a lady who proved not only a faithful and loving wife and helpmeet, but 
who encouraged him in his scientific labors and heartily endorsed all of his 
enterprises for the moral and intellectual advancement of his fellow men. 

The career of Professor Borden was fraught with great and permanent 
good to his fellow men, and few people so stamped their individualitv on the 
mind and thought of the times. Few saw and took part in the great changes 
which so materially affected Indiana from the pioneer period to the present 
time as he did and among his contemporaries none contributed more to make 
such changes possible. He endured the hardships of the early settlers and lived 
to enjoy in full measure the great advantages of the present day civilization. 

After traveling extensively over the greater part of his own countrv. in- 
cluding Alaska and other distant states and territories, he made tours through 
nearly all parts of Europe, visiting places of interest and making a careful 
study of the conditions of their peoples. In looking back over his varied e.x- 
perience. he said: 'Tf a lesson can be drawn from my long life it is this: That 
all prosperity must rest upon an economical use of time and resources : that 
energy and perseverance, long continued, will eventually overcome all ob- 
stacles : that a poor boy or girl possessed of energ\', honesty and frugality, will 
be sure to win a way in life: that the farmer who looks into the future as he 
holds the handles of his plow may succeed within his own environment, but 
will never break down its walls nor be of very great service to his fellow men." 

Professor Borden broke down the walls of his environment and through 
the medium his scientific achievements and the institutions and influence which 
he established demonstrated his worth to the world and paved the way for still 
greater good to his fellow men in future years. Humanit}' grows through 
such lives as his and the County of Clark and the State of Indiana will always 
be proud to number him among their most scholarly and distinguished sons. 
He died on the 19th day of December, 1906. but still lives in the love and ven- 
eration of a grateful and appreciati\-e public, which constitutes his enduring 
monument. 



500 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

JAMES S. KEIGWIN. 

This well known public official is a native of Clark county, Indiana, born 
in Jeffersonville, where he now resides, on January 5, 1865. His ancestors 
were among the early settlers of this part of the state and the name has long 
been identified with the history of the county, his grandfather, James Keigwin, 
having been a man of considerable prominence and the second warden of the 
state prison of Jeffersonville, where he was first to utilize the labor of convicts 
for the support of the institution. He established a large brick factory at Jef- 
fersonville in an early day where were made the bricks of which the prison is 
constructed, and his establishment appears to have been extensively patronized 
for a number of years, proving the chief source of the considerable fortune 
which he amassed. Ephriam Keigwin, the subject's father, whose birth oc- 
curred in Clark county in the year 1831, was a fanner and merchant, and for 
a number of years a successful business man and prominent citizen of Jeffer- 
sonville. He was a man of strong character and strong judgment, 
ser\'ed as Justice for Jeffersonville township and departed this life in 
the year 1898. honored and respected by all with whom he came in contact. 
He was twice married, the first time to ^^larj^ Morgan, who bore him three 
daughters, namely : Mrs. Susie Padgett, of New Albany ; Mrs. Sallie Bishop, 
of Indianapolis, and Mrs. Mamie Dewees, of Jeffersonville. Some time after 
the death of the mother of these children, Mr. Keigwin married her sister, 
Josephine Morgan, which union resulted in the birth of James S., of this re- 
view, and Jessie, who died in infancy. 

Ebenezer Morgan, the subject's great-grandfather, migrated from his 
native state of Connecticut to Clark county, Indiana, in an early pioneer day, 
and settled in Silver Creek township, where he developed a farm and became 
a successful agriculturist and influential man of affairs. Shortly after be- 
coming settled in his new home in the forest he found it necessary to return 
to Connecticut, and in order to save expense made the trip there and back on 
foot, an experience fraught with many hardships and not a few dangers. This 
sturdy old pioneer took part in the various wars against the savages in an early 
day and later served as a soldier in the Black Hawk war. The old flint lock 
pistol which he carried during the border troubles has been handed down to 
his descendants, and is now in possession of James S. Keigwin, who prizes it 
greatly as a family relic. Sylvester Morgan, the maternal grandfather of Mr. 
Keigwin, came from Morgantown, Virginia, to Jeffersonville. Indiana, by flat 
boat, and in partnership with his father-in-law, kept one of the first taverns 
in the town which appears to have been quite extensively patronized. He also 
did a thriving business for a number of years, transferring people across the 
river to Louisville, and in connection with these two enterprises operated a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 50I 

Stage line between Jeftersonville and Chaiiestown, which proved quite re- 
munerative. 

As already indicated the Morgans and Keigwins have long been identified 
with the histoiy of Jeffersonville and neighboring towns, and both names are 
closely interwoven with the rise and growth of various important local enter- 
prises. The Keigwins were intensely loyal during the rebellion, two of the 
subject's uncles, James and Albert Keigwin, sen-ing from the beginning to 
the end of the war, the former as colonel of the Forty-ninth Infantry-, the latter 
as captain of his company. After the war Colonel Keigwin was a business 
man of Jeftersonville for about thirty years and later was appointed superin- 
tendent of the National cemetery at Louisville, in which capacity he served 
untl his death. Albert Keigwin was for many years a distinguished minister 
of the Presbvterian church, but is now living a retired life in the citv of New 
York. 

James S. Keigwin, whose name introduces this article, was reared in Jef- 
fersonville, enjoyed the best educational advantages the public schools of the 
city afforded, and when a youth in his teens began his career as driver for the 
Adams Express Company. This not being exactlv to his liking, he resigned 
his place at the end of four months, and accepted a better and more lucrative 
position with the Louis\-ille & Nashville Railroad with which he remained 
twenty-five years, his first post being that of mail boy. from which he rose 
bv successive promotions to revising clerk, abstract clerk and inter-change 
clerk, each position of much greater importance than the preceding, as well as 
commanding a corresponding increase of salaiy. During his long period of 
service wth the Louisville & Nashville, Mr. Keigwin filled his several posts with 
ability. 

Mr. Keigwin's principal reason for leaving the railway sen-ice was his 
appointment in January, 1907, as Justice of the Peace for Jeftersonville town- 
ship, the duties of which he discharged in connection with his clerical duties 
for a period of one year, when he severed his connection with the road to de- 
vote his entire time to the business of his office. Since his election as justice, 
he has earned an enviable reputation as a capable and reliable official. The 
dignity with wh.ich Mr. Keigwin ties the nuptial knot has made him veiy 
popular with those matrimonially inclined and he is now widely known as the 
"marrying squire." having united eiglit hundred and fifty-four couples in the 
bonds of wedlock from Januan.' 12. 1907. to January 20. 1908. a record per- 
haps without parallel in the state. 

On the 29th of December. 1886. Mr. Keigwin was united in marriage 
with Anna Nixon, whose birth occurred in Jeffersonville, Lidiana, July 26, 
1865. Her father. Benjamin T. Nixon, late of Jeft'erson\!lle. was born in 
Washington county, in the year 1826, and departed this life on the 2d day 
of July, 1908. The maiden name of Mrs. Nixon was Sarah Reese: she was 



502 BAIRU S HISTORV OF CLAKK CO.. IND. 

born at Charlestown, Clark county. Xovember 26. 1835. liore her husband 
five children, and died on July 27th ni the year 1898. Of the five children 
who constituted the family of Benjamin T. and Sarah Xixon, Airs. Keigwin 
and Mrs. Louise Small, of Philadelphia, are the only survivors. 

To 2\Ir. and Mrs. Keigwin seven children ha\e Ijeen ho-'n, to-v,it : Anna, 
Harold, Raymond, Homer, Nora, Warnock and Lillian, the last named dying 
in infancy. 

Mr. Keigwin is a Democrat in his political affiliations and a leader of his 
party in Jeffersonville and Clark county. He is an active and influential mem- 
ber of the Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows, and Modern Woodmen of 
America fraternities and with his wife and family, except the two youngest 
children, belongs to the Presbyterian church. His attractive home, which he 
has occupied during the past fifteen years, is situated on a commanding emi- 
nence overlooking the Ohio river and portions of Louisville and Jefifersonville. 



AL\RTIN A. COXROY. 



The gentleman wdiose name appears above is a wholesale and retail dealer 
in flour and feed at the corner of Seventh and Spring streets. Jefl:'ersonville, and 
is a native of Indiana, born in the town of Sellersburg, Clark county, jNIarch 
9, 1856. His parents, Patrick and Elizabeth (Peters) Conroy, came from 
Queens county, Ireland, when young and married in X^ew Albany, Indiana. 
They subsequently moved to Clark county and settled at Sellersburg, where 
the father dieil in middle life, the mother surviving him a number of vears, 
dying in the city of Jefifersonville at the age of seventy-six. One son and two 
daughters constituted the family of this estimable couple, Martin A., of this 
review; Mary, who died in childhood, and Elizabeth, a Sister of Providence, 
under the church name of Mary Assumption, who met with a violent death 
some years ago in a street car accident in Indianapolis. 

Martin A. Conroy was reared to habits of industry and received his edu- 
cational discipline in the public schools and in the parochial schools of Jeft'er- 
sonville, this training being afterwards supplemented by a course at an educa- 
tional institution of higher grade by the name of St. Joseph's Hill. While 
still a mere youth he commenced working for himself in a brickyard, and after 
spending a few years in that capacity accepted a position in the Monon Rail- 
road shops at New Albany, where he remained until taking service as a section 
hand sometime later. Severing his connection with that department of work 
he spent about seven years as a car builder, during which time he acquired 
great proficiency as a mechanic and earned the esteem and confidence of his 
employers. X'ot caring to make railroading his life work. Mr. Conroy. at the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 503 

expiration of the period indicatecl, discontinued the service and dnring tlie en- 
suing year was engaged in the boot and shoe trade at Jeffersonville. doing a 
safe and satisfactory business. In 1892 he estabhshed the hne of business to 
wiiicii he has since devoted his attention, namely, the wholesale and retail flour 
and feed trade in which his advancement has been rapid and continuous, his store 
on the corner of Seventh and Spring streets consisting of a fine two-story brick 
building with a ware house fifty by seventy-two feet in dimensions, being the 
largest and best stocked establishment of the kind in the city. In addition to 
the lines of merchandise mentioned, he also carries a fine stock of salt, paint, 
painting supplies, hay and other commodities, and gives employment to an 
average of fi\'e men every working day in the year, his patronage taking a 
wide range and yielding him an income which long since placed him in in- 
dependent circumstances. 

The domestic life of ^Ir. Conroy dates from the year i88g, when he was 
united in marriage with Alary O. Ilerron, of Jefifersonville. th.e ceremony being 
solemnized according to the rites of the Roman Catholic faith in St. Augustine 
church in this city. The only pledge of this union is a daughter by the name 
of !\Iary, now a young lady of intelligence and refinement and her father's 
assistant and Ixjokkeeper. She was educated in the St. Augustine parochial 
schools and later finished a commercial course in the Spencerian Business Col- 
lege of Louisville. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ciinroy were reared in the Cathijlic faith and ha\e ever Ijeen 
true to the mother church, belonging with their daughter to the St. Augustine 
congregation and are active in all of its various lines of religious and benev- 
olent work. Mr. Conroy is one of the influential members of the Knights of 
Columbus and the Travelers' Protective Association, and in politics gives his 
allegiance to the Democratic party. He has never been a partisan in the sense 
of seeking office. 



ED\\ IX A\ ILKES HVDROX. 

The manufacture of wagons, carriages and other wheeled vehicles has 
long been one of the important industries of Jeffersonville, and for some years 
the leading establishment of the kind has been the one at 133 East Chestnut 
street, conducted by the well known and enterprising business man whose name 
furnishes the caption of this article. Edwin Wilkes Hydron, a native of Xew 
Castle. Kentucky, was bom Xovember 23, 1867, and is a son of William and 
Mary^ Frances (Schermerhorn) Hydron. the father an Indianian by birth, the 
mother born about eight miles from Louisville, in JefYerson county. Kentucky. 
\\'illiam Hydron served with an honorable record in the Civil war and later 
engaged in business pursuits at Jeffersonville, establishing a number of years 



504 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

ago the wagon and carriage shops, now owned and operated by his son. the 
latter becoming a member of the firm of Hydron & Son in 1885. He also op- 
erated factories in Louisville and New Albany, and during the last thirty years 
of his life was one of the leading wagon and carriage makers of Jeffersonville. 
where he built uj) a large and lucrative patronage and earned an enviable repu- 
tation as a capable and skillful mechanic. He not only achieved marked suc- 
cess as a business man. but stood high as a citizen. After a strenuous and 
useful life he was called from the scenes of his activities and achievements on 
the /th day of December. 1902. since which time the business he built up and 
conducted with such signal results has been carried on by his son, Edwin W. 

\\'illiam and Mary Frances Hydron reared a family of the following chil- 
dren, all lix'ing and well settled in life: Edwin \\'., the oldest of the numl^ier : 
Fred is engaged in tlie wholesale fruit business at Bakersfield. California; 
Harn-, a railway engineer on the Pan Handle line; \\'illiam, Jr., operates the 
Louisville & Jeffersonville Transfer Company, and is one of the well known 
citizens of the latter place : Belle married Charles Howard, a contractor of 
Louisville, and resides in Jeffersonville; Hattie is the wife of Frank Same, 
who is connected with the Louisville & Jeffersonville Transfer Company. 

Edwin Wilkes Hydron spent his childhood and youth in Xew Albany, 
received his education in the public schools and high school of that city, and 
at the proper age he entered his father's factory to learn the wagon and car- 
riage maker's trade. By diligent application and a determination to succeed, 
he made commendable progress and in due time became not only one of the 
most skilled mechanics in the establishment, but also his father's trusted assist- 
ant in conducting and managing the firm of Hydron & Son, which was car- 
ried on wnth signal success until the death of the father, since which time he 
has been sole proprietor of the establislnnent which is now one of the largest 
and best known in the city with inucli more than a local reputation in industrial 
circles. 

In the management of his steadily increasing business. Mr. Hydron has 
displayed executive capacity of a high order; he oversees even,- detail of the 
establishment, doing nearly all of the finer painting himself and looking after 
the labors of his men. The products of his shops are of a high standard of ex- 
cellence, and compare favorably with the best vehicles on the market. To sup- 
ply the growing demand the factory is taxed to its utmost capacity, a number 
of mechanics being employed. 

Although a Democrat in politics and interested in the success of his party, 
he is not an office seeker but keeps in close touch with the leading questions 
and issues before the people. Fraternally he holds membership with the 
Knights of Pythias and Knights and Ladies of Honor orders, and re!igi(nisly 
he belongs to the Christian church, with which his wife is also identified, both 
being zealous and influential workers in the congregation in Jeffersonville. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 505 

Mr. Hydron on January i6, 1893, entered the marriage relation with 
Louise Gruber, of Jeffersonville. whose parents were for many years respected 
residents of this city. The mother is still living. The father died some years 
ago from disease contracted while in the army, having been a soldier in the 
war between the North and South. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Hydron three children have been bom : Edwin Stewart, 
who was born November 23, 1894, and died January 28, 1905, the other two 
being daughters, Helen Louise and Maxine. 



JAIMES H. BEARD. 

This well known business man is a native of Gallatin county, Kentucky, 
where his birth occurred in the year 1845. His father, John Beard, a na- 
tive of Butler county, Pennsylvania, was of Dutch extraction and his mother, 
also born and reared in the same county and state, bore the maiden name of 
Emily J. Morris and was of Irish descent. These parents moved to Ken- 
tucky a number of years ago and settled in Gallatin county, where Mr. 
Beard resided until his removal to Jeffersonville, in 1892, dying in the city 
four years later. Mrs. Beard having departed this life some time ureviously 
in ^ladison, Jefferson county, Indiana. 

James H. Beard grew to maturity in his native county and state, received 
his education in the public schools and later fitted himself for a business career 
by taking a course in a commercial school in Cincinnati. He remained in 
Gallatin county until 1868. when by reason of an injun,- he gave up farming 
and removed to Markland, Switzerland county, Indiana, and engaged in the 
mercantile business, which he conducted in that town for a period of fourteen 
years. At the expiration of that time he disposed of his stock and moved to 
Louisville, Kentucky, where he accepted a position with a wholesale grocery 
house, subsequently severing his connection with the firm to enter the employ 
of the Adams Express Company. In 1892 he resigned his position with the 
company and changed his residence to Jeft'ersonville, Indiana, where he has 
since been engaged in various enterprises, devoting the greater part of the 
time to his duties as secretary of the Falls City Savings and Loan Association, 
one of the oldest and best known organizations of the kind in the southern 
part of the state, also one of the most successful, being capitalized at one mil- 
lion dollars and conducted by some of the most reliable business men of the 
city. In connection with the secretaryship he also deals extensivelv in real 
estate and insurance, in both of which lines he has built up a large and con- 
tinually growing patronage, his business comparing favorablv with that of 
any other man or firm in the city similarly engaged. 



5o6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Mr. Beard was married in Gallatin county. Kentucky, in the year 1867, 
to Diana E. Satchvill. daughter of Joseph and Anna Satchvill. natives of 
that county, the union heing blessed with two children, John T. and Emma 
D., the former an engineer in the city of Louisville, the latter the wife of 
Charles Banks, a soldier in the Spanish-American war, at the end of which 
he was given a position in the government work on the Panama Canal. Mr. 
Beard has been active in pujjlic affairs since becoming a citizen of Jefferson- 
ville and is deeply interested in whate\'er tends to the material advancement of 
the citv and the social and moral good of the populace. Previous to his re- 
moval to JetTersonville he served for a number of years as a Justice of the 
Peace at Markland and earned the reputation of an able public servant. He 
takes an active interest in secret bene^•olent work and belongs to a number of 
fraternal orders, including Clark Lodge, Xo. 40, Free and Accepted ^lasons, 
Horeb Chapter, No. 66, Royal Arch Masons, Jefifersonville Commandery, 
No. 22, Knights Templar, Council, No. 13, Royal and Select Masters, and 
Jeffersonville Chapter, No. t^2-], Order of Eastern Star. He is also identi- 
fied with Clark Assembly, No. 43, Union Fraternal League. In religion he 
subscribes to the plain simple teachings of the Christian church, and in politics 
supports the principles of the Democratic party. 



PETER F. MYERS. 



One of the leading lumber dealers of Jeffersonville is Peter F. ]\Iyers, a 
creditable representative of one of the sturdy old families of Clark county, 
and who to a marked degree inherits the sterling characteri.stics and amiafile 
qualities of head and heart for which his antecedents were long distinguished. 
His father, Peter Myers, a native of Herkimer county, New York, came to 
Jeffersonville in an early day, figured prominently in the pioneer history of the 
city and over sixty years ago established the lumber business which has since 
been in the family name and which his son, Peter F. now owns and controls. 
About 1858 he discontinued business pursuits and from that time until his 
death at an advanced age, lived a life of honorable retirement, his sons, Peter 
F. and Charles H., being his successors, the latter dying in 1891, leaving the 
former sole proprietor. 

Peter F. Myers was born in Jeffersonville. Indiana, June 21, 1846, .and 
his life has been very closely identified with the city and its interests. His 
mother dying when he was a child, he was reared by his step-mother. Mrs. 
Rachael Myers, and remained with his father until the latter's death. He 
owes his present influential position in the business world as w^ell as his 
earthly possessions, entirely to his persistent efforts to succeed. After he 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 5O7 

received an educaticm in tlie public scliools he underwent a practical training 
under the direction of his father, whose lumber business he entered at a 
comparatively early age and in due time became familiar w'ith the trade in 
all of its details. His long connection with the lumber interest has made him 
one of the best informed and most experienced business men in this line in 
the city and his success has been continuous. As already stated he became 
sole proprietor in the year 1891, since which time he has gradually enlarged 
the scope of his operations, adding considerably to his stock and doing an ex- 
tensive business in Jeffersonville and other places. At the present time his 
stock represents a capital of about eighteen thousand dollars, but as he handles 
an immense amount of lumber during the year in order to supply the large 
and constantly growing demand on the part of builders, contractors and 
tradesmen, this cannot be taken as a fair estimate of the magnitude and 
success of his enterprise. In connection with lumber he handles all kinds of 
building material, including full lines of building hardware, etc., and affords 
steady employment to from five to seven men and several trains, supplving a 
large number of patrons in Jefifersonville, besides commanding a firm and 
growing trade in the neighboring cities of Louisville and New Albany. 

Mr. Myers has been twice married, the first time to Jennie Barnaby, of 
Jefiferscnville, who bore him three children, viz., Alida, wife of ^^'illiam 
Harding, of Louisville; Nellie, now Mrs. Joseph Milheiser, of New Albany; 
and Claude, who is interested with his father in the lumber business. The 
last named is married and the father of one child, Sidney B., four years of age, 
whose mother was formerly Mattie Pottinger. The subject's second marriage 
was solemnized with Mrs. S. M. Cain, who became the mother of Dove, who 
is the wife of Doctor Varble, of Jeffersonville, and Daisy, who is still a mem- 
ber of the home circle, both lieing graduates of the city high school and 
otherwise well educated. 

In politics Mr. Myers has been a life-long Republican. He was reared 
in the Methodist faith and subscribes to the creed of that church, to which re- 
ligious body his wife also belongs and in the good work of which both man- 
ifest a livelv and abiding interest. 



REV. WILLIAM H. SHEETS, M. D. 

This successful doctor of medicine and trusted spiritual guide is a na- 
tive of Prince William county, Virginia, and the son of George John and 
Margaret (House) Sheets, both parents born in Baden, Germany, the father 
on November ist of the year 1786, the mother a few years after that date. 
George J. Sheets and Margaret House were married in Diedersheim, Baden, 



5o8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

in 1815 and two years later bade farewell to the land of their birth and sailed 
for the United States, landing at Baltimore after a long and arduous voyage 
of six months, during which tinie there was much suffering among the pas- 
sengers by reason of the vessel being driven far from its course by tlie terrific 
storms which prevailed almost from the time of sailing until reaching port. 
Among the most poignant of the many sufferers during this strenuous and 
protracted voyage were Mr. and Mrs. Sheets, who lost sight of their own sad 
plight in trying to minister to the comfort of their sick child, but despite all 
of their efforts to relieve the little sufferer, it gradually grew worse until at 
last they were obliged to see its little body consigned to the waves of the 
mighty deep. The death of this, their only cliild, under peculiarly distress- 
ing circumstances had a very depressing effect upon the minds of the fond 
father and mother and finally when the vessel weathered the stonns and 
came to anchor, they landed on the shores of a new world with heavy hearts 
and no very bright prospects for the future. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sheets settled in Prince William county. Virginia, where 
they secured a good home. They became the parents of nine children, eight 
of whom grew to maturity, namely: Margaret. George, John, Frederick, 
Daniel, Catherine, William H. and David P., William H. being the only sur- 
vivor of the once large and happy household. Having an aversion to slavery 
and decided objections to rearing his family under its baneful influence, George 
J. Sheets moved to Morgan county, Indiana, where he spent the remainder 
of an active and useful life, dying December 14, 1877, at the' advanced age of 
ninety-one years, his wife preceding him to the eternal world in 1849, when 
fifty-six years old. The sons of this couple, with exception of William H., 
were tillers of the soil and business men and the majority of them spent their 
lives in Morgan county, George dying in the county of Hamilton. The par- 
ents were reared in the Lutheran faith in their native land, but after locating 
in Virginia and finding no society of that denomination near their place of 
residence, they united with the Presbyterian church. Later, on their re- 
moval to Indiana, where that church was not represented, their children 
united with the Methodist church, in which faith the familv was reared, the 
parents, however, remaining Presbyterians to the end of their days. 

William H. Sheets was quite yoimg when his parents disposed of their 
interests in Virginia and moved to Morgan county, Indiana,' where the future 
physician and divine spent his early life on a farm. From childhood he ap- 
peared religiously inclined and while still a mere youth he united with the 
]\Iethodist Episcopal church and began laying his plans for the future in 
which the ministry figured as a prominent and controlling factor. Having de- 
cided to devote his life to this holy calling, he was licensed in 1850 while yet 
in his teens by Rev. Joseph Tarkington, presiding elder, and the same year 
was admitted to the Indiana Conference. In those days the life of such a 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 5O9 

minister meant hard work and little or no remuneration, and in speaking 
of the character of some of his early appointments, he often said they were 
as good as he deserved and mnch better than those the fathers before him 
had served. At the time of his admission, fifteen composed the class of whom 
fourteen have exchanged the church militant for the church triumphant, he 
being the sole survivor of this little band of noble consecrated servants of the 
Most 'High. 

Doctor Sheets was ordained deacon by Bishop Janes and elder by Bishop 
Scott, at Shelbyville, Indiana, and served in the active pastorate for a period 
of twelve years, during which time he was instrumental in strengthening the 
churches under his care and winning many souls to the higher life. The 
Conference, at his own request, granted him a supernumerary relation, fol- 
lowing which he took up the study of medicine in the office of Dr. R. E. 
Curran, of Jetifersonville, later adding to his professional knowledge by a 
course of lectures in the Old Medical University of Louisville and two sessions 
in the College of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, graduating with the 
honors of his class at the latter institution about the time of the breaking 
out of the Civil war. Soon after receiving his degree he was appointed 
surgeon in the hospital department of the army and held the position to 
the close of the war, discharging his duties with ability and satis- 
faction, meeting the approval of his officers and soldier patients and proving 
faithful to every trust reposed in him. Doctor Sheets left the service at the 
cessation of hostilities with the rank of assistant surgeon and in 1865 lo- 
cated at Jeffersonville, where he has since resided in the active practice of his 
profession, building up the meanwhile an extensive patronage. During this 
time he has sei"ved as examining surgeon for pensions from President Hayes' 
term to the second term of President Cleveland, and was also physician for 
six years at the Indiana State Prison, South. He has been connected more 
or less, since 1882, with the health department of Jeffers()r,ville and for the 
last eight years has been health officer of the city, in which capacity he has 
rendered valuable and effective service and added greatly to the efficiency 
of the department. 

Ada M. Woodward, who became the wife of Doctor Sheets on the 12th 
day of November, 1868, was born at Hanover, Indiana, November 8th of 
the year 1844, and received a liberal education in Hanover College, one of 
the oldest and best known institutions of learning in the state. At the break- 
ing out of the Civil war her parents moved from Hanover to Mooresville 
and it was at the latter place that she first met her future husband and it 
was there that the marriage was solemnized. Mrs. Sheets was reared a 
Presbyterian, but some time after her marriage she united with the Methodist 
Episcopal church and continued a faithful and zealous member of the same 
until called to the other world on October 31, 1906. 



5IO BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Ever since giving up the active pastorate Doctor Sheets has continued to 
preach when called upon, not only for his own denomination, but for others. 
His services are in frequent demand upon special occasions and it is stated 
with every semblance of truth that no man living or dead has conducted more 
funerals in Jeffersonville than he and he is also popular in the matter of 
solemnizing the marriage tie. In the year 1900 his conference granted Doctor 
Sheets a superannuated relation. He cast his first Presidential ballot in" 1856 
for John C. Fremont, since which time he has been pronounced in his allegi- 
ance to the Republican party. His church membership at this time attaches 
to the Wall Street church, Jeffersonville. He stands third on the Conference 
roll by seniority and is one of the best known Methodist divines of his day and 
generation in Southern Indiana. 



CHARLES C. PEEL. 



At 117 Chestnut street in Jeffersonville, the \isitor will find a neat, well 
equipped, and carefully managed garage, owned by the gentleman whose 
name heads this biography. Mr. Peel was born at Wilmington, Dearborn 
county, Indiana, May 11, 1867. His father, Charles Peel, was a native of 
the Buckeye state, having been liorn in Cincinnati in 1846. His career was of 
short duration, having departed this life at the age of twenty-one years, hav- 
ing one son, Charles C. Martha (Bainum) Peel, mother of Charles C, re- 
married, her second husband being George Ward, a native of Dearborn coun- 
ty, Indiana. They removed to Jeffersonville in 1871, Mr. \\'ard finding here 
good opportunities for employment at his trade of car-building. He ended 
his days in this city in March, 1898. Since that time Mrs. Ward has made 
her home at St. Louis, Missouri. She became the mother of two children by 
her second husband, namely: Clarence, late of Lexington, Kentucky, died 
December 31, 1908, and Mrs. C. W. Williams, of St. Louis. 

Mr. Peel was reared and educated in Jeffersonville and made that city 
his permanent home. After completing his common school education he 
felt that his life work would demand a greater knowledge of business methods 
than what he possessed and he therefore attended the New Albany Business 
College, continuing there until his graduation. For the ne.Kt ten years he 
worked at car-building and painting, having first served as an apprentice, but 
soon became proficient and was rated as a skillful workman and able me- 
chanic. In 1894 he established his present business and has followed it ever 
since. He does general repairing of Ijicycles. automobiles, and fine machinery. 
His equipment is ample and his work thorough and skillful. As a result he 
does a thriving business, and enjoys the confidence and good will of a host of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 5II 

friends and acquaintances. On the 8th of October. 1890, ]\Ir. Peel was 
joined in marriage to Ophelia Masmer, daughter of Augustus Masmer, of Jef- 
fersonville. Her parents were of English and German extraction, and con- 
stituted one of the oldest and best known families in the vicinity of Charles- 
town, this county, where Mrs. Peel was born and educated. She is a woman 
of refined demeanor and excellent tastes. She has become the mother of five 
children, only two of whom, however, are now living. These are Frank and 
Mary. The other three. Ward, Charles and Eva, died in early childhood, 
Mr. Peel and family are members of the Presbyterian church. They 
take an active interest in religious work and contribute liberally of their time 
and means to the support of the Gospel in their own community. Mr. Peel 
has for several years acted as deacon in the church, and has been of great 
service in promoting the splendid spirit and wholesome atmosphere that char- 
acterizes that organization. He affiliates with the Republican party, but has 
never sought political prominence, preferring rather to be satisfied with his 
business affairs. 



JOHX W. HOOVER. 



It would appear that Mr. Hoover inherited a love for the business which 
is so closely allied with the profession of medical practitioner, for both his 
father and grandfather were engaged therein, and did much toward the alle^ 
viation of the sufferings of afflicted humanity. Mr. Hoover is one of the lead- 
ing pharmacists of Southern Indiana, and his dru.g store at 731 East Chest- 
nut street, Jeffersonville, Clark county, enjoys a liberal patronage. He has 
contributed not a little toward the material progress of Jeffersonville since 
he became a resident of the city about fifteen years ago. 

Mr. Hoover is a native of Orange county, Indiana, having Ijeeen bom 
there July 22, 1851, the son of Charles Leonce Hoover, who first saw the 
light in Ohio county, Pennsylvania, November 30, 1823. He was a phvsi- 
cian and came west in the forties, locating in ^\'ashington county, Indiana. 
He took a classical course at the State University of Indiana, and graduated 
■with honors. Later he entered the Louisville College of Medicine, and re- 
ceived a diploma. He located at New Albany in the spring of 1853, and en- 
gaged in the wholesale drug business, continuing in that line of business for 
fifty years, being the oldest druggist in the state of Indiana, when he died in 
May, 1904. 

The paternal grandfather of the subject, Leonce Hoover, was a native of 
Switzerland, and he and his sister were known to be the only members of the 
familv that came to America. As a matter of fact the name of the subject was 
originally "Hulier." Leonce Huber, the grandfather, studied medicine at 



512 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Paris, France, and had tlie honor of being commissioned a surgeon in the 
army under Napoleon. After having served in that capacity for some years 
lie came to America and in 1849 went to California in search of gold, and 
was veiy successful in his quest therefor. He finally settled in Los Angeles 
and engaged in the manufacture of wines, having acquired a large and very 
productive vineyard. Later he engaged in the real estate business with his 
son, Vincent, dying when a very old man. 

The mother of John W. Hoover was Alary Eliza Riley, born ALarch 3, 
1827, at Hardinsburg, Kentucky. She became the wife of Mr. Hoover's 
father November 11, 1847, and was the mother of seven children, only one 
of whom, Charles V.. is dead, he having passed away in middle life. The 
others are John W., Mary Elizabeth Arnold, residing at Rockford, Illinois; 
Jarries A., Stanley S., Emma, and Arthur K., all of New Albany. 

Mr. Hoover was educated at the Morse Academy, New Albany, and 
when eighteen years old engaged in the drug business with his father, where 
he remained until the fall of 1894, when he removed to Jeffersonville, where 
he embarked in business for himself. Mr. Hoover was twice married, the 
first time October 13, 1881, one son being the result of this alliance, Charles 
Leonce, who died at the age of twenty years. The wife died August 5, 1897. 
The second marriage of the subject was to Mrs. Minnie (Conway) McGrath, 
the bride being a widow. She is the daughter of Joseph and Alary Conway, 
and was educated in the schools of Jeffersonville. Her maternal grand- 
father was the first white child born in Jeffersonville. His mother once cooked 
dinner for the Gen. George Rogers Clark party, when on their tour of the 
western wilds. The maternal grandmother of Mrs. Hoover was Mary Cun- 
ningham, a native of New York, and a niece of Robert Alorris of Revolu- 
tionary war fame. The ancestors of Mrs. Hoover were closely identified with 
the Revolutionary period, and some of her family are connected with the 
Daughters of the American Revolution. 

The Reily family, represented by the mother of John \V. Hoover, were 
of Scotch-Irish descent. John AI. Reily was a pioneer physician of Hardins- 
burg, Kentucky. He moved into Orange county in the early thirties, and 
died at New Albany at the age of seventy-eight. Mrs. Hoover has one daugh- 
ter by her first husband, Helen Marguerite, who makes her home with her 
mother and step-father. 



JOHN F. SPEITH. 



The proprietor of one of the leading confectionary and bakery establish- 
ments in Southern Indiana, is a representative of an old and widely known 
pioneer family of Clark county. John F. Speith was born near the town of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 513 

;Meniphis, this county, on the i6th day of January, 1862. His father, Adam 
Speith, a native of Germany, came to the United States when a young- man 
and. procuring a tract of land not far from the al»ve town, cleared and im- 
proved a fine farm, and later in connection with agricultural pursuits, en- 
gaged in merchandising at Alemphis and in due time built up an extensive 
business and became one of the successful men and leading citizens of the 
community. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Amelia Xeumeister, was 
also a native of Germany, and like him came to America in her youth. This 
couple were married in Clark county, Indiana, and here reared their family, 
and achieved much more than ordinary success in their business affairs. ]\Ir. 
Speith accumulating a handsome competence, his fine fruit farm two miles 
west of Memphis ranking among the best improved and most valuable places 
as well as one of the most attractive rural homes in this part of the state. 
Mr. Speith was a man of progressive ideas and tendencies, and to him as 
much as to any other is the town of ]\Iemi)his indebted for its business and 
prosperity. 

His death, which occurred on May 30th. of the year 1908, at an advanced 
age, was felt as a personal loss by the penple with whom he had so long been 
associated. 

Mrs. Speith, wdio survives her husband, makes her home in Jeffersonville, 
where she is well known and highly esteemed for her many sterling qualities. 
She is the mother of a family of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, 
whose names are as follows: Charles, Frank, George, Adam A., John F., 
Joseph, William, and Mrs. Laura Schenck. all living and doing well in their 
respective spheres of endeavor. 

John F. Speith was reared and educated in his native county, and since 
early manhood his life has been closely interwoven with commercial pursuits. 
His business career in Jeffersonville has been eminently progressive and satis- 
factory and as proprietor of one of the most successful bakery and confec- 
tionary establishments in the city he commands an extensive and lucrative 
trade, his patronage being not confined to local custom alone, but taking a 
wide range and including a number of other towns which depend upon him for 
their supplies in the confectionery line. 

Mr. Speith is identified with several lodges, being a member of the Ma- 
sonic orders, in which he has taken a number of degrees, including that of 
Sir Knight and is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
Hope Lodge, Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, Improved Order of Red Men, and the Knights of the Maccabees. In 
his political views he is a Democrat. 

"Mr. Speith is a married man and the father of three children, whose 
names are William, a student at Purdue University, at Lafayette- Amelia, 
pursuing her studies in the Jeffersonville high school, and John P., a student 

33 



514 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IND. 

in the grade schools of the city. The mother of these children was formerly 
Lillie Stauss. daughter of the late William Stauss, of Jeffersonville, and for 
a number of years proprietor of the hotel which bore his name. 



JOHN HEYN. 



The family of this name has been identified with Clark county from a 
very early period and its members have long been well known in railroad 
circles. The founder was Christopher Heyn, who came from Germany dur- 
ing the first half of the nineteenth century and when a young man found his 
way to Southern Indiana in search of a way to procure a living. He had 
learned carpentering and had little difliculty in obtaining work at his trade 
after he reached Jeft'ersonville. Railroads were then in their infancy and 
crude affairs compared to the splendid efficiency now seen on all the great 
lines reaching to every point of the country. Young Heyn applied for a job 
to the company having charge of the road that has since become the Pennsyl- 
vania, and sixty years ago built the frame work of the present freight depot in 
Jeft'ersonville. In early manhood he was married to Carolina Bowman, a 
native of Dayton. Ohio, and one of his children is the subject of this sketch. 
John Heyn was born in Clark coimty in 1S68 and as he grew up was taught 
a knowledge of mechanics, and learned not only how to work, but also to 
save his money. He attended the public schools of Jeffersonville and acquired 
the groundwork of an education which has served him well in his subsequent 
operations. Ambitious and industrious, he began work for himself before 
reaching his twentieth year and by diligence and close attention to business 
has made a success in life. His first railroad job was in 1887 when he se- 
cured employment as a repairer of freight cars at the car works in Jefferson- 
ville. Proving apt in this line he had no trouble in securing further work and 
was engaged at different times by the Big Four, the \\'abash and the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad companies. At first working in a subordinate capacity he soon 
obtained jiromotion to the position of foreman of car repairers and since then 
has always held that place. At present he is foreman of car repairers, in- 
spector and wreck master for a south end of the Louisville division of the 
Pennsylvania, a position of importance and responsibility. He was appointed 
to the place in October. 1900. and consequently has held it over eight years 
to the entire satisfaction of his employers. He is a painstaking w(;rkman. at- 
tentive to duty and always on hand when wanted. Among the numerous rail- 
road employes at this center of railroad acti\'it\'. none stand better in their re- 
spective roles than John Heyn. 

In December, 1898, Mr. Heyn was married in Louisville to Josie, daugh- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 



O^D 



ter of William and Mary Mallott, at Jeft'ersontown. Kentucky. They have 
one son whom they named John Geinger Heyn. and who is now attending the 
city schools. Mr. Heyn is a member of Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Ac- 
cepted ]\Iasons and finds time from his business to indulge in social converse 
with his many friends. He has no political ambitions and gets his chief pleas- 
ure from his home and family, to whum he is warmly attached and for whose 
comfort he provides liberally and generously. 



FRANK R. WILLEY, 



The founder of the Clark county branch of the family of this name was 
Col. John F. W'illey. born at Cincinnati. June 15. 1809. He achieved promi- 
nence as a fruit grower and a worker in the Methodist Episcopal church, of 
which he was a minister. On January 14. 1828. he was commissioned as an 
ensign in the Twenty-second Reg'iment, Indiana Militia, by Governor Roy 
and the year afterward was promoted to a captaincy, which he resigned in 
1834. During the Civil war he was colonel in the Indiana Legion, with head- 
quarters at Jetfersonville. In 1830 he married Pauline Garner, who died in 
1875. and one of the children of this uniim was Dennis F. \\'illey. born De- 
cember 27, 1834, On December 22. 1857. the latter married Rosalie H.. 
daughter of Isaac Prather. a native of Clark county. Dennis F. \Mlley was 
commissioned captain in the Indiana Militia by Governor Morton. November 
14. 1862. and captain of a company in the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh 
Regiment. Indiana Volunteer Infantiy. May 26, 1864. In 1878 he was ap- 
pointed by Governor ^^'illiams. Surveyor of Clark county and served two 
years. He died November 10. 1906. at his home in Jeffersonville. 

Frank R. Willey. son of Dennis F. and Rosalie (Prather) \Mlley. was 
born in L'tica township. Clark county. Indiana, in i860. He remained on the 
farm until the completion of his twentieth year, meantime attending the local 
schools, the business college at New Albany and for a while at Purdue Univer- 
sity. After holding several mercantile positions in Jeffersonville. he formed a 
partnership in September. 1885. with E. M. Coots in the undertaking business. 
This connection continued until 1899. when Mr. Willey. after a year in the 
insurance business, took charge of the Electric Light, Gas. Heating & Coke 
Company's interests in Jeffersonville. Through various changes and court 
complications of the Jeft'ersonville Light & A\'ater Company, during which he 
acted for a while as receiver, the two concerns above referred to were finally 
purchased by and consolidated with the United Gas & Electric Company and 
in 1903 ]\Ir. \\"illey was placed in charge of the business and has continued in 
control up to the present time. Aside from this his only public service was 



5i6 baird's history of clark co._, ixd. 

rendered during his membership of the City Council for two years. October 
20, 1876, he married EUa, daughter of Col. John Ingram. The family of 
this name included a number of members who became prominent in the various 
walks of life. 



\MLLIAM THOMAS INGRAM. 

William Thomas Ingram was born in Charlestown, Clark county, In- 
diana, December 7, 1857, his parents being \\'illiam Austin and Nancy V. 
(Foutz) Ingram, who lived on Fourteen ^lile creek, near New \\'ashington. 
At the age of seven he was brought to Jefferson ville, which has ever since been 
his home. After a course in the public schools he studied law at the Univer- 
sity of Louisville, but after leaving his studies engaged in the gravel business 
and farming. His brother. John Ellington Ingram, was at one time Clerk of 
Clark county. One of his sisters, who married Charles D. Armstrong, died 
in 1896. Julia Ingram, another sister, is a practicing physician in Louisville. 
In November, 1884, William T. Ingram married Anna L., daughter of Con- 
gressman Jonas G. Howard, and their children consisted of four sons, whose 
names are: Jonas Howard, Homer L., Warren T. and William A. The In- 
grams have for years been regarded as among Clark county's best citizens. 
Whether holding civil or military positions and in the various lines of busi- 
ness to which they have turned their attention, their records have been good 
as men of efficiency and integrity. 



COL. JOHN NELSON INGRAM. 

This family name was familiar during the pioneer period, both in Ken- 
tucky and Southern Indiana as far back as the first quarter of the last cen- 
tury. James Ingram, who was born in Pennsylvania, February 5, 1790, 
came West in his youth and was married in 181 5 in Oldham county, Ken- 
tucky, to Nancy, daughter of John and Eliza (Lindsay) Austin. John Aus- 
tin served as a soldier of the patriot army during the entire period of the Revo- 
lutionary war. James Ingram fought under General Jackson at the battle 
of New Orleans. Later in life he removed to Jefferson county, Indiana, and 
died there, March 13, 1827, at the early age of thirty-seven. His children 
were Mary Elizabeth, William Austin, Malinda Jane, James Wesley, Julia 
Ann and John Nelson, of whom there are two survivors. Malinda J. is the 
wife of Alexander Chambers, of Danville, Indiana ; Julia A. married John 
Ritchie and resides at Indianapolis. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 517 

John Xelsun Ingram, the youngest of this family, was born in Jefferson 
county, Indiana, November 29, 1825, and died October 30, 1908. His early 
years were spent on a farm, with the usual attendance at the country schools 
during the winters. When about fourteen years old, he was apprenticed to 
Isom Ross, at Madison, to learn the tanner's trade. In 1846 he enlisted in 
Company G, Third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under command 
of Col. Hames H. Lane, for service in the ^lexican war. He was in the bat- 
tle of Buena Vista and other affairs in the progress of the American army 
to the capital of the Montezumas. After the war. receiving an honorable dis- 
charge, he returned to his tanner's trade at Madison. In 1848 he came to 
Jefifersonville and established a tannery. Being fond of military tactics, he 
organized in 1859 an independent company of militia, of which he was made 
captain. In 1862 Governor Morton authorized him to raise a regiment to be 
known as the Independent Legion, of which he was appcnnted colonel. Through 
inability to get equipment it was impossible to carry out the original design 
and after a year Colonel Ingram resigned to devote his time to the large 
tanning business he had established, turning over his military command to 
Colonel Willey. After the CWW war he dismantled his old tannery and with 
the machinery established a new one at Claysburg. In 1856 he was elected 
to the City Council from the second ward and served two years. He was re- 
elected in 1865. '~j and '79. In 1863 he was elected school trustee, which 
position he held for twenty-seven years. On Februaiy 14, 1848. he joined 
Monroe Lodge of Odd Fellows at Madison, and for some time he was the last 
surviving member of Tabor Lodge, No. 92, of the same order at Jefiferson- 
ville. He was a member of Wall Street Methodist church and was its Stewart 
for many years. 

In 1859 Colonel Ingram married Margaret E. McGonnigal, of Clark 
county. She was the daughter of Daniel McGonnigal. who was born in Col- 
umbia county. Pennsylvania, November. 1800. of Irish parentage. February 
22. 1824. he married Hannah Herrin and removed to Tiffin. Ohio, using a 
wagon to haul their iKaisehold goods and walking all the way. In 1833 he 
went to Jefiferson count}-. Indiana, and in 1848 came to Jefifersonville. He 
built the first car for the old road in a small shop back of where St. Augus- 
tine's Academy now stands. It was hauled on a dray to the railway bv Floyd 
Applegate. This venerable pioneer died in 1891 at the residence of Colonel 
Ingram. The latter had five children : Man,' Olive died in infancy ; James 
Austin, born December 2. 1853. died November 21. 1899: John, born Novem- 
ber II, 1855, died July 25. 1908: Elizabeth, born March 2. 1859, married 
Jacob S. Fry. one time Treasurer of Clark county, now living in Pomona, Cali- 
fornia ; Ella, wife of Frank R. W'illey, was bom February 10, 1866. John D. 
Ingram was well known as district manager of the American Car & Foundry 
Company. He started as a water carrier and nail sorter and worked his way 



5l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

up step by step until he reached the position held at his death. His wonderful 
knowledge of every branch of car building made him a valuable man to his 
company. James Austin Ingram was educated at Greencastle, jMacticed law 
and was City Attorney in 1879 and 1881. Later he became a civil engineer 
in Texas, but afterwards returned to JeiTersonville, where he remained until 
his death. Mrs. Frank R. W'illey, the youngest child of Colonel Ingram, has 
four children : Frank Ingram, Rosalie, Margaret and Walter Watts \\'illey, 
these being the only grandchildren. 



JOHN L. GLASER. 



In 1865 a young German in his twenty-first year and full of the spirit of 
adventure decided that he would cross the ocean and help the Federal army 
crush out the Rebellion. He was enthusiastic over the cause of the Union, 
opposed slavery and anxious to see the great western Republic free to realize 
its own grand destiny. Feeling this way it was with high spirits that he 
stepped on the docks of New York after the tedious ocean voyage and hastened 
to St. Louis, where he was directed to Jefferson barracks. Making known 
his desires the ambitious soldier was much chagrined when informed after 
taking the oath of allegiance that the war was over and his services would 
not be needed. The incipient hero thus foiled of his object was John L. 
Glaser, whose birth occurred at Weimar, Sa.xony, in 1844, his parents being 
Gottlieb and Dorothea Maria (Scheller) Glaser. Fortunately he had learned 
the trade of carpenter and builder in Germany find was thus not without a 
means of making a living in the strange land. He had no difficulty in getting 
a job, as he was a sober, industrious and expert workman, and he worked 
at his trade in St. Louis for nearly three years. Here also he met his "fate" as 
the story-writers would express it, as he became acquainted with a fine Ger- 
man girl, who subsequently became his wife. It was in 1868 that he mar- 
ried Anna, daughter of William and Rosena Teich. Removing to Louisville 
Mr. Glaser spent the next four years at his trade in that city and from there 
crossed the Ohio to Jeffersonville. Here he continued carrying on the busi- 
ness of building and in 1892 put up a structure which was intended for his 
own individual use. In this building, situated at Court and Mechanic streets, 
he placed a stock of groceries and put out his sign for trade. The business 
thus begun has proved prosperous and to it Mr. Glaser has since devoted all 
his time. 

His marriage was blessed by the birth of a family of seven children, thus 
descrited: Minnie, wife of Charles HoefTling, of Niles, Ohio; Amelia, wife of 
Edward Norton, of Jeffersonville; Max W., a carpenter and builder of the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 519 

same city; Harry, a resident of Cincinnati : Rosa, wife of Fred Gepehart, like- 
wise of Jeffersonville : Emma, who remains at home, and Ernest, who is em- 
ployed in Cincinnati. ^Ir. Glaser is a member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows and the Eagles. He at one time sen'ed in the City Council, and 
worships at the Lutheran church. Through his mother Mr. Glaser is an heir 
to the great Koller-Scheller estate at Bamberg, Bavaria, and the family have 
great expectations in this direction. It is often a topic of conversation at the 
family fireside and the children as well as the parents love to dwell on what 
they will do when this Bavarian money comes to enrich them. Ail of their 
friends, and they have many, hope to see them realize on this good fortune 
and feel sure that if it comes the Glasers will spend it with the prudence and 
wise frugality that is characteristic of people of the great German race. 



THOMAS L. LeCLARE. 



Teftersonville has long been a producer of railroad men and many of 
them make their homes in this city. This sketch will tell something about one 
of the most popular of the you'iger generation in charge of the great trans- 
portation system of the country, carrying passengers and freight to every 
point and comer of the Union. The founder of the family here was Peter F. 
LeClare, a native of France, who came to this country many years ago. He 
married Susan Gardener. Their son, also named Peter F.. married Mary, 
daughter of Thomas D. and Margaret (Bell) Lindsay, a family of Scotch- 
Irish descent, who came here from Northern Ireland. Thomas D. Lindsay 
was in the employment of the old Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis 
Railroad during the Civil war. Peter F LeClare had four children, Thomas 
L., James N., Ida and Susie. Ida married Oscar Bateman, of Jeffersonville. 
The mother of this family had two sisters, one of whom married a Mr. Smith, 
an engineer, and the other a Mr. Harrod, who is a conductor, and both well 
known in railroad circles. Members of the Lindsay family have been in the 
employment of the local branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad ever since the 
beginning of the Civil war. 

Thomas L. LeClare was born at Jeffersonville, October 28, 1870. After 
going through the public schools he learned the moulder's trade, but soon 
abandoned this to indulge in an inherited tendency for railroading. Ever 
since June, 1893, he has been with the Pennsylvania lines in one capacity and 
another until finally he reached the grade of conductor on the Louisville di- 
vision. During the terrible floods of 1883, 1884, in the Ohio river he was 
newsboy and at considerable peril to his life courageously delivered his papers 
in a skiff. His father was a member of the police force and also street 



520 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

commissioner of Jeffersonville, in which positions he gained a wide acquaint- 
and achieved popularity as an efficient official. Mr. LeClare belongs to Hope 
Lodge, Knights of P}'thias, and Division No. 303, Order of Railway Con- 
ductors. 

June 8, 1892, Mr. LeClare was married to Nora, daughter of Thomas 
J. and Elizabeth fRobbins) Donahe\r, who brought Mrs. LeClare here from 
Scott county when she was eight years of age. They have one daughter, Liez. 
The parents are members of the Wall Street Methodist Episcopal church and 
popular figures in the younger social set. 



JOSEPH C. DOUBET. 

A number of French immigrants settled in the region around the Falls 
of the Ohio during the first half of the nineteenth century and their descend- 
ants may be found throughout Kentucky and Indiana. LTsually they seek the 
agricultural pursuits, especially fruit growing, though they are frequently 
found in connection with the mechanical arts, in which their nation is fa- 
mous. They seem to have a special talent for engineering and France has pro- 
duced some of the greatest engineers of the world, both in civil and militaiy 
life. Jeffersonville has been fortunate in her citizenship of French extraction 
and in none more so than the young man whose name heads this sketch. His 
ancestors were early domesticated in America, as it was as far back as 1827 
that his grandfather. Peter Doubet, reached these frhores. He was a native of 
LeRoy, France, and a member of a social connection, widely known at that 
place in the older days. Peter settled in Portland. Kentucky, and it was at 
that place that his son, Joseph P. Doubet, was bom. \\'hen a boy he removed 
to New Albany, where eventuallv he learned his trade and in due time became 
master mechanic in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad. When the Civil 
war broke out he determined not to be out-done in patriotism by any of his 
neighbors, but to ofter his services in the cause of the L'nion. With this end in 
view he enlisted in the Twenty-third Regiment and went to the front and 
served faithfully for three years. Starting a private, he rose to the rank of 
first sergeant, and his comrades always spoke of him as a faithful soldier, 
who was always ready for his duty, however arduous it might be. He mar- 
ried Mary B., daughter of Perry Wilson, a native of Orange county. Indiana, 
but removed to Clark county and lived there for some thirtv years, north of 
Jeffersonville, engaged in farmmg. It was at this countrv home that his 
daughter was married and here he resided until the day of his death. 

Joseph C. Doubet was born in New Albany, November 28, 1873. but was 
brought to Jefifersonville by his parents during infancy, and has remained here 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 52I 

ever since. He was educated in the public schools but also took a course in 
the business college at New Albany. Having a natural turn for the me- 
chanical arts, he cultivated that faculty diligently until he became a licensed 
steam and electrical engineer. In 1889 he helped wire Jeffersonville for the 
first electric lights and has ever since been engaged with citv lighting and 
contracting companies. He has built se\eral electric lighting plants, inckiding 
the one at Corydon. His brother, Morton Doubet, was killed on electric wires 
in Jeffersonville, August 17, 1903, the first accident of the kind in the city. 
On March 18, 1897, Mr. Doubet married Roberta, daughter of Wil- 
liam and Henrietta Simms, of Corydon, Indiana. 



JOSEPH G. MOORE. 



Wherever found the Englishman is able to hold his own with the best 
and usually he makes a good citizen, a good worker, and a reliable employe. 
A fine sample of the English woiking class is aft'orded by Joseph G. Moore, 
who was born near Bristol, England, January 7, 1841. He was still under 
age when he reached the shores of America and during the Civil war was 
employed on a steamboat engaged in the Lake Erie trade. At a later period 
he went to the new state of Nebraska, which was then sparsely settled and 
still decidedly of the "wild and woolly \\'est." Omaha, however, already 
showed signs of becoming a city of importance and in this young town Mr. 
Moore secured work in the car shops of one of the railroads. He did not re- 
main there long, however, but shortly after the close of the Civil war located 
at Jeft'ersonville, and was employed for a brief period for the American Car 
& Foundry Company. He then established a news agency and took charge of 
the circulation for the Indianapolis Journal, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Louis- 
ville Courier-Journal, Louisville Times and Jeffersom-ille Times. He built 
up a business in this line which yielded him a fair livelihood, and continued 
the business until the time of his death, August 29, 1906. For several years, 
while a resident of Port Fulton, he was a member of the school board, and 
at one time acted as its treasurer. He was a member of the Alethodist Epis- 
copal church at Port Fulton, and of Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted 
Masons. 

In 1883 Mr. ]\Ioore married Mrs. Mary E. Girdner. widow of John Gird- 
ner, of GreeuAille. She was the daughter of William and Thruza McClellan, 
of Memphis, Indiana, where the former ran a wool carding machine. Mr. 
and Mrs. Moore had two sons, Joseph Granville and Orville Frank, both quiet 
and unassuming boys of steady habits and excellent character. Joseph is a 
promising student at DePauw University, and Orville has charge of his 



^22 BAIRU S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

father's business, which he is managing with good judgment and success. Gran- 
ville McClehan, a brother of Airs. Moore, is conductor on the Bahimore & 
Ohio Raliroad. and resides in Jefifersonville. Mrs. Amanda Huckleberry, 
Mrs. Moore's only sister, is a resident of Newburg, Oregon. Mrs. Aloore's 
cozy little cottage shows by its neat appearance the presence of a good house- 
keeper and all the surroundings give indications of a happy and affectionate 
family. 



EDGAR LEON CREAMER. 

The founder of this name in Clark county was James Creamer, a native 
of North Carolina, who came to Floyd county, Indiana, in the early days, 
making the long trip overland m a wagon. His son, Benjamin J., married 
Harriet Cox, a woman of an excellent family and many domestic virtues. 
Her parents came from Sunset. Kentucky, and most of her male relatives 
were connected in one way or another with the river service. James Phillips, 
her brother-in-law, was an inventor of useful appliances connected with steam- 
boat engines. He and one of the Cox brothers lost their lives by the explosion 
of the steamboat "Missouri," on which they were employed. 

Edgar L. Creamer, a son of Benjamin J. and Harriet (Cox) Creamer, 
was torn in Floyd county, Indiana. February 26, 1861. During his boyhood 
he resided in New Alijany, but came with his parents to Jeffersonville in 
1875. His father was a ship carpenter and an employee in Howard's ship 
yards for many years, until his death in 1905. Mr. Creamer learned the 
stove moulder's trade and followed it for seven years and then devoted his 
time for four years to car building. From this he went into the bakery busi- 
ness, which he has carried on for some eighteen years with fair success and 
also conducts a grocery in connection with the former. In addition to his 
other lines of work, he has had experience in blacksmithing and painting. He 
is a member of Myrtle Lodge, Knights of Pythias, in Jeffersonville. His 
brother, Walter Cox Creamer, removed to Alaska and has charge of a large 
amusement place at Dawson City. 

On October 26, 1890, Air. Creamer married Helena Marie F.. daughter 
of Charles and Katherine Seitz. The father was born in Germany in 1835, 
and the mother was a daughter of Joseph Schraffenberger. Charles Seitz 
served four years as a soldier during the Civil war, and made a good record 
in the Federal army. Mr. and Mrs. Creamer have three children : Charles 
Benjamin, Leta Lucile and Catherine Cox. It will be seen that the Creamers 
are of excellent stock on both sides of the house and their relatives have clone 
their full share in upbuilding the industries and transportation systems of the 
lower Ohi(5 vallev. As steamb(5at men, skilled mechanics, and in other lines 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 523 

of business the Creamers, Coxes and Seitzes have worked faithfully and suc- 
cessfully and have long been favorably known to those who do business on 
the great river and in the towns and cities along its banks. Edgar Leon 
Creamer has worked his way up through various useful employments until 
he is now able to live comfortably and independently on the resources he has 
earned as the result of a life of industry and saving. Still in the prime of 
life he may reasonably look forward to many years of happiness surrounded 
by a growing family and loving wife and a household possessed of all the com- 
forts and many of the luxuries that make living enjovable. 



W'lI.LIAM WEBER. 



It was during the Civil war that a German family by the name of Weber 
came over and settled in Louisville. Three sisters oi German birth by the 
name of Carl sought a h(jme in the same city, where one of them married 
John Troxler, another, John Decker, while the third became the wife of John 
Weber, a son of the first mentioned immigrants. After marriage the latter 
couple settled in Jeffersonville, where the husband became an undertaker in 
the employ of the government tn bury the soldier dead. They had eight chil- 
dren, all but one of whom are li\ing. Nellie, the one who died, was the wife 
of John Yonkers, an engineer on the Pennsylvania Railway. The sunivors 
are: Matilda, who married J. E. C. Eaken, of Jeffersonville: John, who .mar- 
ried a Miss Shaw, and has earned a competence in California, where he re- 
sides : Edward, who married Mary Pillion, and is engaged in the whole- 
sale grocery business in Jeffersonville ; Anna, the wife of Thomas Gorman, 
resides in Borden, Indiana: William, onr subject; Nora, at Bedford, Indiana; 
Henry, also married, is a resident of Los Angeles, California. 

William Weber, who is number five in the above list, was born at Jef- 
fersonville, }ilarch 23, 1863. At fourteen years of age he obtained a unique 
employment, which amusingly illustrates the progress of events during the 
last thirty years. His duty was to ride a horse down the track in front of 
trains and flag the people to get out of the way at crossings. Safety gates, 
towers and automatic switches were wholly unknown in those days and the 
roads had not even adopteil the device of placing flagmen at the crossings. 
Young Weber got along very well as an outrider for trains until one day a 
team of mules, driven tandem and drawing a coal cart fa feature peculiar to 
Louisville), was ground up in the horrified presence of the boy. This was 
too much for his tender nerves so he threw up his job and quit the railroad 
life forever. After considerable experience in vari(ius mercantile lines and as 
traveling salesman for a wholesale grocerv, ^Ir. \A'eber went into the grocerv 



524 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

business for himself in 1886, and has prospered. His stand is on Spring 
street, and is now one of the best known business points in Jeffersonville. In 
addition to his regular line he does a large business as shipper of butter, eggs, 
poultiy and other produce. He is energetic and progressive, a good buyer as 
well as seller of popular address and understands bodi how to get and how to 
keep customers. 

November 28, 1907, Mr. W'eber was married to Mrs. Theresa Laurie, 
an estimable and intelligent member of one of the city's substantial families. 
She was the widow of the late \\'illiam Laurie, superintendent of the foundry 
for the American Car &• Foundry Company of Jefferson\-i]le 



WILLIAM QUICK. 



In brief space is to be here reviewed a sample of the self-made and well 
made man. William Quick was born in Jeffersonville, March 18, 1861, and 
is still in the prime of life. His parents were Warren Thomas and Hen- 
rietta (Hyman) Quick, who were unable to do much for their promising boy 
and at an early age be was compelled to shift for himself. During his youth 
he obtained some valuable experience as a clerk in the grocery line. He was 
fortvmate in securing the friendship of Eli Thompson, a well-to-do and meth- 
odical business man. whose advice and example proved valuable. After con- 
ducting concerns for two others successfully, Mr. Quick wisely determined 
to branch out for himself, realizing that no one ever gets rich v/orking on a 
small salary. He was unfortunate, however, in choosing a poor locality and 
the venture proved unprofitable. The next move turned out better. While 
working for the wages of a day laborer be had been saving and the proceeds 
of this thrift enabled him to make an investment that turned out prosperously. 
Disposing of this at the right time he found himself in possession of a snug 
sum which only needed prudent investment to yield fair results. In Novem- 
ber, 1897, he bought the place where he is at present located and where he 
has built up an excellent business. The establishment includes a large stock 
of groceries, combined with dry goods and notions, and i:i conducted with 
the skill and good judgment acquired during a lifetime of training in prac- 
tical affairs. In this same place two others before him had failed in the effort 
to build up in the same line of goods and there was a general prediction that 
he also would fall a victim to the "hoodoo." Nothing daunted, he took hold 
and in three years has not only established a thriving mercantile plant, but 
has also acquired seventeen pieces of real estate, which is productive of a re- 
liable income. All of this has been accomplished by bard work on limited 
resources and in spite of the obstacles which beset every venture in the 
world of trade. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 525 

July I, 188(3, Mr. Quick was happily married tu Emma, daughter of 
Charles and Rosanna Schifler, of Jeffersonville. They have four children : 
Samuel H., Carrie B., Edwin !,., and ]\Iartha. They are all promising and 
show that they have inherited the qualities of their father. Mr. Quick is a 
member of the Kwasind Tribe of Red Men and affiliates with the Lutheran 
church. Though not a society man he has mingled much with those who 
carry on the business afifairs of the city and being a good mixer has acquired 
a large acquaintance and many warm friends who admire his many excellent 
traits of character. Those who find life hard and are struggling against the 
difficulties of a cold world may take courage and a new resolution by re- 
ferring to the career and achievements of William Quick. 



JOHN B. MURPHY. 



This sketch deals with one of the wealthiest as well as one of the most 
successful of the vast army of Irish who figured prominently in the develop- 
ment and progress of our transportation facilities. 

John B. Murphy was born at Toledo, Ohio, June 29, 1852, his parents 
being Michael and Mary ^lurphy, who emigrated from Ireland a few years 
previously. Their son remained at the place of his birth until he reached the 
age of twenty-one, when he started out to seek his fortune. Coming first to 
Louisville he soon crossed over to the smaller town of Jeffersonville and suc- 
ceeded in getting a job with the Pennsylvania Railroad on December 2, 1872. 
His first position was as night switchman in Louisville, and later in the same 
line of work at Jeffersonville. which was follow-ed by promotion to the yard 
foremanship, in daytime. In 1879 he was made yard master in Jefferson- 
ville and two years later was given the place of yardmaster at the Tenth 
street transfer station in Louisville. In November of the same year he was 
transferred to Jeffersonville as yardmaster, which he held until July. 1891, 
when he was promoted to the general yard mastership in Louisville, which 
position he still holds, showing a continuous service with the Pennsylvania 
of over thirty-six years. Mr. Muiphy has been honored with various posi- 
tions of trust both by election and appointment. He served in the Citv Coun- 
cil continuously from 1890 to 1900. In 1901 he was appointed a member of 
the Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners by Governor Durbin, and 
was re-appointed on the expiration of his term in 1904. In 1907 Governor 
Hanly selected him as his own successor and he is now serving his third term 
in this important position. 

In 1873 Mr. Murphy married Margaret E. McManus, by whom he has 
eight children, five reaching maturity : Frances Louisa, who is the wife of 



526 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Charles Kerrig-an ; James P.. a resident of Louisville; Genevieve, John B., 
Jr.. who is married and lives near his father's home, and Alary, the wife of 
Joseph Clem, of Jeffersonville. Mr. Murphy is a memher of the Catholic 
Knights of America, the Knights and Ladies of America, Knights of Co- 
lumhus, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The family are members of 
the St. Augustine Catholic church and are numbered among the esteemed 
people of the city, both in their social circle and in the industrial world, 
where Mr. Murphy has so long borne his share in the duties and responsi- 
bilities. 



JOSEPH GOODMAN. 



When Isaac Whiteside was just beginning his bakery in a simple way 
at Jeffersonville there came to him one day a young German seeking employ- 
ment. The proprietor, who is a good judge of men, was pleased with the ap- 
plicant and gave him a trial at moderate wages. This young man. like most 
of his countrvmen who come over here "made good." to use one of our 
American colloquial terms. Born in Germany in i860, son of Andreas and 
Mary Goodman, he had learned the baker's trade at an early age of fourteen 
years and soon began to long to try his fortune in the great Republic across 
the sea, of whose opportunities for gaining wealth he had often heard. He 
finallv succeeded in his ambition and in 1882 found himself on the docks of 
the great city of New York. Determining that he could do better inland he 
lost little time in the East, l:)Ut pushed resolutely toward the land of promise 
beyond the Alleghanies. It was in 1883 that young Goodman appeared before 
Mr. \\'hiteside, after a short service with whom he determined to branch out 
for himself. In the fall of 1884 he founded a partnership with Gottlieb Heil- 
enman for the puipose of conducting a bakery, but this was soon dissolved 
and Mr. Goodman assumed sole charge of the business. In 1886 he moved 
to a more eligible situation, on Spring street near Court avenue, where he 
gradually added a stock of groceries and the two combined soon began to 
show signs of prosperity. After eleven years at this stand the store was es- 
tablished in a building across the street at the location which has become one 
of the well known features of the city. German thrift and industry ne\'er 
fail to produce results, and what was a very small affair at first has developed 
slowly and conservatively into a prosperous bakery and grocery in combina- 
tion. Mr. Goodman, like all Germans, is sociable and companionable, with a 
fondness for fraternities and societies for improvement and recreation. He 
is a member of the Order of Modern Woodmen, treasurer of the German Aid 
Society and a devoted adherent of St. Anthony's Catholic church. 

May 31. 1881, Mr. Goodman married Emma, daughter of Edward and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 527 

Rebecca (Nock) Kasper. and they have four children. The eldest took for his 
wife Lillie Belle INleisner and they have two children. Marvin Joseph and 
Emma Louise. The father is a plumber and dealer in plumbers' and pas- 
fitters' supplies; Harr\-, Edward and Emma, the other three cliildren. reside 
with their parents. The Goodmans have their residence in the same build- 
ing as the store, which is open all the time and presided over by a family that 
never forgets to be affable and courteous. As in the typical German house- 
hold, the good wife is a large factor, and Mrs. Goodman is no exception to 
this rule. 



CAPT. W ILLIA:\r HOWARD. 

The prospects were not pleasing when George and Katherine (Hoke) 
Howard moved from their Kentucky home to the wilds of Clark county, In- 
diana. Their land of five hundred acres, situated about two miles from Charles- 
town, where the count}' asylum now stands, was almost a virgin forest. 
Great has been the transformation as today it is triangulated with railroads, 
a trolley line and a turnpike. With this pioneer couple came \\'illiam Howard, 
a son, who was born in Jefferson county, Kentucky, and became a partner 
in a firm of contractors engaged in building Market street from the car 
works to the Howard Ship Yards. For two years he ran an omnibus line 
from the end of the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad to New 
Albany, and served as City Marshal from 1857 to 1861. In the latter year he 
enlisted as a private in a company of the Fifty-third Regiment Indiana Vol- 
unteer Infantry, but soon elected second lieutenant and at the uattle of At- 
lanta obtained promotion to the captaincy. He took part in the battle of 
Chattahoochee river, the siege of Corinth, the engagements at Grand Gulf 
and Jackson, Mississippi, and maneuvers which drove the Confederates be- 
hind the walls of Vicksburg. During the siege that followed the Fifty-third 
Indiana was under fire of the enemy's guns for thirty-seven days and Cap- 
tain Howard shared fully in all his regiment's dangers. After the surrender 
he helped to drive Gen. Joe Johnston's forces from Jackson and was with the 
triumphant Sherman in all the fighting from Chattanooga to Atlanta, during 
the memorable campaign of 1864. \Miile at Chattanooga he was on de- 
tached service in command of a large force of men looking after the convales- 
cents drafted and woimded. He was in the engagements of North Carolina, 
preceding the surrender of Joe Johnston and helped to give the final strokes 
to the dying Confederacy. After the war Captain Howard was employed for 
a while as a guard at the State Prison, South, and later was appointed Deputy 
A\'arden under Colonel Schuler. As a car]ienter and inspector of goods he 
was employed for thirty years in the (|uartermaster's department liut resigned 



5^8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

in July, 1900, on account of ill health. The captain in retirement loves to 
talk of the older days, where liis grandfather Hoke raised tobacco on a large 
farm near Jeffersontown, in Kentucky. His aunts worked in the field and 
made cigars which were retailed for ten cents a hundred tied up in pack- 
ages with a piece of bark. Captain Howard treasures as a curious heirloom 
two cigars \\hich his aunts made over a hundred years ago. He also cher- 
ishes a big key, which opened his father's mill at Fisherville, Kentucky. His 
father, who came from the eastern shore of Maryland to the woods of Ken- 
tucky was bound out and learned the trade of millwright. 

In 1846 Captain Howard married Xancy, daughter of Leven and 

( Grismore) Howard, by which uni(in there were four children : 

Rose A., who died in 1904; Lydia C, who died in i860: Lucinda, who is her 
father's homekeeper, and Fannie Belle, wife of T. M. Dehoney, who resides 
in Chicago. The mother died in February, 1855, and when the father started 
to war it was with an aching heart that he left his four ch.ildren with his par- 
ents as he marched away to fight his country's battles. In October. 1869, 
Captain Howard married Laura A. Porter, a native of Breckenridge county, 
Kentucky, who died in September, 1903. The ceremony was notable, being 
the first marriage that took place in the Presbyterian church at Jeffersonville. 
In 1845 the captain became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and 
is at present a member of the Wall Street church, for whose construction he 
carried the first brick. Formerly he was for a time a member of the Presby- 
terian church and served as elder. He is a member of the Golden Cross and 
has been a staunch Republican since the organization of that partv. 



HON. REUBEN DAILEY. 

A strong virile and picturesque personality, generous disposition and strong 
convictions on important questions, were the traits that made this veteran editor 
of Jeffersonville influential at home and widely known abroad. During the 
days of his activity his name was familiar all over the state and few of Indiana's 
newspaper men so impressed their individuality upon the public or were so fre- 
quently mentioned in the news columns. He was of foreign nativity of mixed 
English and Irish descent. Michael Dailey, the paternal grandfather, who was 
a native of Queen's county, Ireland, and a pronounced Roman Catholic, mar- 
ried a Miss Gibson, who was just as pronounced a Protestant, and reared all 
her sons in that faith. William Bird, the maternal grandfather, was an Eng- 
lishman by birth and a shoemaker by trade, : was of very religious tempera- 
ment, and composer of sacred music. He married Sarah Singleton, and Han- 




REUBEN DAILY. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 529 

nah Bird, a daughter of this union, became tlie wife of Nicholas A., son of 
Michael Dailey, and this couple were the parents of the mited Indiana citizen, 
who constitutes the subject of this sketch. 

Reuben Dailey was bom at Tottenham. Middlesex county, England, 
March 6, 1844, being the youngest of a family of nine children, of whom the 
only daughter and four sons reached maturity. Reuben was strongly inclined 
towards a ministerial career, but his father offered violent opposition to this 
choice, his argument being that preachers should not be educated in the or- 
dinary way. but depend on supernatural influence for their accomplishments. 
When still quite young ]\Ir. Dailey came to the United States and spent some 
time at Pittsburg and Cincinnati, but was living at Newport, Kentuck\-. at the 
breaking out of the Civil war. He was eager to enlist, but met opposition on 
account of his youth, later, however, succeeding in enrolling himself as a mem- 
ber of Company F. Fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which in 
due time he joined the Army of the Potomac. An illustration of his youthful 
ambitiiin as well as the characteristic turn of his mind is found in the fact that 
in addition to his accoutrements he always carried with him a set of shorthand 
books. These he studied industriously in leisure moments, having made up 
his mind to become a reporter. Being religious and moral he avoided the or- 
dinary dissipations of camp life, such as cards, profanity and drink and long 
before the end of his enlistment he Iiad mastered the intricacies of shorthand 
reporting. During his service of three years and two months he was frequentlv 
employed as clerk for the company and the brigade surgeon being wounded 
in the face in an engagement that took place at Culpeper Court House, August 
9, 1862, he was shortly afterwards detailed as clerk to General Halleck. subse- 
quently acting as shorthand reporter for several court martial and military 
commissions. In April, 1865, ^Ir. Dailey became river reporter for the Mem- 
phis Argus, and retained this place for three years and a half, during which 
time he held the offices of magistrate and United States Commissioner, the 
latter by appointment of Jndge Trigg. 

By mere accident in January, 1869, he obtained a position as reporter on 
the Louisville Courier Joumal, and was assigned to Jeffersonville and New 
Albany. Later he bought the National Democrat, a weekly publication, and 
on November 18. 1872, began the publicatiiin of the Jeffersonville Evening 
News, in handbill form. From that time until the close of his career, he was 
editor and publisher of this sprightly sheet, which was the first daily paper 
ever published in Clark county. He steadily improved the quality, while in- 
creasing the size of his paper, and achieved a financial success, which was 
chiefly due to his versatility and enterprising methods. Originally Republican 
in politics. Mr. Dailey's views underwent a change as a result of what he saw 
of the working reconstruction in the South, and he returned to Indiana as a 

34 



530 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

convert to Democracy. By liis personal activity and. strong editorial utterances 
he wielded a potential influence for his party in and around Jeffersonville, and 
was long regarded as one of the "wheel-horses." In 1892 Mr. Dailey was 
elected to the lower House of the State Legislature as Representative fnim 
Clark county and made a creditable record. For two years he served as chair- 
man of the Democratic Central Committee of Clark county, and in this position 
exercised a large influence. Mr. Dailey was generous to a fault, never turning 
a deaf ear to any applicant, and though often imposed on readily forgave the 
impostor if occasion made it necessan-. He kept what he called his museum, 
which contained objects purchased from mendicants merely as an excuse for 
giving. His last illness, which began in January, terminated fatally on April 
8, 1906, and during the time he .proved a very patient sufferer, never nnuTnur- 
ing. however great the pain. Mr. Dailey's funeral occurred April iith, and 
while his remains laid in state at the First Presbyterian church, of which he 
was a member at the time of his death, they were viewed by all the school 
children and nearly every man, woman and child in the city. Most of the 
leading business men at one time were carriers on his paper, the "News." His 
remains rest in the Eastern cemeten- at Jeffersonville, Indiana, where, in- 
s:ribed on his tomb are the words, "He lived for others." 

On December 26, 1865, Mr. Dailey was married at Newport, Kentucky, 
to Anna Eliza Deviney, a native of Louisville, and the only surviving child 
of Captain Madison Deviney. There were five children by this union, as fol- 
lows : Kate Middleton, Bird, Reuben Seymour, all deceased. Those surviving 
are a daughter by the name of Nahma, who married Nelson R, Bird, of the 
Art Engraving Company in London, England. She is quite accomplished as 
an artist and wood carver, having studied in Paris and also under Benjamin 
Pittman and Heniy L. Fi-y, of Cincinnati. The latter was one of the carvers 
for the houses of parliament and the throne of England. Mrs. Bird has three 
children. Clarence Irving Dailey, the only son, now thirty-four years old, suc- 
ceeded his father as editor of the Evening News and publishes the paper in 
connection with his mother. ■ Mr. Dailey's hrme life was ideal, his hospitality 
unstinted and his affection for his household strong and tender. \Ndiile sta- 
tioned at Washington during the war, he professed religion in the Methodist 
church, and subsequenth^ was baptized into the Christian church at Fulton, 
Ohio, although early in life he never had any fixed denominational belief. He 
was a member of Tabor Lodge, No. 92, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; 
Eureka Lmlge, No. 3, Knights nf Pythias : Falls City Lodge No. 8, Ancient 
Order I'nited Workmen; Rain Ccmmandery, No. iq, LT,-,ifed Order of the 
Golden Cross, Veteran Odd Fellows' Association and the Grand .^rmy of the 
Rqxiblic. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. S3 1 

JAMES McGregor. 

In a modest frame cottage on one of the residence streets of Jefferson- 
ville may l>e found an interesting man to talk to in his leisure hours. Large 
and well built, six feet four inches tall, his personality is unusually impres- 
sive, of quiet demeanor and unassuming, it is necessary to "draw him out" 
to talk of himself, though few have more entertaining stories to tell of the 
heroic days when the Union forces were opening the Mississippi. James Mc- 
Gregor was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, September ii, 1840, and 
was a son of Matthew and Ellen ( Veasey) McGregor, the latter the daughter 
of an Irish mother and Vermont father. When four years old James was 
partly orphaned by the death of his father and being taken to Gallia county, 
Ohio, he spent the next eleven years in that locality. In 1855 the family re- 
moved to Henryville, Clark county, Indiana, and four years later he secured 
a job with the Jefifersonville & Madison Railroad Company as construction 
hand. He "stepped off" the distance for the setting of telegraph poles from 
Seymour to Columbus, walking all the way. He was thus employed when 
the Civil war broke out and in 1862 enlisted in the Forty-ninth Regiment, In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front and saw arduous 
service. He participated in the bloody affair at Haines Bluff, when the un- 
successful attack was made to break the lines at Vicksburg. He was with 
his command in the boat trip up White river and overland to Arkansas Post 
when that place was captured with se\-en thousand prisoners. The next severe 
engagement was at Port Gibson, whose capture forced the Confederates to 
abandon Grand Gulf. Sixteen days later Mr. McGregor was taken prisoner 
at the battle of Champion's Hill, but was exchanged several months later and 
took part in a four months campaign in Texas. After a trip up Red river he 
was assigned to guard duty in New Orleans and Algiers for four months. 
Next he was on an ocean steamer for fifteen days, guarding Confederate offi- 
cers who were being taken to New York. The vessel was loaded with powder 
captured in the forts at Mobile and it stopped two days at Key West on the 
voyage to the North. His next service was as train guard on the Kentucky 
Central Railroad, which lasted until his muster out in 1865. Among Mr. 
McGregor's reminscences is a story which establies his reputation as an ex- 
cellent shot. A sharpshooter of the enemy, from a distant clump of brushes, 
was picking off men in the Union skirmish line, one at a time. Five had 
fallen, Mr. McGregor was the seventh in line and as his time was soon to 
come he determined to head off the dangerous "Johnny" if he could. Drop- 
ping to a knee he waited for the next puff of smoke and fired at this target in 
ambush. After the battle he found the dead sharpshooter at the place he had 
made so fatal to the Federals. On another occasion a group of rowdies tried 
to jostle him off the sidewalk, bu.t bringing to bear his massive frame, he 



532 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

shouldered them into the gutter in quick succession and asked ironically if 
they had any friends who wished to meet him. Shortly after the war ?ilr. 
McGregor resumed his old position with the Indiana Railroad Company and 
in two months was appointed brakernan, then foreman and on May 15, 1870, 
was promoted to the place of engineer. He has been with this same company 
since and is probably the oldest continuous employe as he is now in the fiftieth 
year of his service. 

On July 7, 1870, Mr. McGregor married Rebecca J., daughter of Joshua 
and Matilda Bennett, residents of Scott county, one mile east of Vienna. 
They have had six children: William H., the eldest, married a Miss Deark and 
was killed while engineering on the Pennsylvania Railroad. May, 1908, leav- 
ing two children; Belle is the wife of W. A. Poole, a monument dealer; 
Frank is an extra conductor on the Henderson route; James Jr., died in 
childhood ; Nellie married Charles Young and resides west of New Albany ; 
Earl Bennett is with his brother-in-law in the monument business. 

Mr. McGregor is a member of the Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and the Chris- 
tian church of Jeffersonville. 



MAJ. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BURLIXGAME. 

It has been nearly thirty years since he passed away, but hundreds still 
remember "Frank" Burlingame with feelings of regret. A brave, true man 
in all the relations of life he made and held friends as the result of his kindly 
accommodating disposition. He could fight when fighting was necessary, 
but preferred peace, and always dealt nobly with his fellow men. His children 
recall with delight the care and devotion he showed them and are justly proud 
of his memory. The flowers scattered on memorial day reach no mound that 
covers a braver soldier, a warmer friend or a more honest man than this dead 
comrade. Benjamin F. Burlingame was born in Syracuse, New York, in 
1832, his parents being Benjamin F. and Adeline (Merrill) Burlingame. The 
latter located in Wilmington, Dearborn county, Indiana, when their son was a 
small boy and there he grew to man's estate. \\'hile a student at the Wil- 
mington Seminary he was always a leader in the debates as well as the pranks 
so characteristic of abounding youth. He early developed a liking for the 
trades, was not afraid of work and before reaching his majority was able to 
secure good positions. One of these, which he filled acceptably, was as master 
mechanic of the Cochran shops, a large car manufacturing company in the 
suburbs of Aurora. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted as a private 
in a company commanded by Captain Patterson, of Aurora, and the first 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 533 

militaiy organizatifin formed in Dearborn county for tlie Union. He rose 
to the rank of sergeant din'ing the three months' sei-vice, re-enlisted as second 
lieutenant and was later promoted to the position of major. At the battle of 
Carrick's Ford Major Burlingame shot and killed General Garnett, the first 
Confederate officer of that rank who fell in the Civil war, the encounter tak- 
ing place in a thicket. About the year after the close of the war Major Burlin- 
game removed to Jeffersonville and took a position as foreman in the car 
works. He was later made superintendent and held this imp(irtant place until 
his death, in 1880. 

On March 25, 1862, Major Burlingame married Elizabeth, daughter of 
John P. and Rachael (Peynton) Rogers. Three of their children died in 
infancy and Frank, a promising son, passed away at the threshold of life, 
when eighteen years old. The sur\-iving children are Paul, secretary to the 
Mayor of Louisville: Minnie, wife of Charles Rose, who resides in Jefferson- 
ville, and Roger, a reporter for the Louisville Times. Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried Harry Bird, of the Jeffersonville News, died April 16, 1907, leaving one 
child, John Arthur. About 1890 Mrs. Burlingame removed to Greencastle 
in order to give her sons the advantage of an education at DePauw Univer- 
sity. She engaged in business and through no fault of her own became in- 
volved in financial difficulties. Although in a position to refuse payment to 
creditors, like the high-minded woman she is, the opportunity was spurned, 
and she assumed bravely the entire obligation and by her own efforts earned 
the money to pay off every cent. Thus she preserved her financial honor un- 
impaired, besides proving herself a woman of excellent business qualities. 
This is precisely what her lamented husband would have desired her to do 
and in doing it she obtained the additional satisfaction of feeling that she had 
honored his hallowed memnry. by leaving a stainless record for their children. 



CAPT. HENRY DUGAN. 

Mark Twain should have known this veteran boatman before he wrote 
his celebrated account of learning to be a pilot on the Mississippi. Captain 
Dugan could have given him pointers and furnished him lots of humor equal 
to that of Clemens himself. He was born in Switzerland county. Indiana, in 
1853, his parents being W'illiam Perry and Mary (Wiley) Dugan, the latter 
a daughter of a Virginia farmer and the former a son of George Dugan, a 
Baptist preacher in Kentucky. While Henry was a small boy his family re- 
moved to Madison, and in 1862 to Jeffersonville. While at school one day 
he and his fellow pupils saw a lot of Confederate prisoners marching from the 
steamboat landing. The little boys showed their patriotism by throwing 



534 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

gravel at the "Johnny Rebs," among whom happened to be Simon Bolivar 
Buckner, destined to become a candidate of the Gold Democrats for President 
in a later day. When a little older the future steamboatman "played hooky" 
and worked for twenty-five cents an hour helping roll flour onto freight 
vessels. He also worked in the big governnient baker3% where they made 
"hard tack" for the army. A druggist who went to the war turned his store 
over to young Henry and an elder brother and the boys ran it with a rush 
until their father stopped them for fear they would poison someone. Before 
being thus called down they had done a land office business with the soldiers 
and officers camped east of Jeffersonville and were making money. An un- 
amiable school teacher who was too zealous with the rod caused Henry to 
run away from home at the age of thirteen and join a steamboat crew as 
roustabout, bound for New Orleans. He soon became homesick from the 
cursings and thumpings received from his rough associates, but the pilots 
learning that his father was the well known captain on the Louisville mail 
boats rescued him from his pursecutors and taught him to steer the craft. 
On that trip he began his experience as pilot and engineer, the passion for 
which calling has kept him on the river ever since. He has been on the Ohio, 
the Mississippi and its tributaries in every capacity connected with steamboat 
work. He taught the business to his brothers and probably fifty other boys 
acquired the same knowledge from Captain Dugan. He is employed by the 
Louisville and Jeffersonville Ferry Company and for the past twenty years 
has had charge of their excursion boat, handling crowds that average one 
hundred and twenty thousand each summer. He has never had an accident 
for which the management was liable, a record for prudence and skill of which 
any captain might be proud. Captain Dugan has seen Jefifersonville grow 
from a small town, where nearly all the business was on the square of Spring 
street, from Market to the river. When he came here the square on which the 
city hall now stands was a public park. Near the present location of the city 
hall was the primitive log jail, which was in use until a prisoner set it on fire 
and caused its destruction. 

December 24, 1876, Captain Dugan married Hanna, daughter of Charles 
and Adeline (Seibert) Deirflinger. Their six children are: Ida May, wife 
of Clarence E. Howard, a well known contractor and builder of Jefferson- 
ville; Madison, who married Lina Schultz: Harry, who married Myrtle Stig- 
wald; Georgia, wife of William Worral, of Jeffersonville; William Henry, 
assistant engineer of his father's boat; Raymond Scott, at home with his par- 
ents. Captain Dugan is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, and 
the Odd Fellows. His wife is active in the Daughters of Reljekah, as well as 
in the Wall Street Methodist Episcopal church, of which both are members. 
Captain Dugan has represented the Fourth ward in the City Council and at 
present is a member of the County Council, which has the appropriation of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 535 

all county funds. He has been an acti\e Democrat for several years, having 
served during the past campaign in the Cminty Central Committee. 



WILLIAM FLETCHER HOBSOX. 

In the death of the subject of this sketch there was presented to the 
world the sad story of an act of heroism that was seldom, if ever, [jaralleled 
in the state of Indiana, and those who saw William Fletcher Hobson deliber- 
ately sacrifice his life that others might be saved, will never be able to efface 
that scene from their memories. Death in a terrible form came to this cour- 
ageous man when he was in his prime and although he could have escaped it 
by deserting his post, this he refused to do, thinking only of die human freight 
for whose safety he felt himself responsible. When the soul took leave of 
the mangled body it marked the passing of one of the truest friends and 
most honorable citizens of Jeffersonville, a man with a record that was open 
to the inspection of the world. 

No servant of the corporation, in the service of which he met his uritimely 
death, stood higher in the estimation of the officials than Mr. Hobson and 
none were more popular among the employes, for all of wlnim he ever had 
a cheery word and a hearty handclasp. 

Mr. Hobson was born December 2;^. 1861, at Utica, Indiana. His par- 
ents were Manlus and Sarah (Snider) Hobson. Manlus was a school teacher 
and died when William was five years old. The little boy then went to live 
with his grandparents, with whom he remained until November 10. 1885, 
when he was united in marriage to Eva Graves, daughter of Alfred and 
Cynthia (Strutt) Graves, of Charlestown. Five children were the result of 
this marriage, Herbert. May, Otto, Roy and Leta. Herbert and Otto are 
both in the employ of the Louisville & Southern Traction Con:pany. Herbert 
is married, his wife's maiden name being Nellie Blyth. Thev have one son, 
Evan Fletcher Hobson. 

When the first street cars were started in Jeft'ersonville ^Villiam F. Hob- 
son was placed in charge of one of them as motorman. He operated the first 
Gars that were run on the Chestnut and the Court avenue lines, and it was his 
car that hauled the first trailer from New Albany to Jeft'ersonville, and also 
that which was pulled from Jeffersonville to Charlestown. For one year he 
served in the capacity of inspector for the local street railway system. Death 
came to him on July 20, 1907, while at his post of duty, in a collision be- 
tween his car and a big work car near Watson. The work car, through a 
mistake of the motorman as to the time, was pushing along the rails of the 
main line at a great speed, when it should have been on the sidetrack, and 



536 BAIRD's history of CLARK CC^ IND. 

the two cars met on a sharp curve. The subject had plenty of opportunity 
to jump and save his hfe, but instead of doing so he vainly endeavored to 
stop his car, but it had attained a rate of speed that made this impossible, and 
in the terrific crash that came his life went out. 

Herbert Hobson, son of \\'illiam F., had an experience in igo8 that 
would indicate that the young man has inherited some of the nerve that was 
possessed by his father. At the risk of his own life he snatclied an elderly 
woman from in front of an approaching car when there seemed to be no 
chance, whatever, of saving her life. 

Mr. Hobson was a lifelong and most earnest member of the Methodist 
church. He belonged to but one secret order, the Modern Woodmen. That 
he was a man of strong religious convictions was evidenced by the fact that 
a well worn Bible, in which many impressive passages were marked, was 
found on his mangled body. His record may prove a source of inspiration 
to others, and it is certainly a priceless heritage to his widow and children. 
His daily life was proof that he loved his fellnw men and his heroic death 
was the fruits of such a life. 



GEORGE M. RICKARD. 



The story of the career of the gentleman of this review is that of a young 
man. who though confronted at almost every turn in his life with discourage- 
ments and obstacles, never faltered in his determination to reach the goal 
upon which his vision had been focussed since early boyhood. His early 
struggles to secure an education that he might go forth well equipped to take 
up the battle of life were, in a way, a true index to his sturdy character. 

George M. Rickard was born in Toronto, Kansas, October 25, 1881, the 
son of Louis and Sarah E. Rickard, the latter's maiden name being Snyder. 
The parents of George M. had moved from Washington county. Indiana, to 
Kansas in 1876. They remained in the Sttnflower state until George M. 
was seven years old, when they moved to Missouri. At the end of a period 
of three years they returned to Indiana, taking up their residence in Jefifer- 
sonville, where they have lived most of the time since. The paternal grand- 
parents of George M. Rickard were George and Catherine (Motsinger) Rick- 
ard, and they at one time owned an entire section of land. The fomier helped 
build the Louisville and Portland canal. The great-grandfather of Mr. Rick- 
ard came to this country from Germany in 1777, settling in Pennsylvania. 
Later he made a trip to South America, where he remained for seven years, 
returning tn Pennsylvania at the end of that time. The grandfather of the 
subject came west in 1810 and settled in Washington county. Indiana. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. 537 

George M. Rickard completed a course in the public schools and then 
entered Borden College, graduating therefrom in 1900. While attending 
this institution he worked during his spare time in order to obtain funds to 
pay his expenses. Immediately after leaving college he took up the profes- 
sion of teacher. He first taught the school at Nabb, Indiana, and later spent 
two 3'ears as a teacher in the schools of Jeffersonville township. He then be- 
came principal of the Port Fulton schools, has occupied that position for five 
years. 

]\Ir. Rickard was married to Myra M. Grant, June 10. 1906, at Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Charles and Matilda Grant. Mr. 
and Mrs. Rickard are regular attendants at the Baptist church, and the former 
is an active worker in the cause of Democracy, although he has never held 
nor asked for any political offices. Mr. Rickard is a member of the Odd Fel- 
lows and the Knights of Pythias lodges. 



CAPT. \MLLIA:\r F. CISCO. 

The career of Mr. Cisco has been marked by more thrilling experiences 
and narrow escapes from death than are crowded into the life of the average 
man, and the reputation of being one of the most courageous citizens of 
Southern Indiana is deservedly his. His occupations have been \ar*ie(l, but 
he can look back upon the days when he was serving the people of his 
municipality as an officer of the law at the most strenuous period in his exist- 
ence. When he assumed the duties devolving upon the head of the police de- 
partment crime was rampant in this community, there being a perfect epi- 
demic of burglaries and robberies. In fact the conditions existing at that 
time might well have been likened unto a veritable reign of terror, but the 
advent of the subject into the office of Superintendent of Police signalized the 
beginning of the end of the operations of one of the worst gang of marauders 
that ever plied their nefarious vocation in the southern part of the state. 

William F. Cisco was born in Boone county, Kentucky, in i860, being 
the son of Francis and Elizabeth (Hedges) Cisco. Francis Cisco was the 
son of Hiram Cisco, who came from France to this country, and first settled in 
California, but later moved tO Ohio. The name of his family was originally 
Francisco. The father of William F. is dead, but his mother still lives in Jef- 
fersonville, his parents having come to this place when he was six years of 
age. He attended the public schools and showing a great aptitude for the 
absorption of knowledge graduated at cjuite an early age. Immediately after 
leaving school he accepted employment in a clerical capacity in the general 
store of John Bentel. remaining here until he had attained Ids twenty-second 



538 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

year. In 1889 he accepted a municipal appointment, being superintendent of 
pumps and wells in Jefifersonville. He held this position until the year of 
1893, when he was made Chief of Police by a board that had been appointed 
by Governor Matthews, and it was in this capacity that he made a most en- 
viable record, very early in his tenure of office demonstrating that he was a 
man absolutely without fear. When the foul murder of Stephen Gehr shocked 
an outraged community Captain Cisco declared that he would apprehend the 
negro who committed the brutal crime, and that it was no idle boast was 
evidenced by after events. There were ominous threats of lynching, but in 
order to prevent this blot from falling upon the good name of the community 
the fearless official placed his prisoner behind the bars of the state prison, 
where the would-be avengers of the negro's victim could noL reach him. 
Among his other notable feats while directing the affairs of the pnlice depart- 
ment was the capture of Gray and Gaynor, who killed a druggist at Reels- 
ville, Indiana, and as a token of tlieir appreciation of his success the authori- 
ties bestowed upon him a reward of goodly proportions. One of the many 
occasions when Captain Cisco showed his absolute fearlessness was when he 
pre\-ented a prospective prize fight despite the fact that a mob of eight hun- 
dred men were at the ring side, who threatened the lives of him and Sheriff 
Davis. Later on he completely broke up an organized gang of thieves who 
were looting stores throughout the city, their leader a man named Chapman, 
alias Blackburn, subsequently sawing his way out of the Clark county jail. 

At^he conclusion of his term as Chief of Police Captain Cisco engaged in 
several different lines of business. 

^^'illiam F. Cisco was married to Lena Friend, daughter of Leonard 
and Elizabeth Friend. Three children were the fruits of this union : William 
B., Walter L., and Lila Margaret, the latter being the wife of LeRoy J. 
Hanna, traffic agent of the Indianapolis and Louisville line. Captain Cisco has 
always been an admirer of blooded horses, and for a long time had a number 
of fine racing equines, but recently disposed of them. 

He is vice-president oi the Knights and Ladies of Washington, in Ken- 
tucky, is a member in high standing of the Eagles, Red Men and Knights 
and Ladies of Honor. Captain Cisco has the respect and the confidence of 
the best people of Jefifersonville. 



PETER CAMPBELL DOXALDSOX. 

Although a young man, heavy responsibilities rest upon the shoulders of 
Peter C. Donaldson, but that he is eminently able to discharge them to the 
entire satisfaction of his superiors is attested by the great length of his service 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 539 

with tlie ci3rporation which lie represents. He is con\ersant witii tlie minute 
details of the transportation business, possesses an active mind, rare good 
judgment, and the ability to solve any intricate problem that may arise in 
connection with the affairs of which he has charge. He embarked upon a 
business career before he had crossed the threshold of manhood, and his ex- 
cellent qualifications for the position that he now occupies soon manifested 
themselves. 

Peter C. Donaldson was born at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, June 15, 
1879, his parents being Peter and Eliza Ford (Campbell) Donaldson. He 
was educated in the public schools of the place of his birth, and graduated 
with honor. At the age of twenty he went to Pittsburg and secured a posi- 
tion with a coal company, being connected with the transportation depart- 
ment. He came to Jeft'ersonville January i, 1904. as the representative of the 
People's Coal Company, one of the largest concerns of the kind in Pittsburg. 
He has charge of what is known as the coal fleet, composed of a large number 
of great barges, on which cnal is conveyed from Pittsburg into the Jeffer- 
sonville district. At the last named point the cargo of these barges is held for 
distribution to the dealers of the Falls cities. They have an average capacity 
of about eighteen car loads. 

Mr. Donaldson is in close touch with the business community of Jeffer- 
sonville, and is regarded as a man of ability beyond his vears. He takes a 
deep interest in both the business and social affairs of Jeffersonville, and has 
the happy faculty of making friends very readily, which largely accounts for 
his great popularity. He is a member of the Elks lodge. He lives in a com- 
modious brick residence overlooking the Ohio river. 



WILLIAM A. DAVIS. 



Bereft of a father, who sacrificed his life in the service of his country 
in the Civil war, Mr. Davis, when he had barely entered his teens, practically 
began the struggle of life, being compelled to contribute to the support of 
his widowed mother, and the three other children, younger than himself. 
Working hard by day he attended school at night, pursuing a course in book- 
keeping, paying his tuition from his pitifully small earnings. He was ambi- 
tious to rise from the depths, and this spurred him on to his best efforts. De- 
spite the handicap of poverty and its attendant hardships and privations, he 
pushed bravely on, and the end of his course of study found him as weill 
ec^uipped from an educational standpoint as the average lad of that day. 

William A. Davis was born January 25, 1859, at New Market. Clark 
county, Indiana, being the son of E. I. Davis, who was lieutenant of the 



540 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

Eleventh Cavaliy. Seventy-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, commis- 
sioned by Goxernor Alorton. In 1863, while in the service he died of typhoid 
fever, leaving a wife and four children, three boys and a girl. Since attain- 
ing his majoritv the subject has been an active worker in the interest of the 
Democratic party, and that political organization has honored him with sev- 
eral offices. He is at the present time vice-chairman of the County Central 
Committee. He was a member of the Jeffersnnville City Council for four 
years, representing the Fifth ward, and after that he served as trustee of Jef- 
fersonville township. In the year of 1892 he was nominated for Sherifif of 
Clark county by the Democrats, and elected the following fall by over six 
hundred plurality. An event followed his induction into office which dem- 
onstrated beyond all question that he was a courageous official, with a de- 
termination to earn,- out the obligations of his oath, and enforce the statutes 
of Indiana without fear or favor. The information came to him that a prize 
fight, arranged by New Albany men, was to occur on the county line, and 
accompanied bv Captain Cisco, then Chief of Police, he went to the place 
where the fight was to take place. This was on August 29, 1893, and when 
the two officers reached their destination they found a gathering of about 
eight hundred men, who declared that they would not permit of any official 
interference with the principals. Although they were surrounded by a threat- 
ening mob, some of whom were desperadoes, many of them under the in- 
fluence of liquor, the officers showed not the slightest fear. They were the 
objects of curses and threats, but with revolvers in their hands they stood 
their ground, and when the members of the crowd saw that they were de- 
termined to uphold the law at any cost they changed their methods and held 
out inducements in the shape of bribes. These offers not having the desired 
effect they again resorted to abuse and threats, but finally the determined at- 
titude of Sheriff Davis and his companion caused them to depart. ^Ir. Davis 
was also largely instrumental in ferreting out the slayers of Stephen Gier. and 
received much praise for his work on that celebrated murder case. After his 
term as Sheriff had e.vpired ]\I''. Davis was named as the president of the 
Jeffersonville school board, serving in that capacity for nine ytars. 

^^'hat is known as the Spring Hill school stands as a monument to the 
efforts of Air. Davis. It was through his urgency and persistency mainly 
that this school was built. It is a modern structure, and considered one of 
the finest educational institutions in the southern part of the state. 

In 1889 William Davis and Florence Dunn were united in marriage. 
Mrs. Davis was the daughter of Jonathan Dunn, of Utica township. Four 
children were bom to them, two girls and two boys, namely: Alta, Lucy, 
Elmer and Edmund. The subject is a member and trustee of the First Chris- 
tian church, and belongs to the Elks, Knights of Pythias, and the Modern 
Woodmen of America. At the present time he is engaged in the business 



BAIKD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 54I 

of a contracting painter. When in the City Council he was always to be 
found on the side of any enterprise that had for its object the benefit of the 
interests of the people whom he represented. It was while he was in this body 
that the water works was built, and the electric light plant installed. 



TOHX C. LEPPERT. 



An adept at the trade that his father followed before him. John C. 
Leppert has, despite the sharp competition in his particular line in Jefferson- 
ville, built up a patronage that brings in no mean financial returns, and it 
may be truthfully said of him that he is on the high road to prosperity. Mr. 
Leppert is a quiet, unassuming man of frugal habits, with a great love and 
devotion for his home and family. Although not a native of Jeffersonville, 
he has been engaged in the barber business in this city for a number of years. 
His establishment is modern in ever}' respect, and this fact in connection with 
the surety of first class workmanship has been the means of insuring to him 
a liberal patronage from the best class of citizens. 

^Ir. Leppert first saw the light in Perry county, Indiana. October 31, 
1865. His parents were John and Maria (Gartner) Leppert. and both of 
them were natives of Germany. When John C. was but nine years of age 
his parents removed from Perry county to Louisville, Kentucky, where his 
father engaged in the business of a barber. Very early in life the son went 
to work in the shop, and before he had reached his majority was complete 
master of the trade. On October 13. 1891, he married Clara L. Yester, of 
Claysburg. The father of Mrs. Leppert was born in Baden, Germany, in 
1840, and came to this country in 1852, settling in Xew Albany, Indiana. 
Ten years later he married \\'ilhelmina Oehms, and they removed to Clays- 
burg. There were born to them nine children, as follows : Mrs. Anna Mor- 
gan, William Yester, JNIrs. Emma Bellis, ^Irs. Minnie Robbins, George Yes- 
ter, Mrs. Olive Whitlow, ]\Irs. Augusta Carr, Charles Yester, and Mrs. John 
C. Leppert. 

Mr. Leppert is looked upon as a fixture in Jeffersonville, his shop being 
one of the oldest in the city and situated in the very heart of the business 
district. Being within easy access of their establishments it is patronized very 
liberally by men engaged in mercantile pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Leppert and 
two sons, Carl and Clarence, live at the modest, but pretty residence of his 
father-in-law, Mr. Yester, in Claysburg, which is a suburb of Jeffersonville. 
He is a member of but one secret order, Myrtle Lodge, No. 9, Knights of 
Pythias. Mr. Leppert does not take part in affairs of a political nature, but 
is public-spirited and has the best interests of Jeffersonville at heart. 



542 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

JAMES MARRA. 

\\'itli a reputation for fair dealing in all of his business transactions 
James Marra naturally occupies a high place in the mercantile circles of Jef- 
fersonville, and the history of his career is illustrative of the fact that an 
honorable life is not without its reward. Behind these attributes coupled 
with a keen knowledge of human nature, and the ability to read it in all its 
varied forms and phases, lies the secret of his succcess. Few men have ap- 
plied mor^ closely to their business the injunctions of the Golden Rule, and 
that their application thereto has been a source of benefit to Mr. Marra is 
shown by the liberal patronage that is accored him. He began the business 
of a grocer in an unostentatious manner, and from a small store it has de- 
veloped into one of the largest establishments of the kind in the city, count- 
ing among its patrons some of the best people in Jeffersonville. 

James Marra, the son of Michael and Mary B. Marra, was born in Jef- 
fersonville, Indiana, in 1875. His parents were both natives of Tipperary, 
Ireland. He spent his boyhood in the public schools of Jeffersonville, and after 
completing his education secured employment in a grocery, where he clerked 
for nine years, mastering every detail of the business. Being of a frugal dis- 
position he saved his money, and in 1896 opened a store for himself at Watts 
and Crut avenue. His patronage grew beyound his fondest hopes, and he 
was soon able to greatly increase his stock. He kept in close touch with the 
market, and regulated his prices accordingly. He is a careful buyer, and 
refuses to handle any but first class goods, hence at the end of a dozen years 
as a purveyor to the wants of the public he finds himself on the high wave of 
prosperity with bright promises for the future. 

Mr. Marra is a devout Catholic, and interests himself greatly in the 
affairs of the church, being one of the trustees of St. Augtistine, and is a mem- 
ber of the Jeffersonville Council of the Knights of Columbus. He is an un- 
married man. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STALKER, M. D. 

Clark county boasts of no finer family than the Stalkers, who have been 
identified with its interests for over thirty-five years. George Stalker, the 
emigrant ancestor, came from Scotland as far back as the middle of the eight- 
eenth centun,^ and settled in North Carolina, when that state was still a 
colony of Great Britain. He left a son named Eli, who removed from the 
old North state and became a pioneer of Southern Indiana Territory about 
1808. He first located in Clark county, but two years later went to Wash- 
ington county, where he entered government land. He married Parthenia, 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 543 

daughter of Simon and Elizabeth Carress, reared a family while going through 
the hardships incident to life in the wilderness and in the course of nature 
was gathered to his fathers at a ripe old age. His son. Benjamin F. Stalker, 
was born on the farm near Salem, \\'ashington county, Indiana, December 
16, 1845. His experience was that of all boys whose lot was cast in the 
agricultural regions of the \\'est during the pioneer period. Hard work on 
the farm as long as daylight lasted in the summer and fall, endless chores 
around the house and barn evenings and mornings, with brief terms of school 
attendance in winter, when the weather was bad — such was the e.xperience of 
millions of western boys, including the one who was destined in later life to 
become Doctor Stalker. He had entered his seventeenth year in 1863, and 
being full of patriotic ardor, determined to join the great army at the front 
that was fighting the battle of freedom. His first enlistment was with the 
One Hundred Seventeenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and the 
second in the Fifth Indiana Cavalry. He saw service during the fall and 
winter campaigns in Tennessee during the years of 1863-4 and participated 
in the sharp engagements at Bean Station, \Valker's Ford, Strawberry Plains, 
and other conflicts that occurred between the contending forces for supremacy 
in East Tennessee. After the war he attended school at Salem, under Pro- 
fessor James G. May. and the high school at Bedford, of which his brother, 
John M. Stalker, was a professor. After teaching school for five years he 
entered the medical department of the Louisville University in 1871, and 
two years later obtained his degree. Doctor Stalker, armed with his "sheep 
skin" and full of hope and ambition determined to try his fortunes in the 
promising town of Borden and during the summer of 1873 hung out his shin- 
gle at that place. He prospered from the beginning and soon became one of 
the prominent men of his community. From 1900 to 1904 he ser\-ed as Trus- 
tee of the township and in the latter year was a candidate for the Legislature 
on the Republican ticket, but was defeated. Doctor Stalker is a member of 
the New Providence Lodge, 237, Free and Accepted Masons, and his reli- 
gious affiliations are with the Baptist church. He is one of the best known 
and most popular of the county's physicians. 

On December 25. 1872. he married Frances C. Xorris. daughter of 
Thomas B. and Hannah (Peoples) Norris. The former was for many years 
a prosperous farmer near Salem, and long held the office of Justice of the 
Peace. He was of an old pioneer family in that locality. To the doctor and 
wife these children have been born: the oldest daughter. Isadene. died in 
1907: the others are James B.. Charles H. and John 'M., all members of the 
medical profession. James Bodine Stalker graduated in the medical de- 
partment of the University of Louisville : Charles Homer and John ]\Iorton 
Stalker both graduated from the Hospital j\Iedical College at Louisville. 
Dr. J. B. and Dr. Charles H. are practicing with their father at Borden, 



544 'QNi ''03 >iavi3 do ahoisih s_.aaiva 

Indiana, and in the surrounding countiy, while John M. is engaged in practice 
at the Pope Sanitorium in Louisville. All these are young men of good pro- 
fessional attainments and of the highest character as citizens. 



LEWIS E. RICHARDS. 



Among the younger generation in Indiana educational circles few give 
brighter promise of future usefulness than the modest and studious Professor 
Richards, who is descended from a remarkably virile ancestry, whose line 
is seldom ecjualled for longevity, strength of constitution and vigor to meet 
all the duties of life. His grandfather was Henry Richards, a pioneer "cir- 
cuit riding" Baptist preacher, widely known in Southern Indiana and North- 
ern Kentucky, as Elder Richards. He left eight sons and a daughter, all 
of whom are still living, the youngest being sixty-five, and the oldest ninety- 
five years of age, which is a circumstance perhaps unparalleled in any family 
of equal numbers. Three of these brothers served as oldiers during the Civil 
war and came through the ordeal entirely unscathed. Isaac Richards, the 
youngest of this interesting family, married Rebecca A., daughter of Jonathan 
Lyons, who came from Marietta, Ohio, in 1837 and settled in Grant county, 
Indiana, and there carried on his trade as a miller. 

Lewis E. Richards, a son by this union, was born at [Matthews, Grant 
county, Indiana, Alarch 9, 1874. He grew up on his father's farm, went at 
an early age as a student in Fairmount Academy and completed his education 
at DePauw University. He was graduated there in the spring of 1902 and 
in the fall of the same year he took charge of the science department in 
Fairmount Academy. During the summer he had done post-graduate work 
at the university and when he finished was well e(|uipped for his future edu- 
cational career. He remained at Fainnount until ]\Iarch, 1904, when he 
resigned to take charge as professor of chemistry and physics in the high 
school at Jeffersonville. He has since retained this position and given en- 
tire satisfaction to his class, his patrons and the higher officials of the city's 
educational department. 

On December 24, 1904. Professor Richards was married to Rose May, 
daughter of Rev. Henry and Caroline Watson. Mrs. Richard's father was 
long a Methodist minister, serving at various places, according to the itiner- 
ant system of that denomination and was well known in Northern Indiana. 
At the time of his death, in 1889, he was pastor in charge of the Methodist 
Episcopal church at Wabash, Indiana. The maiden name of his wife was 
Caroline Crow, and she was connected with one of the old time families who 
took part in rescuing Indiana from the primeval wilderness. Mr. and Mrs. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IXD. 545 

Richards have three chikh-en, Blyth \\'.. Celestine Hope and Lduverne Caro- 
line. The family are members of the Wall Street jNIethodist church, are quite 
popular in their social circles and are welcome guests at the houses of the best 
people in the city. Personally Professor Richards easily makes friends, 
either professionally or socially. Studious by nature he is very fond of his 
books, especially those having a bearing on the department of education in 
which he is engaged. He has all the cjualifications of a natural Ijorn edu- 
cator and an ambition for success in tlie educational world, which his friends 
predict is sure to follow his studious haliits and steady ajjplicaticn to his duties. 



SAMUEL McKIXLEY. 

The name of ]\IcKinley has of late years assumed something of a historic 
significance in this land of ours for it is linked in the public memory with 
the remembrance of a martyred President. It is but titting that this should 
be so. And yet the family name and traditions go back beyond that tower- 
ing figure of recent years, across the Atlantic and across the centuries, to 
find an ancestor of distinction and merit. The first to emerge out of the twi- 
light of tradition with a definite record is the figure of a Scotch Covenanter, 
who, when the vicissitudes of the times made it necessary for him, went from 
his native land across to Ireland ; thence in after years to the United States. 
Two of his sons, David and James IMcKinley, settled in .Shelby county. Ken- 
tucky, and came in after years to the spot in Clark county, Indiana, where 
Borden now stands. David shortly after went northward to South Bend, 
and thence to Canton, Ohio, while James remained and made Wood township 
his future home. David McKinlev, as mav be surmised, was the g-reat-o-rand- 
father of President ]\IcKinley. James ]\IcKinley reared six sons : James, 
John, Thomas, ^^'iIliam, Jeremiah and Alexander. The first named son, 
James, was the father of the subject of our sketch. James married Jincy 
Packwood, a native of Virginia, the daughter of Samuel Packwood. Sam- 
uel McKinley had eleven children, of whom nine are yet living. They are : 
Edward, Fred, Charles, and Albert ]\IcKinley, and ^Irs. Kate Minton. IMrs. 
Blanch Bell, Mrs. Lillie Bere, Mrs. Nettie Byerly, and Julia McKinley, all liv- 
ing in Borden with the exception of the three married sisters. Mrs. Kate 
Minton lives in Georgetown, Floyd county: Mrs. Blanche Bell lives in Jef- 
fersonville, and the other married sisters in Louis\-ille. 

Samuel McKinley was born in Borden in 1836 and still resides at the 
family homestead. The tanyard, where he worked at his trade as a tanner, 
was first the property of his father. At a later period it belonged to an elder 
brother, and in 1866 our subject bought it and conducted a steady business 

35 



546 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

there until 1907, when ill health caused him to retire from the tanning busi- 
ness. Though advanced in years he is still active and deals very profitably 
in hides and furs. He is a prominent member of the Christian church and 
a man of importance in local affairs. 

Samuel AIcKinley married Louise Scheicher. who was born of French 
parentage in Louisiana. Her father was Louis Scheicher, a nati\e of the old 
province of France — Alsace-l^orraine : her mother, Catherine Scheicher, 
was also born in France. 

On June 9, 1870, a son. Albert, was lx)rn to Samuel [McKinley and wife. 
He is the popular postmaster of Borden. Albert McKinley was educated at 
the public schools and at Borden College and had a good college record. He 
was a precocious youth and at the age of fifteen started a small store, which 
developed into a large general store, which he sold at a good figure in May, 
1906. At the age of twenty-one he was appointed postmaster of Borden, or 
New Providence, as it was then known, the appointment coming from Presi- 
dent Harrison. He completed his term of office of four years ' in an ad- 
mirable manner and was classed among those whose offices were excellently 
conducted. On July 2-j. 1897, he was re-a]ipointed postmaster, a position 
which he has held ever since. In January of the year 1896 he married Eva 
M. Johnson, an event which marked the commencement of a happy married 
life. Four children have been born to them. They are : Carl, Ray, Robert 
and Alary Louise. 

Albert McKinley is a prominent member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows. In 1902 he was the Republican candidate for Representative 
but the county went, as it usually did. Democratic, and Albert McKinley 
accompanied his state ticket in the landslide. In 1904 he was elected chair- 
man of the County Committee (Republican), and on going for\\?ard as a 
candidate for the Legislature he carried his own township and had the pleas- 
ure to be the first Republican on the county ticket to carry Wood township. 
For sixteen consecutive years ending in 1906 he has been a delegate to the 
state convention of his party, and has always found himself on the County 
Committee. During his County Chainnanship the county, usually six to 
eight hundretl Democratic, went Republican. 

Outside of politics Albert AIcKinley is quite as popular and successful. 
He has two fine farms and a beautiful home in Borden. He may be safely 
slated as a self-made man as he has lieen making his own way and making his 
presence felt in the community since his life reached the fifteenth and a half 
year mark. 

His father, Samuel McKinley, is also extensi\"ely known and respected. 
Since his lapse into the less strenuous life of his present occupation he spends 
more time in the association (jf old acquaintances, which is one of his chief 
delights. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 547 

CHARLES W. DEAN. 

Bartholomew Dean, familiarly known to his friends as "Bart," is a 
native of Ireland and a good representative of the genial, rollicking sons of 
the famous little country beyond the sea. He is sociable, always ready for a 
hannless joke, and knows how to make as Well as hold friends. His parents 
brought him to America in 1840, when he was quite young and he had to 
shift for himself from an early oeriod, but always managed to "get there" in 
whatever he undertook. After his father's death in New York, he came 
West and found himself in Illinois at the opening of the Civil war. Like most 
of the first immigrants he was patriotic and determined to offer his life in 
defense of the Union. Shortly after the first call for troops he enlisted in 
Company H, Thirteenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantn,-. and with his 
command was soon hurried to the front. He served four years, made a good 
soldier and after being honorably discharged came to Jeflfersonville. where he 
has since made his home. He married ^lar}-. daughter of Michael Halpin, 
who was born near Windsor. Canada. 

Charles W. Dean, son of Bartholomew and Mary (Halpin) Dean, was 
born at Jeffersonville, in 1866. and as he grew up attended both the Catholic 
and public schools in his native city. After finishing his studies he learned 
the blacksmith's trade and worked at it until he was twenty-five years old. 
He then went into business for himself and has continued the same up to 
the present time. He is a member of the Eagles and of the St. Augustine's 
Catholic church. In personal appearance Mr. Dean is a tall, well built man, 
who looks younger than his years. His residence is in the same building 
where he carries on his business and as his disposition is social he has many 
friends. In i8go he was married to Rosa Shane, of Madison, Indiana. Her 
father was Alichael Shane and her mother before her marriage was Amelia 
Lichtenthaler. Mr. and Mrs. Dean have three children. Mar)-, Dora and 
Charles. 



JOSEPH E. HADDOX. 



When Longfellow wrote his famous poem on "The X^illage Blacksmith," 
which was read with delight by so many boys in the old McGuffey readers, 
he must have had in view men of the type of Mr. Haddox. This gentleman, 
long and favorablv known in and around Borden, fills the bill exactly. He 
has the brawney amis like those of which Longfellow wrote, the kindly dis- 
position, and the unpretentious industn,- which was so warmly praised by the 
poet as characteristic of the typical blacksmith. Perhaps the oldest of all the 
trades, it is also one of the most useful and it is well that all should be taught 



548 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

to respect those who pound out their hving on the resounding anvil, to the 
harsh roar of the busy behows. It is pleasing to speak a good word for men 
of this kind, and none deserve it more than Joseph E. Haddox. whose family 
sprang from what is now West Virginia, in the neighborhood of Wheeling. 

Many years before the Civil war Elijah and Elizabeth (Smith) Haddox 
joined the tide of emigration that was setting in for the West, and after jour- 
neying down the Ohio for many miles concluded to land at Jeffersonville 
and locate in Clark county. With them came their son, John W. Haddox. 
who married Paulina, daughter of Southman Dietz, who lived at Blue Lick, 
near Memphis, since the early days. Joseph E. Haddox, who was one of the 
children by this marriage, was born near Memphis, Clark county, in i860. 
School facilities were not of the best in those days but he managed to pick 
up some "book learning" during brief terms in the district school-house, 
mostly in winter time and then rather irregularly. 

His father had been a blacksmith and accordingly he learned the trade 
under him and concluded to make it the business of his life. He opened a 
shop at New Providence in 1890 and now has the largest and best smithy at 
that point. He has prospered, owns his own home, is a good, ciuiet citizen, 
devoted to his family and daily duties and lives a happy life. He belongs 
to New Providence Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Modern 
Woodmen. 

In 1878 Mr. Haddox and Barbara A., daughter of Christopher and Bar- 
bara A. (Frailey) Young, were married. The latter's father was Henry 
Frailey, one of the first settlers in Rockford, Indiana. Christopher Young 
was the son of Christopher C. Young, who came from Pennsylvania, set- 
tled in Ohio and later came to Clark county, arriving about 1840. Mr. and 
Mrs. Haddox have four children: Annetta, Ivareena, Lelia Belle and Nina 
Barbara. The parents belong to the Christian Advent church and are high- 
ly respected by all who know them. 



EDWARD ARTHUR RYANS. 

Many years ago three boys played together in Ireland. They attended 
school at Belfast and often talked of what they would do when grown to 
be men. Even then their eyes were turned westward toward the great Re- 
public, the Eldorado and land of promise of all the oppressed people of the 
unhappy Emerald Isle. The names of these boys were Alexander Stuart, 
John Shillito and Lewis Ryans. They came over together in the same ship 
and the very mention of the first two recalls the two most celebrated mer- 
chant princes this county ever produced. Stuart established himself in the 
dry goods trade in New York, accumulated an immense fortune, and became 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 549 

world famous. Shillito was but little less successful in Cincinnati, where his 
name was long a household word. The third boy did not get so rich or fa- 
mous, but he proved himself a man of talent with a decided aptitude in business 
lines. Lewis Ryans found his way to Indiana and became a contracting 
painter on a large scale at Jeffersonville. He manufactured his own paints 
and did work all over the Central West. He also had considerable talent as 
an artist and used to paint boats by contract at the ship yards. For a while 
he was in the wholesale paint business at Louisville, in a partnership under 
the firm name of Johnson & Ryans. He married Clara Bell Swoke, a native 
of Vienna. Scott county, Indiana, by whom he had the following children: 
John B., now employed as foreman painter for his uncle, John Ryans, a con- 
tracting painter in Louisville, was elected City Alderman in 1898: Charles 
L., a resident of Covington, Kentucky, is baggage master on the Baltimore 
& Southwestern Railroad and well known as a writer of several popular 
songs; Ada, the oldest daughter, is still under the parental roof; Emma, a 
young daughter, is assistant librarian at the Carnegie Librarv in Jefferson- 
ville.'' 

Edward Arthur Ryans, the other son, was born at Jeffersonville, Sep- 
tember 8. 1874, and received the usual education in the city schools Shortly 
after laying down his books he entered the employment of the Adams Ex- 
press Company, with which he remained only a short while, but long enough 
to master the details of the business. In 1902 he was placed in charge of the 
Jeffersonville office of the United States Express Company and has re- 
mained with this corporation ever since. 

Mr. Ryans was married June 21, 1900, to ]\Iabel, daughter of Henry and 
Mary Elizabeth (W'acker) Helt. The former was descended from one of 
the prominent pioneers of Harrison county and the latter's father was a well 
known Methodist minister. Mr. Ryans is a member of the Jeffersonville 
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons and of the Maccabees. He is a young 
man of popularity and promise, being ambitious, sociable and industrious. 
The Ryans family, of which he is an honored member, has long been promi- 
nent in the business and social circles of the Falls cities and have contributed 
their full share to the development of the community in their various callings. 



JAMES J. KENDALL. 



Sergeant James J. Kendall, interurban line ticket agent at Jeft'ersonville, 
Clark county, now in his sixty-sixth year, is a man who by his steadiness, 
reliability and attention, achieved success and distinction during his services 
in the local police force. In his present sphere, since his retirement from 



550 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.j IND. 

active police work, he has been none the less popular and successful. He 
was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, on the 28th of July, 1842, and was the 
son of Thomas Kendall and his wife, whose maiden name was Isabelle Camp- 
bell. Both Thomas Kendall and his wife came of respectable families living 
in Ohio. When James J. had arrived at the age of twelve years his parents 
moved to near Charlestown, Clark county, and afterwards located perma- 
nently on Silver creek, in Monroe township. James J. remained on the farm 
until about thirty years of age. About the year 1865 he married Margaret 
E. St. Clair, who came from Washington, Pennsylvania, and whose father 
was Jesse St. Clair. 

James J. Kendall moved to Jeffersonville about the year 1872 and there 
he followed the carpenter trade for several years. He then became con- 
nected with the police force and was for about ten years a sergeant. On his 
retirement, on December i, 1907, he was appointed ticket agent for the In- 
terurban lines at Jeffersonville, a position which he still holds. 

Sergeant James J. Kendall and his wife have led a happy and peaceable 
married life, clouded only by the demise of three out of the four children 
born to them, three daughters having died before reaching the age of ma- 
turity. Their son, James Thomas Kendall, is now married. He has one 
son, Lee, who is the pride of both parents and grandparents. James T. Ken- 
dall's family live in Jeffersonville though he is, himself, engaged in the 
painting trade in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Sergeant James J. Kendall is well known in ]\Iasonic circles. He is a 
member of the Jefifersonville Lodge, No. 340, Free and Accepted IMasons. 
As a citizen of Jeffersonville he has attained an enviable standing, being popu- 
lar and respected by all the people, young and old. irrespective of creed or 
class. This, no doubt, has been due to his cheerful and kindly nature and 
the pains he has ever taken to guard and direct the rights of his friends and 
neighbors. As a sergeant of police he did much to uphold and maintain the 
dignity of the local force ; and as a public sen-ant, constancy and faithfulness 
to duty have been his twin virtues. He is yet hale and hearty and it is the 
heartfelt wish of the vast majority of his fellow citizens that he may be 
spared to public life for many years to come. 



MITCHELL PETER SMITH. 

Our subject, who is part proprietor of the Eagle Laundiy, Jefferson- 
ville, Clark county, is a man of large and extensive acquaintance, not alone 
in his township and county, but at the different points along the river touched 
upon during his career as a pilot, and in the northern part of Kentucky, 
where members of the Smith family have been known for many generations. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 55 I 

Mitchell Peter Smith was born in L'tica. Clark county, in 1874, the son 
of George Dallas Smith and Alary Esther Howes, his wife. Both parents 
were born in Jefferson county, Kentucky. Mrs. Smith was the daughter 
of Mitchell P. Howes, who, (hiring his lifetime, owned the well known L'tica 
Limestone quarries from the kilns of which the famous Utica lime is manu- 
factured. ^Mitchell Howes was a man widely known in his section of the 
county and was the possessor of a large fruit farm in addition to his lime- 
stone interests. 

George Dallas Smith was the son of Peter Smith, proprietor of large 
milling interests in Kentucky. One of his mills was located just above where 
the Gait House now stands in Louisville, tie Iiad another at Harrod's creek, 
and one at L'tica. He used to consign and ship flour b_\' flat-liottom boats to 
New Orleans. It was his custom to perst:)nally superintend the shipping of his 
produce and he imce suffered the experience of being blown into the river (jn 
tiie explosion of an old steamboat boiler. 

George D. Smith and his father, Peter Smith, were, as we have before 
stated, widely known in Kentucky. Both were strong men in every sense 
of the world, of dominant will power and stern self-control. Previous to 
the Civil war they were also slave owners: Peter Smith having at one time 
had a thousand slaves. The Smiths, though men of large responsibility, were 
of a disposition kind and warm-hearted ; and many stories of their generous 
traits are not yet forgotten. 

Alitchell P. Smith was brought by his parents to Fort Fulton about 
1878. Here his father, who kept a toll-gate, from that time until 1906, 
became widely known all through the county. Mitchell P. received an edu- 
cation suitable to meet the requirements of our day. He attended tlie pub- 
lic schools of Jefferson and of Port Fulton and also at the Xew Albany 
Business College. He then went on the river and learned the pilot's profes- 
sion in all its phases. He piloted tow boats from Madison, Indiana, to Xew 
Orleans. His career on the river extended over many years and, as may be 
imagined, was not without many events and incidents of an exciting nature. 

On November 6, 1908, Alitchell P. Smith and Dale Talkington started 
a laundry on East Chestnut street, Jeff'ersonville. It is equipped with the 
most up-to-date appliances to do laundry work of all kinds. It is known as 
the "Eagle Laundr}%" and has been a success both in the volume of its busi- 
ness and the quality of the work turned out. It is located on the old site of 
what is probably the only whetstone factory in the Lnited States ; the fac- 
tory itself having been moved to Ohio. 

Alitchell P. Smith is but thirty-four years old and is as yet unmarried. 
He has been industrious and active and as a pilot was well liked and re- 
spected. The tow boats which he piloted used to tow from six hundred thou- 
sand to one million bushels of coal at one trip on the river. He still lives 



552 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

with his parents. He is a man of commanding; personal appearance and is 
of likable disposition. 



THEODORE S. LONG. 



Undoubtedly one of the best known restaurant proprietors in Clark 
county is Theodore S. Long, of Jeffersonville, the excellence of whose table 
has been voiced by many a bonvivant of the vicinity. Li his present sphere 
he has studied all phases of the catering business in a desire to bring it to a 
high state of perfection. A man of varied experience, he brings to his present 
undertaking all the enthusiasm of former business conquests. He engaged 
for an extended period in the saw-mill industry and is conversant with its 
eveiy detail. Previous to his engaging in his present occupation, ten years 
spent in the huckster trade gave him a readiness and a facility in meeting 
exacting business conditions which has been of the utmost importance to 
him. Mr. Long comes of good stock and inherits many of the dominant 
characteristics of his family. On the mother's side he is a descendant of the 
McCormicks, whose exploits in the pioneer days are well known in this section 
of the state. Charles McCormick, one of the prominent members of the 
family and an early settler, was grandfather of Theodore S. Further data 
of interest regarding the ^IcCormick ancestn- may be found by turning to 
another portion of this volume. 

Theodore S. Long was born near Charlestown. Clark county, in Oc- 
tober. 1855. He was the son of Benjamin F. Long and wife, whose maiden 
name was Jemima McCormick. Benjamin F. was born on the same farm as 
was his son and lived there practically all his life. His wife was likewise a 
native of the county and was born on the adjoining ^McCormick farmstead. 
Charles McCormick, the grandfather above referred to, was also born in the 
neighborhood. That family originally came from \\'est Virginia some time 
in the earliest part of the last century and became important factors in the 
winning and progress of Indiana. 

Theodore S. Long remained on the home place until liis twent}--first year, 
his education having been received in the neighboring public schools. From 
the year 1879 till 1892 he engaged in the saw-mill business, owning and 
operating his plant himself. The period with the exception of two years in 
Western Kentucky and two years in Arkansas was spent in Clark county. 
Returning to Charlestown in 1892 he ran a huckster wagon for ten years. In 
1905 he moved to Jeffersonville and bought a restaurant on Spring street 
in the heart of the business district of that thriving community. His huck- 
stering experiences enabled him to buy wisely and of the best quality and 
consequently give good value to his patrons. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 553 

In November of the year 1879 ^Ir. Long married ]\Iattie Hickman, 
daughter of Benjamin and JuHa (Eastes) Hickman. Both parents were na- 
tives of Kentuck}-. tliough Mrs. Long herself was born in Lidianapolis. Four 
daugiiters have been born to them, viz : Frankie, Nina, Juha and Clara. The 
Long family live a happy home life arid all its members belong to the Wall 
Street Methodist Episcopal church. Theodore S. Long is now in his fifty- 
fourth year and has yet the promise of a long life before him. He is a cjuiet 
and unassuming man and though his father, Benjamin F. Long, was at one 
time a County Commissioner of Clark county, his own ambitions ha^•e never 
verged towards political preferment. 



CHARLES ROBERT RIGSBY. 

Young, energetic and ambitious, with an unlimited capacity iov work, 
and with a determination to perform any task he may undertake in a thor- 
ough manner, Charles R. Rigsby advanced rapidly in his chosen avocation. 
Since he began carving his own way in the world he has neglected no op- 
portunity to better his condition, and his efforts have not been without re- 
sults. He is known in railroad and business circles as a rising young man. 
Owing to the active interest that he takes in the affairs of the several secret 
organizations, of which he is a member, he has a very extensive acquaintance 
among men in various walks of life, and his social disposition has made him 
scores of warm friends. 

Charles Robert Rigsby is the son of Thomas D. and Lida (Latta) Rigs- 
by, and was bom in Jefferson county, June 8, 1880. He was about five years 
of age when his parents moved to Jeffersonville, and shortly thereafter be- 
gan his education in the public schools of this city, also receiving instructions 
in connection therewith by private tutors. After completing his regular 
school term he attended business college at New Albany, thereby procuring 
a good commercial education. He studied shorthand, and became an ex- 
pert stenographer, securing employment in the offices of the Louisville & 
Nashville Railroad at Louisville. Later he became a bookkeeper and then 
took up the vocation of a traveling salesman. He is at ^he present time 
serving in the capacity of cashier. 

Mr. Rigsby was married to Daisy Catherine Davis, February 26, 1902. 
She was the daughter of Jacob' Truman Davis and wife, of Jeffersonville. 
The maiden name of Mrs. Davis was Sarah Catherine Earhart. INIr. and 
Mrs. Rigsby have one son, Kenneth Hardin Rigsby. 

Mr. Rigsby is a member of Myrtle Lodge, No. 19, Knights of Pythias, 
Travelers' Protective Association, ^^'oodmen of the ^^'orld, and the H. 



554 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

T. A. He is the popular past chancellor ut the first named, and also past 
grand representative. He was named as a member of the building commit- 
tee, which has in charge the erection of the new Pythian hall and armory in 
Jeff ersonvi lie. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church at Port 
Fulton. 

'Mr. Rigsby is public-spirited and of a charitable disposition, as many un- 
fortunates in Jefifersonville can testify. Plis home life is all that cnuld be 
desired. 



FRANCIS EUGENE PAYNE. Jr. 

Railroad companies entrust the control of their engines only to men of 
nerve and intrepidity on whom they have a well founded reason for the con- 
fidence imposed. Such a man is Francis Eugene Payne. Jr., who began when 
about twenty years of age as fireman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and wIki, 
some eight years after, was promoted to the position of engineer which he 
held until he relinquished the same in February, 1908. He now resides with 
his wife and family in Jetf'ersonville, his native town, where his domestic life 
is serene and ideal. 

Air. Payne was born in 1875, and was the son of Francis Eugene Payne, 
Sr., and his wife, whose maiden :iame was Kate R. Lewis. Both were born 
in Clark county about the middle of the past century. ]\Irs. Payne was the 
daughter of Felix R. Lewis, whose father. Major Lewis, had charge of the 
land ofifice under President Jackson. The Lewis family were originally from 
Ohio. Our subject's father was the son of Francis Marion Payne, whose 
father, William Payne, came from Virginia to JefYersonville, Clark county, 
Indiana, in the early part of the nineteenth century. Francis Eugene Payne, 
Sr., was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in the One Hundred Ninety-first 
Ohio Volunteers. His father, Francis ]\Iariou Payne, was one of the pioneer 
steamboat engineers on the Ohio river. Our subject's father also followed 
that occupation. 

Francis Eugene Payne. Jr., grew up in Jeffersonville and attended the 
public schools there. He began active business life as a clerk in a Louisville 
wholesale drug store and later in a retail drug store owned by Doctor Fields 
in Jefifersonville. When about twenty years of age railroad life seemed allur- 
ing to him and he became a fireman on the Pennsylvania line, promotion com- 
ing to him in March, 1903, as we have already stated. December 21, 1898. 
was the occasion of his marriage to Edith L. Smith, daughter of George and 
Kate (Jordan) Smith. The Smiths moved to Jeffersonville when Mrs. 
Payne was but ten years old. Four children have been born to Mrs. Payne 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 555 

and her husband. Tliey were named consecutively : Catherine, Perry, Fran- 
cis E. and Lewis Gordon. Mrs. Payne is an accomplished lady of domestic 
tastes who is constantly occupied with the affairs of her household and her 
four children. She is, however, a pianist of more than average ability and 
plays with something of the brilliancy and technique of the skilled artist. She 
is also the possessor of a cultivated voice which is the delight of her friends. 
yir. Payne is well known as a Mason and is a member of the Clark Lodge, 
No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons. He is also a member of the Brotherhood 
of Locomotive Engineers, and numbers a majority of the citizens of his na- 
tive town among his friends. 



HENRY J. VOLMER. 

Henry J. Volmer, of Jeffersonville, Clark county, is one of the younger 
generation of business men, the product of our modern educational system — 
equipped in every way to grapple with the conditions of the present day — 
who of later years have been steadily obtaining a firm foothold in the business 
life of our towns and cities. Coming as he does of sturdy German ancestry, 
with racial and inherent talents developed and sharpened by a suitable course 
of study, he has made the most of his advantages, and so stands today well 
to the forefront in the business life of the community. He has shown himself 
already to be a citizen with a high conception of conduct : and, as freight 
agent for the large interurban traction interests he has proven exceptionally 
obliging and courteous. 

Mr. Volmer was bom in Evansville, Lidiana, on the i6th of February, 
1884, and was the son of Henry F. Volmer and his wife, whose maiden name 
was Elizabeth Blaser. Henry F. Volmer came from Evansville while his 
wife hailed from Springfield, Illinois, and both were of German extraction. 
Henry J. Volmer attended the public schools of Evansville and of Jefferson- 
ville and passed through the Bryant and Stratton Business College in Louis- 
ville. In April, 1896, when in his twelfth year, his family moved to Jeffer- 
sonville. Here Henry F. Volmer, who was a printer, held a position for 
many years on the Jeffersonville Journal. 

At the close of his business college course Henry J. Volmer entered the 
employ of Louis Zapp & Company, of Louisville, as bookkeeper, where he 
remained four and a half years. He then became tax clerk with the Allen- 
Bradley Distillery Company, a position of considerable responsibility. His 
early business experience was further supplemented in such large concerns as 
the Belknap Hardware & Manufacturing Company and the American Car & 
Foundn,' Company. 



556 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

On June i. 1906, Mr. Volmer became freight agent for the Louisville 
& Northern Railway and Lighting Company and the Louisville & Southern 
Indiana Traction companies, and also the Indianapolis & Louisville Trac- 
tion Company. He was the first to hold this position in Jeffersonville. \\'hen 
he took hold there was but one traction line in operation in Jeffersonville, 
namely: the Louisville & Southern Indiana, the freight business of which 
was operated as an express company. A year later the Louisville & Northern 
entered the field. They were followed by the Indianapolis & Louisville. Mr. 
Volmer accordingly became freight agent for all three of them with head- 
quarters for all combined and. as the express feature was not allowed by 
their charters, it was eliminated and the regular freight business carried on. 

Henry J. Volmer is unmarried and lives in the family residence with his 
parents. In religion he is a member of the local Presbyterian church. He 
has always evinced much interest in fraternal affairs and is foremost in many 
societies. He is a member of the Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 340, Free and 
Accepted Masons; of the Hope Lodge, No. 13. Knights of Pythias; of the 
Knights and Ladies of Honor. Mystic Tie. No. 7. and of the Apollo Athletic 
Association, of which he is a charter member. In the Knights and Ladies of 
Honor he is now ending his second tenn as presiding oilficer. In October, 
1908, he was one of their representatives at the Grand Lodge celebration in 
Indianapolis. 



\\'ALTER LEWIS LEMMON. 

The family of this name, long well known in Clark county, came from a 
sturdy ancestry of Kentuckians and Ohioians. James H. Lemmon. who was 
a native of Frankfort, Kentucky, located in Jeffersonville about 1859. When 
the Civil war broke out he enlisted in the Twenty-first Indiana Artillery, with 
which he served two years and nine months. Being attacked by typhoid 
fever he was removed to a hospital in \\'ashington City and after his recov- 
ery was mustered out of service. Returning to Jeffersonville he learned the 
bricklayer's trade, at which he worked most of the time during the remainder 
of his life. That he was a man of some prominence and popularity is known 
by the fact that he served from 1871 to 1875 as City Marshal. On November 
26, 1867, he was married to Georgiana Lewis, in the Wall Street Methodist 
church at Jeffersonville. She was the daughter of Felix R. and Patience 
(\^^ood) Robinson Lewis, the latter a native of St. Clairsville, Ohio. Feli.x 
Lewis became prominent as a farmer and in later life resided at Jefferson- 
ville. His father, Myron William Lewis, was a veteran of the War of 181 2. 
and is buried in the old graveyard on ^Mulberry street, in Jeffer.sonville. His 
wife's maiden name was Sarah Antrim. James H. and Georgiana (Lewis) 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 557 

Lemmon had three children: W'aUer L.. James Harry and Elizabeth W. 
Elizabeth is now the wife of L. S. Wilbur: James H.. ommonly called Harry, 
is superintendent of J. B. Speed & Company's cement mills at r^lilltown, In- 
diana. He married Virginia Trotter, of Crawford county, and they have one 
son, Nicholas R. 

Walter Lewis Lemmon, eldest of the family, was born at Jeffersonville, 
Lidiana, May 29, 1871. He grew up and attended the public schools of his 
native town and his first job of work was on ihe folding machine in the mail- 
ing rooms of the Louisville Post. Subsequently he obtained a position in the 
press room of the Louisville Courier Journal. About 1889 he became a fire- 
man on the Pennsyh'ania Railroad and retained this place for some seven 
years, changing in January, 1896, to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Li 
1900 he was promoted to the position of engineer and has a run on the branch 
line between JeiTersonville and Watson. He is a good workman and has the 
confidence of his employers, as his long continued service with the same com- 
pany amply proves. 

On September 26, 1894, Mr. Lemmon married Mamie E.. daughter of 
Fred and Anna B. (Pfeffer) Graham, both of Kentucky. Mrs. Lemmon 
is a native of Louisville. They have two children, George Henry and Anna 
Eugenia. ^Ir. Lemmon belongs to Jackson Lodge, No. 146, Free and Ac- 
cepted ^lasons, of Seymour, and Division, No. 39, Brotherlnxjd of Loco- 
motive Engineers. He has a happy home circle and derives his chief pleas- 
ure from their company, his run being so arranged as to enable him to spend 
his nights at home. 



JONAS DAVID BIGELOW. 

In the older days the Bigelows were one of the substantial and well 
known families of New England. As in the case of many other families of 
that section they sent representatives to the West when the tide of emigra- 
tion was settling in that section and in time the name became identified with 
states in the central Ohio valley. Jonas Dexter Bigelow. when a young man. 
decided to leave his home in Boston and seek fortune in the growing state of 
Indiana. He settled in Lafayette, married Sarah Smith, who was born in 
Ohio, but reared in the vicinity of Logansport, and engaged in business, but 
died early in the year 1854, before he had reached middle age. After his 
death his wife gave birth to a child, who was christened Jonas David Bige- 
low and who was born at Lafayette. Indiana, November 16, 1854. His 
mother remarried and brought him to Jefifersonville, during his boyhood. 
After leaving school he obtained a position at the car works, but after work- 
ing there for a few years entered the sendee of the Pennsylvania Railroad 



558 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Company as a fireman. Later as the result of industry and attention to 
duty he was promoted to the other side of the cab and made an e.xcehent rec- 
ord as a reliable engineer. Mr. Bigelow \vas an attentive reader of the press, 
and fond of good literature, with the result that his friends always found him 
well posted on current events and able to talk intelligently on many subjects. 
He held the honorable position of treasurer in the Brotherhood of Locomo- 
tive Firemen and enjoyed high standing among his brethren of the railway 
world. He also held membership in the Knights of Pythias and the Knights 
and Ladies of Security. Religious in his opinions, correct and moral in his 
liabits, he was a devout mem1>er of the Presbyterian church. Fond of his 
home and much attached to his wife and children he was never so happy as 
when with his family and to them he gave all of his spare time. 

On April 12, 1883, Mr. Bigelow married Elizabeth Jane Holden, a most 
excellent woman of a highly respectable family. She was the daughter of 
Thomas and Henrietta (Sherman) Holden, the latter a cousin of Gen. Wil- 
liam Tecumseh Sherman, her birthplace being Coohille. Athens county, Ohio. 
Thomas Holden was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, but came to Ohio 
about 185 1. In 1856 he brought his family to Louisville, Kentucky, and 
soon after removed to Jeffersonville. He obtained employment in the river 
part of the town and was working there when the call to arms was sounded 
in the fateful spring of 1861. At this time he was serving as mate on a 
boat which took part in the operations that led to the capture of Island No. 
10, during which he had a taste of fighting on the Mississippi river. In 1864 
he enlisted as a private in Company B, One Hundred and Forty-fourth In- 
diana \''olunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front and served until 
the close of the war. A shoemaker by trade he had laid up a competence suffi- 
cient to provide for his family during his absence. In fact it was love for his 
family and desire that they would be above want that prevented him from en- 
tering the service at an earlier date. For sixteen years after the war he held 
a position at the government depot in Jefifersonville and was highly esteemed 
b}' his employers and those with whom he served. His daughter, Elizabeth, 
who afterward married Mr. Bigelow, was born on a farm in Ohio previous 
to the coming of her parents to Jeffersonville. By her marriage she became 
the mother of five children, in whom she took great pride, the chief desire of 
her life being to give them a good education. They proved unusually quick 
to learn and have fulfilled all expectations by the success with which they 
have met. Ella Jane, the eldest, is teaching in the Jeffersonville high school : 
Julia Alice, after studying physical culture and gymnastics at the Normal 
school of the North American Gymnastic Union in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
obtained a position at Menominee, Wisconsin, where she is now teaching 
these branches in the Stout Training School ; Adeline is a graduate from the 
Jefifersonville high school, and Jonas David and Marguerite are pupils in the 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 559 

Jeffersonville public schools. Mr. Bigelow died February 6, 1904, since which 
time his widow has looked after the children and her property interests in a 
way to show that she is not only a good mother, but a good business woman. 
She owns several pieces of real estate and is highh' regarded by all who come 
in contact with her in a social way. 



LOUIS SAUNDERS. 



The founder of the Saunders family was an Irishman who came from 
Dublin early in the nineteenth certury and lived to the phenomenal age of 
one hundred and fourteen years. He left a son who lived to complete his 
ninety-eighth year and in turn this octogenarian had a son who almost equalled 
his father's age. Thus it will be seen that the family is remarkably long- 
lived. The last mentioned was Charles Saunders, who established himself 
in the county in Kentucky of which Lexington is the county seat, and grew 
wealthy as a farmer and stock raiser. He married Zelphy Duncan, reared 
a family of robust children and passed to his reward in 1908. at the advanced 
age of eighty-seven years. Louis Saunders, the well known and popular 
hotel-keeper of Jeffersonville. was one of the children of this venerated Ken- 
tucky farmer and keeps up the reputation of the family for industry, genial- 
ity of temperament and faculty for getting along in the world. He was born 
at Lexington, Kentucky, July 31, 1859, and grew up on a farm in Jessamine 
county, Kentucky. Schools were poor in those days and Mr. Saunders had 
but limited opportunities for securing an education. It cost seven dollars a 
month and the chances for attendance seldom reached beyond three months 
of the year. There were academies in the county seats, but few of the coun- 
tr}' boys could take advantage of them, owing to expense and distance from 
their homes. \Mien twenty-one years old Mr. Saunders went to Lexington 
and worked a year in the business of stair building. Not finding this ven,'- 
remunerative he established a saloon in Lexington and continued in this busi- 
ness for eight years. 

In 1889 he disposed of his plant and went to Cincinnati, v.-here he opened 
a saloon and restaurant and conducted them with fair success for six years. 
In September, 1895, he removed to Jeffersonville, where he was employed 
with the Prudential Life Insurance Company for nine months and then em- 
barked in the installment plan furniture business, which occupied his atten- 
tion for eight years. Rather accidentally he opened the Cottage Hotel in 1904, 
the beginning of it being the taking in of boarders during the National 
G. A. R. encampment- at Louisville. This paid him so well that 
he decided to go into the business regnlarlv and he has made a success of it. 



560 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Today he has one of the cleanest, most inviting and home-hke liotels in Jef- 
fersonville. His place was originally a large dwelling house, which he has 
thoroughly fitted up and adapted to hotel purjxises. In good times he had 
two adjoining houses annexed to his main establishment and spent one thou- 
sand nine hundred dollars for furniture and fixtures for the extra rooms and 
equipment. Like all hotel-keepers he has had his ups and downs with periods 
of hard and flush times, but on the whole has prospered and established his 
reputation as a popular caterer. 

In March, 1885, Mr. Saunders married Mary, daughter of Philip and 
Mary Koch, of Lexington, Kentucky. They have four children, Ora, Bloom- 
field, Emanuel and Letcher. Mr. Saunders is a member of the Knights of 
Pythias, Odd Fellows, Elks and the Christian church. 



JOHN RAUSCHENBERGER. 

Germany, celebrated for its manual training and industrial schools, has 
not only benefited greatly herself in all branches of manufacture and me- 
chanical arts, but has sent her children to every country of the world as a 
precious contribution to that department of skilled labor most potential in 
adding to the wealth of nations. The United States has benefited greatly in 
this way and much of her commercial supremacy is due to the infusion of 
German blood. A fine sample is John Rauschenberger, whose life is now to be 
sketched in a manner all too brief for the merits of the subject. He was born 
in Unterwaldach, Wurtemburg, August 2, 1S33, his parents being Michael 
and Eva (Broesamle) Rauschenberger. When nineteen years of age he came 
to Detroit, accompanied by his sister, Margaret, who married at Michigan 
City, Indiana, Andrew Kalmbach, also a native of Germany, subsequently 
coming to Jefi^ersonville, where her husband died in 1907 Mr. Rauschen- 
berger was a proficient blacksmith and worked in a car and locomotive shop 
at Eslingen in Wurtemburg, while still a boy. After reaching Detroit he 
worked for a short time at his trade, but soon went to Michigan City because 
of the opportunities for better employment. Securing a position in the car 
works at that place he remained there twelve years and enjoyed that prosperity 
which always comes to the frugal and saving. In March, 1865, he came to 
Jefifersonville at the earnest solicitation of the founders of the car works and was 
placed in charge of the blacksmithing department. He had already established 
a home in Michigan City, and his former employers were loath to lose him, 
but after investigating the prospects he concluded to cast his fortunes with the 
city by the Falls of the Ohio. He remained with the car works until the plant 
was sold to the American Car & Foundry Company, when he resigned his 





LKaoi-^-^^'f^'^-O^-'l-^^-CZAAA 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 561 

position and retired in 1899. For a. long time lie had managed his department 
by contract, hiring his own men and having absohite control. In 1872 Mr. 
Rauschenberger had a very pleasant visit to his old home in the Fatherland. 
It was the first time he had been over in twenty years and many changes 
were noted since he, a poor and friendless boy. left home for the distant land 
of America. Although he had sent his relatives a pictilire of himself, sur- 
rounded by two huntlred employes, here in the United States, they failed to 
recognize him, and for a pleasantry he pretended to be a lumljer-buyer, in 
which role he transacted some business with them before making himself 
knriwn. 

He is a genial, kindly dispositioned man. and lives comf(_irtably but un- 
ostentatiously in a cozy home facing the Ohio river, opposite Louis\-ilIe. 

In 1857 l\Ir. Rauschenberger married Mary, daughter of Bernhardt and 
Geneva Kastner, and born at Baden, Germany. They have had six children, 
of whom the survivors are: John. George. Maggie and ]\Iary. The latter 
married \\'. W. Schwaninger. of Jeffersonville. and resides in ^lilwaukee. 
The other daughter lives with her parents and the two sons are also residents 
of Jeffersonville. Mr. Rauschenberger is a member of Jeffersonville Lodge. 
No. 340. Free and Accepted Masons, Horeb Chapter, Xo. 66, Royal Arch 
Masons, Jeffersonville Council, No. 31, Royal and Select Masters, and Jeffer- 
sonville Commandery, No. 27. Knights Templar. He is also a memljer of the 
German Lodge of Odd Fellows and St. Lucas German Reformed church. 



JAMES L. :\IILLER. 

Few men in Floyd county are belter known than the old soldier who 
bears the above name. Born at Galena, in Floyd county. Indiana, in 1847. 
Tames L. Miller's whole life has been identified with the place of his nativity. 
His parents were Jacob B. and Lsabelle (Smith) INIiller. the latter being a 
descendant of Commodore Garrison, a Revolutionan' soldier. Her mother. 
Experience Smith, had reached the advanced age of ninety-seven years at 
the time of her death. Jacob Aliller and Vv ife have several sons living. 
Charles \\'. Miller, the youngest, was Attorney-General of Indiana for sev- 
eral years and was recently appointed United States District Attorney for 
Indiana. Elmore S. Miller, another son. is living on a farm in Floyd coun- 
ty. When the Civil war broke out. in 1861. James L. ^Sliller was only four- 
teen years old. but the boy as he was he burned to become a soldier and serve 
his country as best he could. Not being allowed to enlist he organized a 
company of boys, of which he was elected captain, but he was also the proud 
owner of a drum and beat it bravely when it was desired to get his command 
together. This juvenile organization was the first militarv company got 

36 



562 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

together in Floyd county, and though not accepted as such, many of the mem- 
bers managed at a later period to enlist as real soldiers. Captain Miller made 
several unsuccessful attempts to go to war without his fatb.er's consent and 
was so persistent that finally the latter helped him to become a member of 
Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fourth Regiment. Indiana Volunteer 
Infantn', which was- part of the Army of the Potomac. Despite b.is youth 
Mr. Miller was appointed corporal and afterward was promoted to a ser- 
geancy. He was present with his regiment when Lee surrendered. He was 
assistant Provost Marshal under Cajitain Hnpper and later a member of 
Colonel Hancock's body-guard at ^^"hite Sulphur Springs. He still cherishes 
as a precious heirloom the crape he wore for thirty days after Lincoln's assas- 
sination. In August. 1865, he received an honorable discharge and since has 
been justly proud of the record he matle as a soldier of the L'nion. After 
the close of hostilities Mr. Miller returned to the old home farm in Floyd 
county and remained there until he was twenty -five years old. Removing 
to Jeffersonville he secured a position as carpenter in building cars at the local 
car works and continued in this employment until October 2, 1902. Secur- 
ing a position two months later under the postmaster he delivered the first 
letter that was sent out by a mail carrier in Jeffersonville. He served as car- 
rier under four different postmasters in the city, which shows that he was a 
diligent and reliable servant of L'ncle Sam. 

It is, however, as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic that 
Mr. Miller is best known. Twenty years ago he joined the Jeffersonville 
Post, No. 86, is past commander and ex-officio delegate to all state encamp- 
ments. He was delegate to the Third (Indiana) Congressional District to 
the National Encampment at Denver, which elected Corporal Tanner com- 
mander-in-chief, and was honored by the appointment of aid on the com- 
mander's staff with the rank of colonel. He has been five times an aid. first 
on the staff of state Commander Lucas, and three times since has held similar 
positions. As in each case, he held the rank of colonel, he enjoys the unusual 
distinction of having enjoyed this rank five times, not counting the same title 
due him as past commander of the post. Before being elected commander 
Mr. Miller represented his post at state conventions at Louisville. Lafayette, 
Madison and twice at Indianapolis. When a delegate at Denver he was pre- 
sented a beautiful badge, a combination of bronze silver and gold, that cost 
seventv-five dollars. Only one other man in Clark county has had the honor 
of being a delegate to the National Encampment. Though of limited means 
he spent two hundred dollars in order to go in proper style to the great 
national meeting of the organization he loves so well. In addition to his other 
honors he is a member of the Council of Administration for Indiana. As a 
citizen he does his duty with the same patriotism and conscientiousness that 
he manifested as a soldier in war. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 563 

On December 5, 1870, Mr. Miller married Clara E. Thurman, at Galena. 
Their only son. Homer L., is chief ganger under Elam B Neal, Internal 
Revenue Collecter at Indianapolis. He has proven a competent official and 
is a worthy son of a worthy sire. 

Mrs. Nettie M. Hazzard is Mr. Miller's only daughter and the whole 
family enjoy the esteem which is well deserved by the manner in which they 
fulfill their respective duties in life. 



FRANK H. SAME. 



The family of this name is of German origin but has been identified with 
America for more than sixty years. William and Henry, sons of Franz Hein- 
rich and Elizabeth (Scherer) Same, emigrated from Bielefeldt, Prussia, in 
1847, spent eleven years at Cincinnati and in 1858 came to Tefifersonville. 
William Same married Elizabeth Gruber, a native of Baltimore, Marjdand, 
who was brought to Jeffersonville. John A. Same, brother of Frank H., mar- 
ried Rose Pennington, who died in 1903. leaving four children. 

Frank H. Same, the other son. was born at Jeffersonville, Clark county, 
Indiana, in 1866. After the usual course in the public schools he engaged in 
the grocery business as a clerk and subsequently became a proprietor for a 
time, being in partnership with H. L. Brendell at ^^'alnut and Chestnut streets, 
Jeffersonville, but most of his life has been spent in carrying on a transfer 
business. He now owns and operates the Louisville and Jeffersonville Trans- 
fer Company, wdiich keeps over thirty wagons in stock, some five of which 
are actively employed all of the time. About 1880 and for several years after- 
ward his father and all the sons were public contractors engaged in building 
streets in Jeffersonville. Previous to this his father owned and operated a 
grist mill on \\"alnut street in Jeffersonville, but eventually sold it to his 
brother, Henry, who conducted it until its destruction by fire. There is a 
tragedy connected with the life of this family, involving one of those myste- 
rious disappearances, which no detective work is able to explain. Franz Hein- 
rich Same, who started to America to join his two sons, got as far as New 
"York, where all trace of him was lost and he was never afterward heard of. 

October 14, 1891, Mr. Same was married to Hattie "M., daughter of 
W^illiam and Mary (Scammahorn) Hydron, by whom he has had two chil- 
dren, Monetta being the only onf; living. His father and Ethel, daughter 
of his brother John, are members of his household. His grandmother never 
left the old country. Mr. Same is a member of the Hope Lodge. Knights of 
Pythias, and of Eden Lodge, Knights and Ladies of Honor. The family oc- 
cupy a modest home, comfortably but unostentatiously furnished, and Mrs. 
Same is regarded as a substantial and reliable business man. 



564 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

GUSTAVE ADOLPH DEXZLER. 

Gustave Adolph Denzler is a native-born citizen of Jeffersonville, Clark 
county, who has all the recfuisite cjualifications to enable him to maintain his 
present high standing in the community. His life record has marked him as 
one in whom uprightness and conscientious adherence to dutv have ever been 
dominant traits : and his career of nearly twenty years as an employe of the 
Pennsyh-ania Railroad has been L-ingularly free from unpleasant occurrences 
which occasionally cross the path of the locoi7iotive engineer. 

^Ir. Denzler was born on the 22d day of May. i86g, and was the son of 
Casper and Verena ( Bucher) Denzler. Both parents came from Switzer- 
land. Casper Denzler was born in Diebendorf in the Swiss Canton of Zu- 
rich ; while Ruhr in the Canton of Aargau was the birthplace of his wife. 
Casper Denzler was born November 7, 1829. and his wife on December 12, 
1832. Their marriage took place in 1854 in Louisville, Kentucky. Thirteen 
children were bom of the union, of whom four survive. They are: Herman 
Denzler, who lives in Indianapolis, he is married and has a family of two 
boys and two girls; Caroline (Denzler) Wuerfel, wife of Martin Wuerfel, 
of Jefifersonville, who has two children ; Emma, who married \\'illiam Bas- 
tian, also lives in Jeffersonville and has one child. 

Gustave A. Denzler is the youngest member of his family, and during his 
boyhood attended public school until his thirteenth year, when he went to 
work in the wall paper business. In his early years he obtained quite a varied 
business experience, being in turn a clerk in the post-office, an employe of the 
local car works and the Sweeney Foundry Company. He was also associated 
for a time with the Mississippi River Commission work. At the age of twen- 
ty-one he started as a fireman on the Pennsylvania road between Louisville 
and Indianapolis. Eight years later he attained the more responsible post at 
the other side of the cab, in which he still continues on the same division as 
engineer. On April 6, 1894, lie married Cora Russ, the daughter of Chris- 
tian and Anna Russ, of Jeffersonville. 

Mrs. Denzler's father. Christian Russ, was a veteran of the Civil war. 
He was born in Germany on the 26th of October, 1843, and was the son of 
Christian and Amelia (Rose) Russ. In 1850 he came with his mother to 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and after four years in that city migrated to 
Cincinnati. At the age of thirteen he came to Charlestown, Clark county, 
where he remained until his enlistment in Company F, Thirty-eighth Indiana 
Volunteers, on the 18th of September, 1861. He served until July 15, 1865, 
when he obtained his discharge. During his term of service he participated 
in the battles of Perryville, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary 
Ridge, Hoover's Gap, Chattahoochee, Rocky Ridge, Buzzard's Roost. Kene- 
saw- Mountain, New Hope Church. Resaca, Atlanta, Jonesboro and 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 565 

Bentnnville and niinnr engagements, .\fter the war, from whicli. though 
entering as a private he merged a first sergeant, he returned to Charlestown 
and learned the carpentry trade, whicli he has followed for the greater part of 
his life since. From 1876 to 1S83, in partnership with John Hofmeister. he 
operated a brick yard in Jeffersonville. He was successful in his business 
ventures. On iNIarch 13, 1870. he married Annie Oetterer, daughter of Adam 
and jNIargaret Oetterer, of Jefferson\-ille. They had nine children. Christian 
Russ is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security and in religious af- 
fairs he is an active member of the local Methodist Episcopal church. 

Mr. and Mrs. Denzler have led a happy married life and five children 
have been born to them. They are: Annette R.. Norma E.. Clara May. 
\'ivian and Charles Henry. Gusta\-e Adolph Deuzler in fraternal affairs be- 
longs to the Brotherliood of Locomotive Engineers and the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Firemen and Engine Men. He is a member of the Jefifersonville 
Lodge, No. 340, Free and Accepted Masons: the Hone Lodge, No. 13, 
Knights of Pythias : and the Horeb Chapter, No. 66. Royal Arch iMasons. 
He and his family are members of the German Methodist church. They 
li\-e in their comfoitable cottage liome anl number \-ery many of the resi- 
dents of Jeffersonville among their friends. 



\\'ILLL\M T. CLARK. 



William T. Clark is a popular grocer and drygoods merchant of Clarks- 
ville, Clark county, and has many staunch friends in the community. He is 
a man who has had a singularly varied career and profited much thereby. In 
business life he is conservative and reliable and of an unobtrusive dispo- 
sition. His grocery and dry goods store is one of the most up-to-date in the 
district and is ever found replete with a pleasing and varied stock of choice 
goods. He is esteemed as a citizen and has been entrusted with public offices 
both in Clarksville and Jeffersonville township and admirably performed his 
duties. 

Mr. Clark was born in Floyd county, Lidiana. on the 30th of April, 1848, 
the son of T?-mes J. Clark and Jennetta Lamb, his wife, both residents of the 
same county. When William T. was but a year old his parents moved to 
Crawford county. As a boy he attended the public school there and taught 
school for six or eight years. His father was Sheriff of Craw ford county for 
four years and he became Deputy Sheriff under him. He also worked in 
stores during his teaching career. In addition he worked in the County Treas- 
urer's and County Auditor's offices at LeavenA-orth. In the year 1881 he was 
appointed a guard at the Indiana State Prison, South, which position he 



566 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

held for ten years, during the Howard and Patton administrations. In i8gi 
he entered the grocer}- business on W'oerner avenue, in Clarks\'ille, imme- 
diately south of the Reformatory. In March of 1899 he moved one square 
nearer the river to his present location. On the first floor of his business 
place he carries a stock of groceries and notions and on the second a supply 
of dry goods. 

On the 24th of October, 1872, Mr. Clark married Louisa M. Cole, of 
Crawford county. She was the daughter of \\'illiam H. Cole. The marriage 
has proven a most happy one and four children, three of whom are living, 
were born to them. The eldest son, William H., married Clara Eaken, of 
Jeffersonville. He lives near Frankfort, Kentucky. Nellie B. married George 
R. Mcintosh, of Leavenworth. Indiana. They live in Louisville, Kentucky, 
where he is the proprietor of a wholesale picture frame store, one of the larg- 
est in Louisville. They have two boys, William Roscoe and George Rowen. 
J. Raymond Clark resides with his parents and assists in the management of 
the business. He is a graduate of the Bryant and Stratton Business College 
and a young man of much business ability. 

William T. Clark is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity and 
belongs to Jeffersonville Lodge, Xo. 340, Free and Accepted Masons. Re- 
ligion has always had a place in his life and he is a member of the W^all Street 
Methodist Episcopal church. In recognition of his worth as a citizen he was 
elected to fill two important public offices. He spent two terms as Trustee 
of Clarksville and was Deputy Assessor of Jeffersonville township for four 
years. He takes an intelligent interest in the political issues of the day and 
is a supporter of the Democratic party. William T. Clark is ably assisted in 
his business by I\Irs. Clark. The couple, together with their son, live in com- 
fort and security in the same building in which their business is carried on. 



JOSEPH MOLCK. 



The gentle and poetic business of floriculture has nothing about it sug- 
gestive of war and the last place one would expect to find a warrior would 
be amid the flowers of the greenhouse. Notwithstanding this, one who talks 
awhile with Jeffersonville's only florist, will find that he has been acquainted 
with war in its worst form, and supped to the full of its "pride, pomp and 
circumstance." Joseph Molck, as the result of experience in his young man- 
hood, can tell of terrible battles in which he participated, of protracted sieges 
m which he bore a part and other blood-curdling incidents in one of the most 
tragic periods of the world's histor>^ He was born in 1848 at Weisenburg, 
in the beautiful province of Alsace, then a part of France, but now a part 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., INO. 567 

of the German empire. His parents were Joseph ami MadeHne (Essig) 
Molck, and being in poor circumstances their son was compelled at an eai'ly 
age to look out for himself. When fourteen years old he left home for Strass- 
burg, wdiere he became an apprentice to the florist's trade. In the same line 
of work he also spent some time in Choullon, Xanzig, Versailles and Paris. 
When twenty years old he enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of French Ar- 
tillery and had only two years to wait for military service of the most active 
kind. \Mien the war between France and Germany broke out in 1870, the 
Seventh Regiment was serving under Marshal McMahon in Algeria, Africa, 
but this corps was ordered to the front to meet the German advance. Mr. 
Molck was taken prisoner by the enemy at Pont a Mouson. but escaped and 
went to Metz, wdiere the French Marshal Bazaine was sustaining a siege. 
He arrived in August, 1870, and three days later the two armies were engaged 
at San Julia. August 15th Mr. Molck rode all day and on the i6th reached 
the battlefield of San Prival. The 17th was consumed in riding and on the 
1 8th Mr. Molck took part in the great battle of Gravelotte. He was twice 
wounded, his horse killed under him and the cannon destroved. He lay three 
days on the field until found by his brother, Capt. Jacob Molck, of the Twen- 
ty-sixth Regiment, who had him removed to the hospital, where he remained 
until Marshal Bazaine surrendered the city of Metz, and with one huncLred 
and seventy-five thousand prisoners he was taken to Coblentz, Germany, where 
he was held for five months as a prisoner of war. Being released at the close 
of the war, he returned to his regiment and in 1871 marched under ^lar- 
shal McMahon into Paris to confront the uprising of the Commune. The 
fighting was of the most terrible and heart-rending description. Families 
were divided and Mr. Molck's own brother was on the side of the Commune. 
Even the women and children were engaged in this fratricidal war and from 
nine o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon the gutters 
ran red with blood. Thousands were driven into the river Seine, but despite 
their desperate resistance the Commune was eventually broken and defeated. 
Being discharged shortly after these stirring events Mr. Molck spent two 
weeks at home and then embarked for America. Locating at Oil City, 
Pennsylvania, he established himself in the florist business and prosecuted it 
with fair success for thirteen years. In 1890 he removed to Jeffersonville and 
established a greenhouse in the northwestern portion of the city. Being the 
only florist in the place and growing steadily in patronage for eighteen years, 
he enjoys a large and lucrative business. Aside from his term in the army 
his whole life has been devoted to floriculture and few men understand plants 
and their propagation better than he. Having traveled extensively and speak- 
ing German, French and English he is interesting to talk to. He says the 
Germans outnumbered the French fourteen to one in the war of 1870, and 
the French were unprepared for war. Soon after arriving in Jefifersonville 



568 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Mr. Molck married Mary Peter, who was also a native of \A"eisenloerg, Al- 
sace. They have a son and daughter named, respectively. Frank and ]\Ian'. 
The family are members of St. Anthony's Catholic church and enjoy general 
respect among a wide circle of friends and acc|uaintances. 



JOHN M. MAUZY. 



As a locomotive engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad, in which capa- 
city he has served for nearly twenty years, John M. Alauzy has established 
for himself a record of faithfulness and efficiency second to none. He was 
born in Jeffersonville, Clark count}-, on the 27th of June, 1850, the son of 
Andrew Jackson and Sarah (McLain) Mauzy. Both parents were natives 
of Kentucky. Andrew Jackson Mauzy moved to Salem, Washington county, 
Indiana, from his native state when a small boy, and in the year 1845 nioved 
to Jefifersonville. Sarah McLain also came to Indiana at an early age. An- 
drew J. Mauzy was, during his lifetime, an intluential member of the com- 
munity. He became a captain in the Ninth Indiana Regiment of ^Militia. 
His military' commission, which is still extant in the possession of John M. 
Mauzy. is dated 1842 and bears the signature of Governor Samuel Bigger. 
Of Andrew J. Mauzy's children, in addition to John M., there are two sisters 
living: Mrs. Mary L. Montgomery, the mother of Judge H. C. Montgomery, 
who resides at St. Angelo, Texas, and I\Irs. Liliie H. Gould, who lives in 
Cincinnati, and who has one daughter, ^Irs. Liliie Glazier. Besides Judge 
Montgomery, Mrs. Montgomery is the mother of three other children, Mrs. 
Jesse Abbott, of St. Angelo, Texas ; Mrs. May Weir, of the same city : and 
Sarah Montgomery, who resides in New York City. 

John M. Mauzy started upon his career as a railroad man at the age of 
seventeen years as a fireman on the old Jeffersonville, IMadison & Indianapolis 
line. At the end of three years he was promoted and placed in charge of an 
engine, and in a short space of time was looked upon by his superiors as one 
of the most reliable of the younger engineers on the road. In the year 1890 
he resigned his position on the Pennsylvania Railroad and associated him- 
self with the Illinois Central, with which he has remained as an engineer ever 
since. 

In the year 1873 Mr. Mauzy married Mary Belle Huston, of New Phil- 
adelphia, Washington county, Indiana. Mrs. Mauzy was the daughter of 
Robert Huston and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Drain. Both 
parents were bom in Kentucky, but spent their early days and after life in In- 
diana. Five children were born to John M. Mauzy and his wife, as follows : 
Mrs. Sallie Eberts, who is the widow of George Eberts and the mother of two 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 569 

boys and a girl, Xonnan, Eilith and James : ]\Irs. Jennie Emery, who mar- 
ried Gus Emery, of Louisville, Kentucky, one daughter. Mary, being born 
to them : Charles Howard Mauzy, who married Jennie Daugherty, lives in 
Louisville, Kentucky, and has a family of a boy and a girl. Elizabeth and 
Joim : John Ernest and Wilbur Hancock ]Mauzy, who live with their par- 
ents in the family residence at Jeffersonville. 

John M. Mauzy belongs to the Brotherhood of Locomoti\-e Engineers, 
and is a prominent member of the local Myrtle Lodge, No. 19, Knights of 
Pythias. In the family circle he has always been known as a conscientious 
and considerate father and husband and one devoted to the interests of his 
familv. 



GEORGE XAXZ. 



A well known native born resident of Jettersonville. Clark county, is 
George Nanz, whose family, of German origin, has for very many years 
been connected with the business and farming life of -Clark county. He was 
torn on November 12, 1866, and was the son of William and Elizabeth 
(Greiner) Nanz. Mrs. Nanz was the daughter of John Greiner, who came 
to Jeffersonville from Germany in the early days of Clark county. William 
Nanz was born in Germany and came to Jefifersonville, Clark county, about 
the middle of the last century. He and his wife were the parents of two 
children, George and William. William Nanz, senior, was in the saloon 
business in Jeffersonville in a large way prior to the Civil war. His sons. 
George and ^^'illiam, attended the Jefifersonville public schools in their youth. 
Subsequently \\'illiam Nanz died in New Orleans and his wife and children 
were thrown on their own resources to make their way as best they could. 
His widow bravely faced the situation, and the two boys, when old enough, 
took up their share of the burden and went to work. William became a black- 
smith at the local car works and George w-as also employed there. 

In November. 1889. George Nanz started in the saloon business at Jef- 
fersonville and about two years later bought a lot on Spring street, near 
Maple, and built a business and resident block. At its completion he moved 
in there and still continues in that location. In 1889 he married Barbara 
Herful, who died on the 19th of December. 1891. He again entered married 
life on the 20th of September, 1894, when his marriage with Katie Stemler 
took place. She was the daughter of Daniel Stemler and Katherine (Kan- 
zinger) Stemler. Daniel Stemler was born in Germany, in 1823, and came 
to America about the year 1852. A farmer by occupation, he married, in 1858, 
Mrs. Katherine Baker, whose maiden name was K-anzinger. ]\Irs. Stemler 
\vas born in Baden, Germany, and came to Louisville in 1853. Four years later 



5/0 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

she moved to Jeft'ersonville. After her marriage in 1858 she and her husband 
lived on a farm about four miles from Jeffersonville. Ten children were born 
to them, se^'en of whom are living. They are : Henry, Will, George. Dan, 
John, Mary and Katie, wife of George Nanz. Henry Stemler married Amy 
Reichle and has nine children. Henry is in the dairy business in Jefferson- 
ville as are also his brother, Dan, and other members of the family Will 
Stemler married Annie Kreikle, has one child, and is in business for himself 
on Spring street. George Stemler married Mary Creamer, has four children, 
and is employed in the blacksmith department of the car works. Dan married 
Amelia Russ. has five children, and runs a dairy in Jeffersonville. John and 
Mary are unmarried and with their mother make up the home circle. They 
engage in the dair}' work. Daniel Stemler, senior, died in 1902 and was a 
man who always took a great interest in the affairs of his family. The Stem- 
lers all belong to the German Reformed church, of which they are active sup- 
porters. 

George Nanz is a member of the Tell Lodge, No. 272, Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows; he also belongs to the Eagles. In religion he is a 
member of the German Reformed church. William Nanz, his brother, married 
on April 13, 1903, Mrs. Lizzie Metzger, who was the daughter of Phillip and 
Mary Hoffman, of Madison, Indiana. In October, 1904, he also entered the 
saloon business at 314 Spring street, where he still continues to do business 
with success. William Nanz belongs to the Eagles and to the Lutheran church 
in Jeffersonville. John Greiner. grandfather of the Nanz brothers, was one 
of the founders of the German Reformed church in Jeffersonvile. Previous to 
that time he used to cross the river in a skift" and attend church in Louisville. 



FRANK WOERNER. 



Jeffersonville, Clark county, has been the adopted home of Frank W^oer- 
ner from the year 1881 to the present day, and his career there has met with 
much success. In recent years he has become deservedly popular with all 
classes as a business man of importance and a substantial resident. In all his 
business undertakings and financial ventures he has been ably counseled and as- 
sisted by his wife, who has been, since their marriage in the year 1876, a 
prime factor in increasing his store of wealth and an admirable supervisor of 
the affairs of the domestic hearth. Both come of thrifty German stock. 

Frank Woerner was born in Louisville, Kentucky, March 31, 1857, and 
was the son of Conrad and Mary (Zwirman) Woerner. both of Germany. He 
was educated in the parochial and public schools. He learned the baker's 
trade, which he followed for several vears. He then became a machinist and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 57 1 

associated himself with that industn- for fifteen years. About the year 1881 
he came to Jeffersonville to work in the car works and located on the street 
immediately west of them. He put his earnings into property on that street 
and in time owned more of its real estate than anyone else. At this time there 
was a discussion as to whether the street should be named Smith or Smyser 
street, and an agreement was reached as a compliment to Mr. Woerner and 
it was renamed Woerner avenue. 

Mr. Woerner was already married at the time of his arrival in Jeft'er- 
sonville, having espoused in Louisville on October 8, 1878, Wilhelmina Jackel. 
She was the daughter of Leopold and Anna !Mary (Roth) Jackel. Frank 
Woerner and his wife have had one son, Frank Paul, who was for nine years 
a salesman for the Belknap Hardware Company of Louisville. He now lives 
in Indianapolis, where he is associated with the Van Camp Hardware and 
Iron Company. Frank Woerner, Jr., married Geneva Sinex, of New Albany. 
They have one son, William Frank W'oerner. 

In June, 1894, Frank Woerner built a business block with residences at- 
tached, at the north end of Woerner avenue, and also started his grocery, 
which is said to be one of the neatest, cleanest, and most up-to-date in Jef- 
fersonville. The Woerner grocery contains a varied assortment of high class 
fancy groceries and is also replete with a side-line of confectionery and no- 
tions, and has proved to be a most successful business venture. 

On the 28th day of June, igo8, a local branch of the Knights of Col- 
umbus fraternity was established in Jeffersonville and Frank Woerner be- 
came one of the first and most active members. He also belongs ti_i the Fra- 
ternal Order of Eagles and is a member of the Catholic Knights of America. 
Both he and his wife are influential members of St. Anthony's church. The 
Woerners have traveled much in (ither states and have been at dififerent points 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific at various times. 

Hand in hand Frank ^^'oerner and his wife have built up the success 
that is theirs today, and their industry, thrift and business energy has not 
been without conferring a benefit on the community, and it is but a fitting 
recognition of their services that the street which has been the scene of most 
of their endeavors should bear their name. 



WILLIAM HENRY FOSTER. 

William Henry Foster, general foreman of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
shops at Louisville, Kentucky, is also prominent in his native town of Jef- 
fersonville, in which he now resides. A machinist of skill and ability, his 
record as a loyal employee earned for him the gratitude and recognition 



57- BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

he deserved. He comes from a family that has contributed much to the 
progress of Jeffersonvihe, for his father, as a builder and contractor, spent a 
lifetime of activity there. Our subject is essentially a self-made man. who, 
having had but scant educational facilities in his youth, which covered the 
stormy period of the Civil war, he had to depend to a large extent on his nat- 
ural talents. His success under the circumstances is all the more appreciable. 

He was born in Jeffersonvihe in 1858, the son of ^^'illiam Thomas Fos- 
ter and Kate (\\'esso) Foster. His mother came to America from her na- 
tive Germany with her parents when young and was adopted t:)y the Ewing 
family of Madison, Indiana, who at a later period located in Jeffersonvihe. 
\\'illiam Thomas Foster was born in Franklin county, Kentucky, and came 
to Jeffersonvihe about 1856. Here he learned the bricklaying trade from 
George Ewing and boarded with his employer. In this connection it was 
but natural that he and the adopted daughter should become acquainted and 
their marriage ultimately resulted. Later William Thomas Foster launched 
out as a building contractor and erected manv of the best known buildings in 
Jeftersonville. He made the brick and erected the building in which the First 
National Bank now stands. He also built the line of structures from there 
to the ne.xt alley north. Soon after the war the building at the northeast 
corner of Spring and Chestnut streets was erected by him and was thought 
to be the finest in the town. He interested himself in the contract work of 
the Government Depot and many other well known works. He helped to 
erect the Presbyterian church and the pest house. His earliest work was on 
the government bakery that stood on ^^'arder Park during the war. He was 
an expert on brick baking o\-ens and did finished work of the kind at E\-ans- 
ville. He also built the "lodges'" in the National cemeteries at Louisville, 
Lebanon, Kentucky, and at Grafton, West Virginia. Previous to his death 
he located in Cincinnati, where he died in 18S6. 

William H. Foster grew up in his native town and in the year 1876 
started in as an employee of the Jeffersonvihe, Madison & Indianapolis shops, 
and learned the machinist's trade. In the winter of 1885 he was transferred to 
the Indianapolis department, where he remained until the fall of 1890. In 
September of that year he was made general foreman for the Pennsylvania 
road at Aladison, Indiana. In 1895 ^''e \vas changed to Louisville to take 
charge of the shops there and still holds the position. L'pon making his last 
change he located once more in Jeffersonvihe. 

His marriage to Lida B. Luckett, of Franklin county, Kentucky, was 
performed in the year 1883. She was the daughter of John Luckett and his 
wife, whose maiden name was Frances Martin. Six children have been born 
to them. They are : Florence, who married Lee H. Adams, of Cor^'don Junc- 
tion ; she lives in Jeft'ersonville and has one child. Charles Thomas Foster 
married Lena Hutt; they reside in Jeffersonvihe and have one child: he is a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 573 

fireman on the Pennsylvania Railroad as is also his broth.er. Wilbur Allen 
Foster. Graham Ray. Anna Irene and William E. Foster still remain at 
home with their parents. Susan J. Spicer is also a member of the family cir- 
cle.. She is the dauafhter of Airs. Foster's deceased sister and was left an 
orphan at the age of three years. 

William Henry Foster is well versed in the affairs of the Knights of 
P}'thias. He is a member of Hope Lodge, No. 13. In religion he is a lifelong 
member of the local Presbyterian church. He lives on the same corner facing 
the Ohio river as did Governor Jennings when he resided in Jeffersonville. 



JOSEPH THOAIAS EXLOW. 

The well known chief of the Jeffersonville fire department, Joseph 
Thomas Enlow, was born at Alauckpcrt, Harrison county, Indiana. August 
20, 1866, the son of John Emmett and Hilary A. (Reynolds) Enlow, both 
branches of the family being well established and worthy representatives of 
Harrison county. In 1869 the Enlow family removed to Louisville, Ken- 
tuck}', and in 1879 they removed to a farm near L'nderwood, Clark county, 
Indiana, our subject having remained on the farm until he was alxnit eighteen 
years old, when he decided that better opportunities awaited him in the city 
than on the farm, consequently he went to Jeffersonville and secured employ- 
ment in the car shops, having performed his sendees there in such a creditable 
manner that he at once attracted the attention of his employers and he was 
accordingly made foreman of the steel plant. 

On September 3, 1906, Mr. Enlow was appointed chief of the Jefferson- 
ville fire department, which appointment was for four years. He has suc- 
ceeded in greatly strengthening the department in every respect and accord- 
ing to many of those in position to know, he is perhaps the best chief the de- 
partment in Jeffersonville has ever had. When he took charge of the depart- 
ment it was equipped with only one "combination" wagon and one hose real, 
fifteen hundred feet of hose, and there were but four horses and five men. 
Xow these are in addition to the city service combination ladder truck, which 
carries a chemical engine and one hundred and ninety feet of ladders, two 
hundred and fifty feet of hose : also an engine which was built especially for 
the Jeff'ersonville department. It has an Amoskeag pump, which is the very 
best design made, a Fox boiler, also highly efficient apparatus, in short, a most 
excellent fire fighting machine. Technically it was rebuilt from an old one 
that had been out of use for many years, but the old part is so insigiiificant 
as to hardly desen-e mention. There is now a total of three thousand and 
two hundred feet of hose and eight horses and eleven men. A new house 
has also been erected and another house reconstructed on East Chestnut street. 



574 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

The department as a whole has been more than doubled since Mr. Enlow took 
charge, which certainly speaks well of his executive ability and energy as a 
wide-awake fire chief, who is desen-ing of the high esteem in which he is held 
by the people of Jeffersonville. 

Mr. Enlow was united in marriage on January ii, 1887, with Florence 
Austin, a native of New Albany, who passed to her rest in July, 1898, hav- 
ing become the mother of five children, namely: Grace, Laura, Florence, 
Mary and lone. 

The subject's father, who is the postmaster and a merchant at Under- 
wood, Indiana, was a soldier in the Civil war, having been a member of the 
Thirty-fourth Kentucky Infantry. The Enlows bear an excellent reputation 
in the vicinity of Underwood and wherever else they are known. 

Mr. Enlow is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
Lodge No. 3, of Jeffersonville. He is distinctively a fire fighter, seemingly 
singled out by nature for such work, a medium sized man with well knit 
frame, a square jaw, showing fortitude and determination. \Miile in his 
every-day life is a kind-hearted and generous man. he has the dash and fire 
of a born leader of men when occasion requires, but is always cool and self- 
possessed. 



CAPT. FRANCIS B. SHEPHERD. 

In every community, large or small, there are a few men whn, by their 
force of character, are intuitively recognized as leaders, men who are success- 
ful in whatever they undertake. In the thriving city of Jeffersonville, In- 
diana, there is a representative of this class found in Capt Francis B, Shep- 
herd, a man who justly merits the high regard in which he is held by all 
who know him, if for no other reason, because of his past enviable record 
as a soldier, having performed his duty in the cause of humanity during the 
last wars of his country. He was born in White Sulphur, Scott county, Ken- 
tucky, in 1866, the son of Phillip B. Shepherd, a native of Mead county, Ken- 
tucky, and a man of many worthy attributes of character. The subject's 
mother was known in her maiden hood as Catherine Lee, daughter of Robert 
E. Lee. of White Sulphur, Kentucky, who had the distinction of serving in 
the War of 1812. Phillip B. Shepherd represented Mead county in 1849 
and 1850 in the Kentucky Legislature, being the only Democrat ever elected, 
from that county up to that time, which fact is indicative of popularity in his 
own locality. He afterward moved to Decatur, Illinois, and edited the first 
Democratic paper at that place. So faithfully did he defend the principles of 
Democracy that President James Buchanan appointed him postmaster of De- 
catur, in which capacity he served until the breaking out of the Civil war. 



J 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 575 

when his sympathies for the Southern cause prompted him to seU out all 
his possessions and move to the South, where he at once joined Gen. Joseph 
Johnston's division of the Confederate army, in which he rendered ei^cient 
service. After the close of the war he was elected Judge in Grant county, 
Kentucky, in which capacity he served for a period of four years. Thus it is 
no wonder that Francis B. Shepherd should have naturally taken to army life, 
with the record of his ancestors so penneated with militarism. 

Our subject remained at home (White Sulphur, the Blue Grass state) 
until he was eighteen years old, when, with his parents, he removed to Ft. 
Scott, Kansas, where he attended the Kansas Normal College during the first 
three years of his residence. After leaving school he enlisted in the Fourth 
United States Infantiw. stationed at Ft. Omaha, Nebraska, and subsequently 
served all through the \\'est. After his five years' term of enlistment expired 
he re-enlisted in the Seventh United States Cavalr}-, in which he served three 
years, by this time having made great progress in army discipline, and shortly 
afterward he gladly availed himself of an opportunity to go to Cuba, where 
he joined the Insurrectos, who were rising to throw ofif the voke of Spanish 
oppression, two years before ^American troops were sent to that island. Mr. 
Shepherd's object in this new line of activity was to teach the Cubans tactics, 
drills, maneuvers, etc. So efficient was his work in this nmnection that he 
was promoted to the rank of major in the Cuban army. Leaving Cuba Mr. 
Shepherd went to South America, where he remained until the breaking out 
of the Spanish-American war, when he returned to the United States and 
enlisted in the Twentieth Infantry of the regular army, and was in the first 
expedition to land in Cuba. June 22 and 24, 1898. then fighting their first 
battle, in which President (then Colonel) Roosevelt was engaged. The sub- 
ject was in Bates' Flying Brigade, and he also participated in the battles of 
El Caney and San Juan Hill, where this regiment did very eft'ective work, re- 
turning to Montauk Point, then to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, after the close 
of hostilities. The regiment was then sent to IManila, Philippine Islands, 
leaving San Francisco on the transport Warren, which landed at Manila, Feb- 
ruary 12, 1899, that city still being practically on fire, resulting from the 
fierce fighting on February 5th. Mr. Shepherd was detailed as personal 
orderly to Maj.-Gen. Lloyd Wheaton, and he participated in the following- 
engagements: Guandaloupe Ridge, March 13, 1899; Pators, March i_|.th. ad- 
\anced from San Fernando to Calulut, August 9th, following. Then the regi- 
ment with which the subject was connected engaged in skirmishes from San- 
dalon to Angeles, which place was reached on August 13th, and from whence 
they went to Porac, arriving there on September 28th, following, engaging 
in a skirmish: also at Lingayan Gulf, November 5th, remaining there until 
December 31st. when the)' captured Aguinaldo's mother and his secretary, 
but the famous insurgent leader escaped. From January 7th. to April 24. 



5/'- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



& 



1900, Mr. Sheplierd was in Grant's expedition, which brigade invaded the 
Buhican Mountains. They were in a battle at Bahibad, June 11, 1900. There 
was ahnost constant fighting and skirmishing Ijetween these battles. 

At the expiration of his term of service in 1901 Mr. Shepherd returned 
to Manila and was given the position of superintendent of land transportation 
under Col. C. P. Miller, and he remained there until 1904, when he was trans- 
fered to the classified service at the c[uartermaster"s department in Jefferson- 
ville. Indiana. He is messenger of Class C at the government depot and is 
captain of Company ^I. Indiana National Guard, at Jeffersonville. He is one 
of the best jx^sted men in army and navy affairs in the state, receiving all 
general orders and keeping up-to-date in reference to military affairs. Cap- 
tain Shepherd's personal appearance is that of a born soldier, portly and digni- 
fied. He is at present engaged in writing a book on the Cuban insurrection, 
which is awaited with great interest by his friends and army acquaintances, 
for it will doubtless be replete with stirring incident as well as valuable from 
a historical standpoint. 

One of the leading incident's in the captain's life in the Philippines and 
one of the most important events of his life, was his marriage in Manila, on 
IMarch 2, 1904, to Catherine Hogan, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who 
made the long trip, from her home to the Philippine capital that she might 
marry Captain Shepherd. 

In his fraternal relations our subject is a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, Tell Lodge, No. 272. He is also past commander of 
the Spanish War Veterans, making one of the most efficient leaders that body 
has ever had. Thus possessing as he does so many likable traits of character 
and such sterling worth, it is not strange that he is one of the popular men of 
his county. 



LUTHER M. WORRELL. 

The \\'orrells were originally a well established old family of Virginia, 
but representatives found their way west during the first half of the ninteenth 
century and became identified with dift'erent states. Martin B. Worrell, who 
was born in Harrison county, of the Hoosier state, enlisted as one of the In- 
diana soldiers during the Civil war, and made a good record while in the 
army. He married Margaret Hunsemacher, a native of Gemiany, who came 
to America in her childhood. Luther M. Worrell, one of the children by this 
union, was born at JefTersonville, February i, 1878. Mr. Worrell received 
the usual education in the common schools of the city. After finishing the 
course he studied electricity and worked in that line of Imsiness for four 
years. In 1898, when the Spanish-American war began, he determined to 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 577 

join the army, then enhsting for the defense of the country and do what he 
could to uphold her honor. With this end in view he joined Company E, One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry\ with which he went to 
Cuba. Shortly after arriving in the island he was transferred to the Thir- 
teenth Company of the United States Signal Corps, with which he ser\ed six 
months. This corps did valuable service for the government during the mili- 
tary- operations in the island and Mr. Worrell is justly proud of the part he 
bore in the work. 

After returning home Mr. Worrell secured a position as fireman on the 
Pennsylvania Railroad and gave such satisfaction that he was promoted to 
the post of engineer on August i, 1906. He has since retained that place 
and is in active sen-ice with the Pennsylvania, being regarded as one of the 
company's most reliable locomotive engineers. He takes much interest in all 
that concerns the welfare of railroad men, and is one of the enthusiastic mem- 
bers both of the Brotherhood of Locomtive Firemen and Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Engineers. 

On October 30, 1901, Mr. Worrell was married to Libbie Brinkworth, 
a young lady of refinement, who was bom at Jefifersonville, but reared at In- 
dianapolis. Her parents were George and Mary (Pepper) Brinkworth and 
natives of England, who came to Jefifersonville before the birth of Mrs. Wor- 
rell. They came to America in childhood and were reared near Madison, 
Indiana. Mr. Brinkworth enlisted at Madison in the Third Indiana Cavalry, 
and served with credit during the Civil war, on the side of the Union. Mr. 
and Mrs. Worrell have had three children, of whom George M. and Clara C. 
are living, the other having died in infancy. Mr. \\'orrell talks entertainingly 
of his experiences during the Spanish-American war. He was originally in 
Capt. Lewis C. Baird's company and after being transferred to the Signal 
Corps crossed over from Havana to Santiago, where the principal fighting 
took place. He learned much of the ways and peculiarities of the Cubans and 
also became acquainted with the large and varied assortment of annoying in- 
sects to be found in that part of the tropics. The family reside in a neat cot- 
tage in the best district of the city. Both Mr. and Mrs. Worrell are people 
of intelligence and refinement and their home life is ideally happy. 



HENRY W^ATTERSON HARRISON, D. D. S. 

The family of this name is of Kentucky origin and one branch of it at an 
early day settled in the county of Carroll. During the heated discussions pre- 
ceding the Civil war, when Kentucky was rent with political, social and civic 
feuds, the Harrisons sided with the Democratic party and when the actual 

37 



578 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

clash of arms occurred were found in the ranks of the Confederates. R. F. 
Harrison, who was born in Carrollton, enHsted in the Soutliern arm\' and 
went through many of the stirring scenes that distinguished this troubled 
period from the spring of 1861 until the surrender in 1865 brought compar- 
ative peace. That he was a man of prominence and popularity is proved by 
the fact of his election as Clerk of Carroll county, but still more by the fact 
that he held this important office for twenty-eight years. Under the old 
S)'.stem prevailing in Virginia and Kentuck}' the county clerkship was prac- 
ticularly a hereditary office, being handed down from father to son for genera- 
tions. It was a position of great influence, combining in its incumbent great 
knowledge of the law as well as current business of the county, the clerk often 
figuring as guardian of children and administrator of estates. Some years be- 
fore the Civil war a flatboat floated down the Ohio river, containing a New 
York family on their way to the Falls, where the parents hoped to better 
their condition in life. Kate E. Gibson, then a child of tender age, was a 
member of this family and when she reached Jeffersonville was adopted by 
Rev. Henry Smith, a minister and lawyer of the town. She grew to maturity, 
attended the public schools and finished her education at the Charlestown 
Academy. Subsequently she met and married R. F. Harrison, of Carrollton, 
and to this union we are indebted for the young dentist who is the subject of 
this brief review. 

Henry \\'atterson Harrison was born at Carrollton, Kentucky, in 1872 
and received his early education in his native county. Alx)Ut the time he 
reached his majority he entered the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery 
at Phildadelphia, from which he was graduated in March 1893. He began 
practice at Carrollton, but after remaining there a year or two removed in 
April, 1895. to Rising Sun, Indiana. Remaining at this point for five years, 
he again changed location in 1900 and spent nearly two years at Evansville. 
In September. 1901, he removed to Jeffersonville, which has since continued 
the theater of his operations. He occupies an office and residence combined in 
the principal business part of the city. The neatness of the surroundings, the 
comfortable character and good taste displayed in the furnishings and the 
whole atmosphere of the place indicate that the young dentist is attending 
strictly to business and bids fair to make a success of his profession. Doctor 
Harrison is a member of the First Christian church of Jeffersonville and takes 
an interest in everything concerning its educational and charitable work. He 
has an inclination toward the fraternities and seems fond of lodge work, as is 
indicated by the numerous orders to wdiich he belongs. These include Clark 
Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons; Jefferson Lodge, No. 3, Inde- 
paident Order of Odd Fellows: Hope Lodge, No. 13. Knights of Pythias, 
and the Modern W'oodmen of America. 

On October 10, 1894, Doctor Harrison was married to Hattie O.. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 579 

daughter of O. P. and Hannah J. Dailey, of Vevay, Indiana. They have 
two children, Hugh P. and Henry \\'.. Jr. The family live quietly and mod- 
estly, enjoy respect in their circle of acquaintance and number on their list 
of friends many of the best people of the city. 



ADOLPH I. FRANK. 



The subject of this sketch, who is efficiently performing the responsible 
duties of Police Commissioner of the city of Jeffersonville, is one of the best 
known citizens of Clark county. His appointment to the position he now fills 
met with the approval of the public and be has aluindantlv fulfilled every ex- 
pectation. 

Mr. Frank is a native of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and was born on Janu- 
ary 3. 1844. His father, John G. Frank, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
in 1814, and received his education in the excellent public schools of his native 
land. In 1830 he emigrated to America, locating first in Canada, where he 
served an apprenticeship to the butcher's trade. In 1835 he came to 'the 
states," locating in Jefifersonville. where he remained during the remaining 
years of his life his death occurring on the loth of Januan', 1884. He had 
followed the meat business during his active life, retiring from active pursuits 
in 1870. He married Mary Oehm, who was born in Saxony. Gennany, in 
18 18. In 1833 she came to .\merica with her parents, who located near 
Charlestown, Indiana. The father, William Oehm, was an early settler and 
prominent farmer, but died in early life. Mrs. ]\Iary Frank died on the loth 
of June, 1890. 

John G. and ]\Iary Frank became the parents of eleven children, five of 
whom died in infancy, and but four of whom are now living. Those who 
lived to years of maturity are as follows: John W'., who was a butcher in Jef- 
fersonville, died May 10, 1900; Adolph I. is the immediate subject of this 
sketch: John H. is a butcher at Owensboro, Kentucky: H. M. runs a suc- 
cessful dr}-goods business in Jeffersonville: Lucretia, the wife of William H. 
Kehrt, a saddler and harnessmaker in Jeft'ersonville : Oliver J. died at the age 
of twenty-six 3'ears. 

Adolph I. Frank received a good practical education in the public schools 
of Jeffersonville, and upon the close of his school days he served an appren- 
ticeship in the drygoods business in Jefferonville two years. He was then for 
several years employed in a dr}-goods store in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1872 
he entered into business on bis own account in Jeft'ersonville, and so continued 
until 1890. when he entered the employ of his brother. H. M., in the same 
line. He has been fairlv successful in all his business aft'airs. and. which is 



580 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

better still, he has earned and retained the highest regard of all with whom 
he has had business dealings. 

On the establishment of the municipal office of Police Commissioner, in 
1898. Mr. Frank was appointed to that office for four years. He then 
remained free from political office for four years, but in 1906 was induced 
to again accept an appointment to the same position, which he has since so 
acceptably filled. He has also served four years as a member of the City 
Council. 

Politically Mr. Frank has always been an active Republican, and his fra- 
ternal affiliation is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

In 1866 Mr. Frank married Mary Robertson, a resident of this county, 
though a native of Birmingham. Iowa. The Robertson family is an old one 
and was prominently identified with the war of the Revolution. Mrs. Frank's 
paternal grandfather, Hezekiah Robertson, was an early settler of Indiana 
and assisted in hewing the logs for the erection of the first Methodist Epis- 
copal church in tlie state. That was in 1800 and the church was located about 
three miles north of Charleston. The deed to this property, which deed is 
still in the possession of the Robertson family, conveys the land "to the M. E. 
Church of the United States forever." Five children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Frank, namely: Ada W., who lives at home, is a graduate of De- 
Pauw University, class of "98, and is now a teacher of Latin in the Jefiferson- 
ville high school ; Clara K. died at the age of seven years ; Laura O. is the 
wife of S. H. McMullin, of Aurora, Indiana ; Irwin R., of Cosmosdale, Ken- 
tucky, is the cashier of the Cosmos Cement Company ; he married Gertrude 
Hagerman; Olive died in 1906, unmarried. 



NEWTON HUNT MYERS. 

It was over ninety years ago, three years after Indiana was admitted as 
a state, when the whole territory was clothed in original forest, when settle- 
ments were few and far between and towns found only at a few places on the 
Ohio river, that Michael J. Myers left his home in Herkimer county. New 
York, to seek his fortune in what was then known as the "far West." He 
was a contractor by occupation, and his object in coming to Clark county in 
1819 was to prosecute work on a then projected canal. Later he went to 
Ohio, where he ended his career at a comparatively early age. With him at 
the time of his arrival in Clark county was a son named Peter, then seven 
years old, who after reaching manhood engaged in merchandising, shipbuild- 
ing and the lumber business. He met with the usual fortunes attending such 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 581 

ventures, but on the whole seems to have prosi>ered during a lung life that 
was terminated by death in January, 1886, in the seventy-fourth year of his 
age. He married Rachael, daughter of Thomas Jacobs, one of the earliest of 
the county's pioneers, who lived in Utica township. She died in 1893, when 
sixty-three years old. She became the mother of eight children. By a former 
marriage Peter ]\Iyers was the father of six children, and of his fourteen cliil- 
dren, nine are still living. 

Newton Hunt Myers, third of the children of the second marriage, was 
born at Jeffersonville, Indiana, December 27, 1857. After the usual prelimi- 
nary attendance in the common schools, he was graduated from the city high 
school, in 1877, and was the second boy to receive that honor. After a course 
at Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York, he secured a posi- 
tion as bookkeeper in the Plate Glass Works at Jeffersonville, which he held 
for two years and then embarked in business on his own account. In partner- 
ship with Ed. Heller he established a mercantile firm to deal in clothing, hats 
and furnishing goods, but after the retirement of Mr. Heller within a year, 
he took sole charge and has since continued in the business. In 1892, in part- 
nership with F. L. Rossbach he established a furnishing business in Chicago, 
known as the Washington Shirt Company, which proved a very successful 
venture. In addition to manufacturing the firm conducts three retail stores 
in Chicago. Several years ago a stock company was formed for the manu- 
facture of wagons, kitchen cabinets and other household supplies, of which 
Mr. Myers became the largest owner and directing head. In addition to his 
business ventures Mr. ]Mvers has found time for other activities and has be- 
come quite prominent in local politics. He is chairman of the Republican Cen- 
tral Committee and a member of the State Advisory Committee. In 1894 he 
v.as elected School Trustee, to serve four years, but resigned this position in 
February, 1898, to accept a higher honor. He was appfjinted postmaster by 
President McKinley and served acceptably during his first term, and was re- 
appointed at the expiration of his term, in all completing a sen-ice of eight 
years. Mr. Myers' fraternal connections are numerous and conspicuous as 
they embrace membership in several of the best known fraternities. In the 
Masonic Order he is a Knight Templar, Scottish Rite and Shriner, an ex- 
trustee of the Knights of Pythias, and a member of the Benevolent and Pro- 
tective Order of Elks. 

On April 22, 1889, Mr. Myers was married to Elizabeth Means, a na- 
tive of Louisville, Kentucky, and of English descent. Her parents, Edwin 
and Sarah Means, were born, reared and married in England, but came to 
this county in early life, the father dying January 10, 1908, aged eighty-six. 
and the mother died July 6, 1908, also at the age of eightv-six years. Mr. 
and Mrs. Myers have three children, Helen, Perin and Richard B. Mr. 
Myers ranks high in the business world as a man of affairs and action, who 



582 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

know how to get tilings done. He has taken the initiative in several enter- 
prises of risk, but so managed them as to make valuable properties. In the 
political arena ]\Ir. Myers has developed the skill and judgment that gi\e 
value to those in active management and his associates rely on him as a wise 
advisor. He has filled such official positions as have been entrusted to his 
charge in such a way as to show integrity of character and a firm grasp on 
details. Socially his standing is among the best and he has developed the 
rare faculty of both making and holding friends. 



HENRY F. BURTT. 



Amasa Burtt purchased a tract of land in Utica township, Clark county, 
Indiana, July 21, 182 1, which after the lapse of nearly one hundred years, 
is still in possession of his descendants. The original tract of one hundred 
seventy acres, mostly wild woodland, was increased by subsequent purchases 
until in the course of generations it was converted into a productive and valu- 
able farm. Amasa Burtt, who became a prosperous farmer, spent his whole 
life in Utica township and finally ended his days in December, 1853, o'l the 
homestead he had established. He was succeeded as owner by his son, Eli, 
who spent the eighty years of his life on the place of his birth, and died there 
July 7, 1897. He married Pauline Hardin, a native of Oldham county, Ken- 
tucky, who came with her parents to Clark county when a girl. Her death 
occurred at the Utica township homestead, September 25, 1871, after becom- 
ing the mother of ele\'en children, of whom seven are living. These are : 
Mollie B., widow of Noah R. Dale; Henry A. : Laura, wife of Thomas Spauld- 
ing; Benjamin H. : Joseph B. : Balie L., and Rose T., wife of Daniel Hollo- 
way. 

Henry Adolphus Burtt, second of this family, was born in Utica town- 
ship, Clark county, Indiana, October 8, 1852. He grew up in the old home- 
stead, established by his grandfather, got a limited education in the public 
schools, and when sixteen years old became a pupil at the Brownsboro Acad- 
emy, in Oldham county, Kentucky, which he attended for two years. From 
there he went to the State University, at Bloomington, Intliana, and was 
graduated June 12, 1878. At intenals during his college life he taught school 
for several years, and the sickness and death of his mother caused protracted 
absence from college before he secured his degree. Immediately after 
this event he entered the law office of Ferguson & Marsh at Jefifersonville, but 
later took a course in the Louisville Law School, from which he was grad- 
uated with the class of 1880. On April ist of the same year he opened an 
office at Jeffersonville and has been in continuous practice ever since. 



baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 583 

In July, 1SS5, he formed a partnership with James E. Taggart, and this 
firm has never been dissolved. Burtt & Taggart are familiar names on all 
court dockets around the Falls Cities, as the\' have had their full share in all 
the important Htigation. Air. Burtt has always afifiliated with the Democratic 
party, but while he has done his part of the work he has never been an aspir- 
ant for office on his own account, preferring to occupy that post of honor 
known as the private station. He is content to do his duties as a good citizen 
and has found ample employment for all his faculties as a devotee of that 
"jealous mistress," known as the law. He stands well in his profession and 
is regarded as well informed both as to the history and practice. He is com- 
petent as a trial lawyer and in that class of work which belongs to the office 
and as an all around practitioner is able to hold his own with the best. In 
1904 Mr. Burtt was elected ilayor of JefTersonville, but retired after ser\'ing 
two years. 

In November, 1880, Mr. Burtt w-as married to Marietta Robertson, a 
native of IJtica township and a descendant of one of the early settlers of 
Clark county. Her parents were William F. and Malinda ( Carr) Robertson, 
who were born and reared near Charlestown, Clark county, Indiana, and 
ranked among the pioneer farmers to whom the agricultural development of 
this section is due. ^Nlr. and Airs. Burtt have si.x children: Ernest E., car- 
toonist on a Knoxville newspaper; Ella Irene, Eunice R., .\mos Henry, 
Esther H. and Lora Josephine. 



JOHN HUTCHINSON BALDWIN. 

Few men of his age have accomplished more than the bright and popular 
young physician whose name lieads this sketch. Though not much beyond 
his thirty-second year, he ranks among the successful practitioners of his 
community, and as a promoter and organizer of educational agencies for the 
general uplift and enlightenment of his fellow men. He ha:^ a natural talent 
as an organizer, one of the rare gifts among men and has made a success of 
everything he has undertaken in this line. In fact he is a feature of Jef- 
fersonville social life and a factor of importance in all that ctMicems medi- 
cal progress. Suave in manner, clean of life, full of energy and enterprise, 
he is valued as a counsellor and sought after by all who are contemplating 
movements along educational and progressive lines. 

Edward Baldwin, the doctor's father, was a pilot on a jMississippi river 
gun-boat during the stirring days of the Civil war, when these vessels were 
causing such terror among our rebellious friends along the banks of the 
great "Father of \\'aters." It took a man of skill and courage to engineer 



584 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

one of these queer crafts up and down the streams that penetrated the Con- 
federacy. Edward Baldwin proved equal to the task and did his full share in 
suppressing the great uprising that threatened the integrity of the Union. 
He married Susan E. Spitler, whose ancestry was German, but came to New 
Albany from Virginia. 

John Hutchinson Baldwin, a child by this union, was born at New Al- 
bany, Floyd county, Indiana, in October, 1876. He went through the city 
schools and graduated from the high school in 1894. Shortly afterward he 
entered the Southwestern Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, from 
which he was graduated at the head of his class in 1897. Being appointed 
interne at the Louisville City Hospital, he served there during the years 1897 
and 1898, but in the summer of the latter year removed to Jeffersonville, 
where he has since actively engaged in the practice of medicine. In 1908 he 
built an office of concrete, the first erected in the city exclusively for office pur- 
poses. In the fall of 1903 Doctor Baldwin promoted the organization of the 
Jeffersonville Chautauqua Association and the first assembly was held from 
August 5th to 14th in 1904, continuing annually ever since. Speakers of 
national reputation and varied pursuits have spoken at this summer assem- 
blage and make it one of the most notable of the \\'est. Among the celebrities 
who have appeared on this platform are William Jennings Bryan, Champ 
Clark, Sam Jones. Maud Ballington Booth, Bishops J. R. Mclntire and Edwin 
Holt Hughes, Lorado Taft, the sculptor, and other of world-wide reputation. 
Doctor Baldwin is president of the association, with Adam Heimberger. of 
New Albany, as vice-president ; James E. Taggart, of Jeffersonville, as sec- 
retan,', and George H. Holzbog as treasurer. Professor Charles A. Prosser, 
superintendent of the New Albany public schools, is superintendent, and the 
directors are John C. Zulauf, A. A. Swartz, H. M. Frank, and the general 
officers. The doctor's activities, social, religious and fraternal, are in keeping 
with his enterprising temperament. He is ruling elder in the Presbyterian 
church, member of Clark Lodge, No. 40. Free and Accepted Masons, and 
examining physician for Hoosier Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America. 
For ten years he has been a member of the faculty of the college from which 
he graduated and holds the important position of professor of the principles 
and practice of medicine. He is a member of the Indiana Institute of Home- 
opathy and for awhile held the position of vice-president of that institution. 
In addition to all this he is a member of the Falls City Homeopathic Medical 
Society, member of the staff at Deaconess Hospital and visiting physician at 
the Louisville City Hospital. Although among the younger physicians of 
Jeffersonville, none stand higher or are regarded as more useful than Doctor 
Baldwin. He has a large and extensive practice among the best people, who 
entertain profound respect for his professional opinions. 

Doctor Baldwin owns and lives in a handsome home which he recentlv 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 585 

erected. As an organizer his qualities are such as to make him much sought 
after and in all his undertakings of a public character he has been recognized 
as a leader and usually becoming president of the association. 

On January 30, 1900, Doctor Baldwin married Cora G. Peckenpaugh, 
a native of Leavenworth, Indiana, and daughter of Judge N. R. Peckenpaugh, 
who formerly presided over the Supreme Court of Alaska. They have three 
children, Edward Nicholas, Ruth Elizabeth and Dorothv May. 



DAVID C. PEYTON, M. D. 

Occupying an enviable position in the ranks of his profession and enjoy- 
ing the respect and esteem of everyone in the community, the subject of this 
sketch merits personal mention in a work of the character of this volume. 
David C. Peyton was born near Charlestown, Clark county, Indiana, on Oc- 
tober 12, i860 He is a son of John AI. and Susan (Clarke) Pe^'ton, both 
also natives of this county. The father was a farmer and stood well among 
his fellow men. The paternal grandfather, Daniel Peyton, was commissioned 
a major of Indiana militia by Governor Jennings in 1816, the year that In- 
diana was admitted as a state, and the following year he was commissioned 
colonel of the Twenty-second Regiment, Indiana State Militia. He was a 
member of the rescue party at the Pigeon Roost massacre and had also taken 
an active part in the War of 1812. John M. and Susan Peyton were the par- 
ents of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, and of these four of the 
sons and the daughter are now living in Clark county, the brothers of the 
subject all being engaged in fanning. 

David C. Peyton received his preliminary education in the common 
schools of his native county and then took a three-years' course in a normal 
training school. He w&s engaged for a year in teaching school, and 
then, having decided upon the medical profession as his life work, 
he took up his professional studies in the office of Dr. J. ]\I. Rey- 
nolds, of Memphis, Indiana. He then entered the Ohio Medical College, of 
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated two years later, and then entered the 
University of Louisville, where he graduated with the class of '86. He is 
also a graduate of the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, class of 
'99. The doctor has besides taken much post-graduate work and is thus 
well fitted by training for the work which he has so successfully carried for- 
ward. He first entered upon the active practice of his profession at Henry- 
ville, Clark county, but a few months later came to Jefifersonville and has 
since been constantly in the practice here with the exception of nine months 
during the Spanish-American war. .\t the outbreak of that brief but 



586 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

decisive conflict the doctor was commissioned a major and brigade surgeon l^y 
President ^NIcKinley, his commission being issued in June. 1898. His first 
service was as assistant chief siu'geon uf the Second Army Corps at several 
points in Pennsylvania, and at Camp ]\leade, that state, he was relieved from 
that duty and transferred to Philadelphia, where he assumed the duties of 
chief medical officer of the state, performing these duties until the close of the 
war. He then returned to his practice at Jeffersonville, to wliich he has given 
an earnest attention and undivided interest, so that at this time he enjuys one 
of the most extensive medical practices in this section of the state. Tlie doc- 
tor takes a deep interest in his profession and is a member of the Clark Coun- 
ty Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society, the American Medi- 
cal Association and the Mississippi Valley Medical Association. He is now 
serving as president of the state society, was a member for five years of the 
judicial council of the American Association, and a member for five years of 
the "house of delegates" from Indiana to the latter society. Among other 
positions of professional responsibility which he has held may be mentioned 
his membership on the city Ijoard of health and three years' service as secre- 
tary of the County Board of Health. He also ser\-ed three years as surgeon 
of the Prison. South, now known as the Jeffersonville Reformatory. He was 
also surgeon for several corporations and railroad companies. 

On June 26, 1883, Doctor Peyton married Henrietta S. Hay, a daughter 
of George W. and Susan Hay, of Charlestown, this county, where she was 
born. Mrs. Peyton was reared and educated there and is also a graduate of 
Barnett Academy. The doctor maintains fraternal relations with the Free 
and Accepted ]\Iasons, and has risen to the rank of a Knight Templar. His 
religious membership is with the Presbyterian church. Politically he is a 
zealous and active Democrat, though not an aspirant to political offices. He 
has, however, given six years efficient service as a member of the city board 
of school trustees. 

A man of fine attainments and of strong social instincts. Doctor Peyton 
has won a host of warm personal friends. He is a constant and careful stu- 
dent of everything pertaining to his profession and keeps in close touch with 
the latest advances in the healing art. 



THO^IAS MULLEN. 



When the tide of immigration was setting in strong during the middle 
decades of the last century, the Emerald Isle was contributing by the thou- 
sands to the bone and sinew so necessary to building up tire great repuljlic. 
Most of these emigrants became common laborers on the railways and canals 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. ' 587 

then being constnicted and ethers were scattered all over the country as me- 
chanics in various industrial establishments. It was about 1852 that the elder 
Thomas Mullen, after marrying Bridget Castelo in Ireland, came with her to 
seek his fortunes in the states of North America. Two years later he found 
himself seeking employment in Jeffersonville, wdiich he subsequently found at 
the big mill on the river west of the Pennsylvania bridge and here he re- 
mained at w'ork until the time of his death. There were seven children by this 
marriage, of whom those now living are John, Thomas, Mary. James and 
Julia. John married Mary Cummings, of Jeffersonville, who died in 1908, 
leaving three children of her own, besides they had adopted one. JNIaiy, James 
and Julia live with their mother at present, James being a pattern-maker at 
the car works. 

Thomas Mullen, second in age of his father's sur\iving children, was 
born at Jeffersonville, Indiana, November 25, 1862, and as he grew up at- 
tended the Catholic schools of the city. Later he took lessons in mechanical 
drafting at Louisville and in 1878 secured a job at the car works to do general 
labor such as was suited to a boy. When he w'as older and more experienced 
he was put to work with tools as a car-builder, later made patterns and fi- 
nally was promoted to the passenger car department. By degrees he rose to 
be assistant superintendent and has under his care all the work pertaining to 
passenger cars. He has held this position for ten years, has a large number 
of men under his charge and has given entire satifaction to his employers by 
his prompt and efficient discharge of duties assigned him. Mr. ^lullen is a 
member of St. Augustine's Catholic church at Jeffersonville and is connecteil 
with the fraternal orders of the Elks and Knights of Columbus. 

In 1900 Mr. Alullen married Julia B., daughter of Nimrod C. and Cyn- 
thia ( Weathers) Beckham, and is a second cousin of the late Governor of 
Kentucky. Mrs. Mullen has reason to be proud of the long and honorable 
genealogy by which she can trace her ancestry through famous families of 
this and other countries. Her mother was a daughter of William and Eliza- 
beth (Graham) \\'eathers, the former being a prominent citizen of Nelson 
county, Kentucky, where he owned two thousand acres of land. His wife 
was a sister of Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham, who was born October 10, 
1784, and was more than one hundred years old at the time of his death, at 
Louisville, in 1885. He enjoyed the distinction of having been present at the 
marriage of the parents of Abraham Lincoln. His father was James Graham, 
a Deputy Sheriff of Augusta county, Virginia, when twenty years old, who 
afterwards came west v.-ith Gen. George Rogers Clark and fought with old 
warriors at Kaskaskia. One of his fellow soldiers was Colonel Edward 
Worthington, with whom after the military campaigns he settled in B(jyle 
county, Kentucky, and later married the sister of Colonel Worthington. 

James Graham traced his descent from the noble House of ^^lontrose. 



588 .BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

SO celebrated in the annals of England and Scotland, since the twelfth cen- 
tury. The Grahams, or Graeme, pedigree goes even farther back to the time 
when one member of the family fought so valiantly at the Roman Wall in 
the fifth centuiy, that it was ever afterwards called after his name. Mrs. 
Mullen is a bright and intelligent woman, talks enthusiasticallv of the historic 
events connected with the history of her family, with which she has liecome 
familiar by reading and tradition. Mr. Mullen is faithful and reliable in 
business, a man of steady habits and much devoted to his home circle. Their 
only child is a boy, whom they ha\-e named Alvin, and who gi\'es promise 
of being a worthy descendant of a distinguished ancestry. 



HON. GEORGE H. VOIGT. 

In no profession is there demanded a more conscientious and careful 
mental training or a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life 
than in that of law. In this profession success comes only as the result of 
capability and earnest and unremitting effort. 

The subject of this sketch, who has in many ways become closely identi- 
fied with the varied interests of Jeffersonville, has lived there all his life. He 
is the son of Ferdinand and Eva K. Voigt, natives of Germany, who came to 
this county early in life and lived in Jeffersonville many years. 

George H. Voigt received a good preliminary education in the schools 
of Jefifersonville, and then, having decided upon the legal profession for his 
life work, entered the law department of the University of Louisville, where 
he graduated. Entering at once upon the active practice of his profession, 
Mr. Voigt met with immediate success and was quickly recognized as a young 
man of promise. 

In 1885 he was elected City Attorney and discharged the duties of this 
position to the entire satisfaction of the people. In the following year he re- 
signed to accept the office of Prosecuting xAttorney of the Fourth Judicial 
Circuit, to which he had been elected. The circuit at that time comprised the 
counties of Clark and Floyd and the position was one requiring much work 
and responsibility. He performed the duties of the office without fear or 
favor and retired after serving a second term with a well earned reputation 
for absolute fidelity to the interests of the people. 

Afterwards he was again elected City Attorney of Jefifersonville, but after 
several years of service resigned the office, the salary not justifying him in de- 
voting the necessary time to the discharge of its duties. 

For many years Mr. Voigt has enjoyed a large and lucrative business, 
his practice being a general one excepting, however, criminal law, the practice 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 589 

of which he discontinued some years ago. His law Hbrary is one of the larg- 
est and most carefully selected in the state. 

Though busily engaged in the practice of his profession Mr. Voigt has 
become interested to a considerable extent in other lines of activity. He is a 
director of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville and interested in a num- 
ber of other local enterprises. 

A staunch Democrat in politics Air. Voigt has always taken an active in- 
terest in the affairs of his party, being influential in its councils and advocat- 
ing Democratic principles on the stump. 

In 1890 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of 
the Indiana Legislature from the district composed of Clark, Floyd and Jef- 
ferson counties. He was elected a Presidential elector in 1892 and in 1896 
was sent to the Democratic National Convention as a delegate. Mr. Voigt 
takes a keen interest in the issues of the day and decided stand on the great 
questions before the American people. 

He married Lora E. Hill, a daughter of William H. and Maria Hill. 
She is a native of Jefifersonville and a very attractive woman of rare accom- 
plishments. 



JAMES H. DUFFY. 

Through sheer industry and close attention to the smallest details of the 
affairs of the big concern of which he is the head, James H. Duffy has placed 
the City Ice & Cold Storage Company, 955 Maple street, Jefferson ville, Indi- 
ana, in the front rank of establishments of this character. Although compara- 
tively a young man Mr. Duffy possesses rare business acumen, and his career 
in the business world has been marked with signal success. He has been iden- 
tified and contributed his moral and financial support to many projects that 
had for their purpose the betterment of the conditions of the community in 
which he has spent his life. 

Mr. Duffy has passed the thirty-fourth anniversary of his birth, having 
been born in Jeffersonville township, October 22, 1874. He is the son of 
Captain James T. and Nora (Robinson) Duffy, a history of whom will be 
found upon another page of this volume. James H. Duffy is the eldest of a 
family of eight children, six of whom are living. He attended the public 
schools of the place of his nativity, and being an apt pupil with a full realiza- 
tion of the advantages of a good education advanced very rapidly. For the 
first ten years of his manhood he worked on the river in connection with his 
father's business, and being of a saving and economical disposition accumu- 
lated sufficient money to enable him to go into business for himself. In the 
year of 1900 he became the owner of his present plant, purchasing the same 



590 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

from tlie Jefferson\ilIe Brewing Company. Immediatel}- upon a.ssuming con- 
trol of the business he set about actively to making much needed improve- 
ments, and the business of the concern increased rapidly. Mr. Duffy is prin- 
cipally engaged in the business of manufacturing ice and his plant now turns 
out twenty tons daily, giving employment to four men. The cold storage de- 
partment has a capacity of three thousand to four thousand barrels, and every 
inch of its space is in use the greater portion of the time. 

The subject, on June zj, 1900, was married to Emma Howard, daugh- 
ter of Thomas Howard, of Port Fulton. Mrs. Dufify is a native of New 
Orleans, but came to New Albany when a little girl, and was educated in 
the common schools of that city, and Louisville, Kentucky. One daughter 
was the result of this union, and she is now in the sixth year of her age, a 
bright child, who is idolized by her parents. 

Mr. Duffy is very active in lodge work, lieing a member of the Elks and 
the Improved Order of Red Men. He is also a member of the Roman Cath- 
olic church, and takes a deep interest in religious affairs. He is an adherent 
of the principles of the Democratic party, having voted that ticket since he 
attained his majority. Because of his genial disposition and high sense of 
honor in dealing with his fellow men he is popular in Jeffersonville. 



WTLMER T. FOX. 



Wilmer T. Fox, one of the rising members of the Clark County Bar and 
for over three years City Attorney of Jeffersonville, is the only living son of 
Prof. Charles F. and Mary P. Fox, and dates his birth from September 5th 
of the year 1881. His father was born at New Albany, Indiana, December 
4, 1849, ^"d is the son of Jacob Fox and Regina (Scholl) Fox. Jacob Fox 
was the son of George and Margaret (Householder) Fox and was born at 
Batchdorff, Alsace, France, on May 29, 1820, emigrating to America in 1838. 
Regina C. Scholl was the daughter of Fred Scholl and Katherine f Schu- 
macher) Scholl, was born on November 30, 181 3, at Upper Eslingen. W'ur- 
temberg, Germany, and emigrated to this country in 1833. Her father was 
a soldier in the French aimy, served under Napoleon in the march against 
Moscow and on the return of the army from that expedition died from the 
effects of the terrible cold and exposure they had suffered. 

Charles F. Fcx received his early education in Clark county and later 
was graduated from the State Normal School at Terre Haute. For a period 
of thirty-si.x years he has devoted his life to educational work, being at this 
time one of the oldest teachers in active ser\'ice in Clark county. He has held 
manv important positions at different places and is now principal of the Rose 
Hill schools, one of the ward schools of Jeffersonville. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 59I 

Tlie maiden name of ^Irs. Charles F. Fox was Mary P. Taylor. She is 
a daughter of Phineas and Mary J. (Allen) Taylor, and was born and reared 
in Clark county, being a descendant on the maternal side from a brother of 
Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame. Her great-grandfather on the maternal 
side of the family was Isaac McBride, who distinguished himself in the early 
border warfare and was a member of the expedition under General George 
Rogers Clark, when that intrepid commander passed through this part of In- 
diana on his way to capture the British stations of Kaskaskia and Vincennes 
and conquer an empire for the American cause. For services rendered dur- 
ing this and other e.xpeditions he was subsequently awarded a large grant of 
land near the present town of Henryville, Clark county, and it is on this land 
that his remains were interred. 

W'ilmer T. Fox, whose birth occurred in Jefferson\-ille, spent his early life 
pretty much after the manner of the majority of city lads, entering the public 
schools at the proper age. He made commendable progress in his studies, 
completing the high school course on May 25, 1899, ^"d on May ist of the 
year 1900 he was graduated from the Spencerian Business College in Louis- 
ville, following which he was employed for three years as bookkeeper in that 
city. Having early manifested a decided taste for the legal profession, he be- 
gan the study of the same in 'October, 1903, becoming a student of the In- 
diana Law School at Indianapolis, from which institution he was graduated 
May 24. 1905, and on August ist of the same year he began the practice of 
his profession in Jeffersonville, where in due time he built up a large and lu- 
crative practice. 

Mr. Fox brought to his chosen calling a well disciplined mind and it was 
not long until he won recognition as a capable and painstaking lawyer, whose 
thorough professional training and ability and tact as a practioner caused 
his sen'ice to be much sought after by litigants. 

On September 4. 1906, he was appointed City Attorney of Jeffersonville, 
the duties of which responsible position he has since discharged with credit 
to himself and to the satisfaction of the municipality. 

Among his professional brethren ^Ir. Fox is held in the highest esteem 
and having the confidence of the public and the most loyal friendship of the 
many with whom he is accustomed to associate, it is not strange that his 
career thus far presents a series of continued successes, or that his future ap- 
pears bright with promise. In his political affiliations he is a Republican and 
as such has rendered valuable services to his party in both city and country. 
He enjoys great personal popularity with the people irrespective of party 
alignment, manv of his warmest friends and admirers holding" views directly 
opposite to those he entertains. 

IMr. Fox keeps in close touch with the trend of modern thought. He 
holds membership \\ith the First Presbyterian church of Jeffersonville, is a 



592 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

ruling eldei- of the congregation and active in all lines of religion and be- 
nevolent work under its auspices, besides being influential in various move- 
ments and enterprises for the social advancement and moral welfare of the 
city. He is president of the Associated Charities of Jeffersonville and is also 
president and was the organizer of the Gentlemen's Literary Club, established 
in the year 1906, and since that time has been one of its most influential and 
active members, being untiring in his efforts to arouse and maintain an in- 
terest in the organization and make it answer the purpose for which intended. 

While prosecuting his legal studies in Indianapolis Mr. Fox spent a part 
of his time as clerk to Judge Gillett of the Supreme Court and while thus 
engaged acquired a practical experience of great value to him in the subse- 
quent practice of his profession. 

Mr. Fox is a married inan, his wife having formerly been Mary S. Mc- 
Killip, of Charlestown, the ceremony by which they were united in the bonds 
of wedlock having been solemnized on the 24th day of October, 1907. Mrs. 
Fox is the only daughter of Mrs. Annie (Ford) McKillip and the late Rev. 
M. E. AIcKillip. and is a descendant of the best Southern families. She is a 
talented musician and a woman of personal charm. 



GEORGE W. MARTIN. 



Indiana was a territory of rough experiences and many dangers when 
the ]\Iartin family first settled here. The first arrivals were Jesse Martin and 
wife, who came from near Jamestown, Virginia, and settled in Washington 
county, when the Indians were still plentiful and occasionally hostile. A tradi- 
tion is handed down to the efifect that Jesse Martin, son of the above men- 
tioned member of this family, was shot by an Indian, who, after friendly 
conditions prevailed came to the white settlement to see how badly his victim 
had been hurt. Manoah Martin, son of the elder Jesse, married Sarah Ann, 
daughter of George Wood, said to have been the first white settler in Wood 
township. 

George W. Martin, one of the children by this union, was born in Wash- 
ington county, Indiana, in 1847. I" 1852 his parents removed to the old Hale 
farm in Clark county, a mile south of Borden. Here he remained until he 
reached manhood, meantime attending the local schools and completing his 
education by taking a commercial course at Hartsville College, in Bartholomew 
county. After leaving college Mr. Martin engaged in the manufacture of 
barrel staves, which he disposed of in 1882 to T. S. Carter. Later, for a num- 
ber of years, he operated a spoke factory, saw, planing and flour mills on an 
extensive scale, which were burned in 1904, consuming twelve thousand 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 593 

(li.)llars' wortli nt propert}'. but he reljuilt and in 1906 sold to a corpdra- 
tion known as tlie Martin Alilling Company, and is at present conducted I^y 
the Durham Tile & Lumber Company. In 1905 he established a general mer- 
chandise business at Borden, which he continues to conduct successfully, being 
altogether a very busy as well as prosperous man of affairs. He owns five 
fruit farms, one of which he manages in person and resides in a pleasant home 
at Borden, being regarded by his wide circle of acquaintance? as a substantial 
and reliable citizen. He has for many years been a member of the Christian 
church, known as the Church of Christ. 

In 1872 Mr. Martin married Belle, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth 
Huston, natives of Wood township. Mrs. Huston was a Miss Hallet before 
her marriage and her family lived near Utica, in Clark county. Of Mr. and 
Mrs. Martin's seven children only three are living. James Norman Martin, 
known by his friends as "Tay," has charge of a portable saw mill, which does 
a good business. He married Linnie Potts, a native of Wood township, and 
they have four children. James. John, Belle and Edward. Mr. Martin's two 
other living children are Georgia and Ralph \\^aldo. The entire family stand 
well among the industrious and prosperous citizens of Clark county, who in 
various lines of productive business have contributed to the growth and wealth 
of the community in which they live. Mr. Martin has been successful as a 
regular farmer, a fruit grower, a mill man and a manufacturer, giving em- 
ployment to many men and enjoying the esteem of all as a fair manager who 
treats his employes with kindness and justice. His home is a place of meeting 
for many friends and all are treated with liberal and unostentatious hospitality. 



GEORGE REMINGTON CLARKE. 

It was many years ago that a young Englishman left his native land to 
seek his fortunes in the countries beyond the sea. Joseph Clarke, like most 
of the people of Great Britain, was much attached to the laws and institutions 
to which he had become accustcimed and naturally gravitated towards a colony 
of "Old England" where the customs are much the same as those of the 
Fatherland. Directing his footsteps toward Ohio, there he met and married 
Claramond Shaw, a young woman of good family, whose native state was 
Ohio. George Remington Clarke, a son by this union, was born at London. 
Ontario. July 4. 1861. His father becoming dissatisfied with the outlook in 
Canada determined to look for betterment in some section of this great re- 
public. With this end in view he gathered together his household goods and 
with his little family crossed lake Ontario and took passage for the distant 
state of Indiana. This was in 186^, when George Remington was about four 

38 



594 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

years old, and at this time his parents settled in Jefferscnville to make that 
city their home. George was sent at an early age to what was then known as 
the "Old Blue" school, well known as a part of the city's educational system. 
He remained in school, tinishing the first year in the high school. His first 
venture in a business way was in a minor positicm at the office of the Howard 
Ship Yards. This he retained about one year and a half, when in April, 1879, 
he went with his brother-in-law. A. A. Swartz, the well known drygoods mer- 
chant on Spring street. This proved to be his life work, as he has remained 
in this mercantile establishment ever since, rising l)y gradual promotions until 
he has become a member of the firm, the old firm being changed to the Swartz 
Drygoods Company. Mr. Clarke developed a taste for politics in early m:in- 
hood and attached himself to the Republicim party and has taken an active 
interest in all the local campaigns. That he stands well in his political organ- 
ization is proved by the fact that he was selected under Governor Alount as 
Republican memlier of the Board <jf Police Commissioners at Jeffersonville. 
He served satisfactorily and is esteemed as one of the local leaders, whose ad- 
vice is worth listening to and whose work is valuable in helping the organiza- 
tion. He has lung been a worker in religious circles and interested in the vari- 
ous charities, educational enterprises and missionan- mox'ements of his church. 
He is popular in all lines in which he has figured, being especially esteemed 
as a courteous and progressive business man. His address is agreeable, his 
manner afifable and he has the faculty of making and holding friends. 

On September 18. 1884. Mr. Clarke was married to Mildred, daughter 
of Mr. and ]\Irs. J. P. W'inesburg. of Jefifersonville. Allen Winesburg Clarke 
is the only child of ]\Ir. and Mrs. Clark. He is at present employed with the 
American Car & Foundiy Company, of St. Louis. The family are members 
of the Presbyterian church, in which IMr. Clarke has served as deacon for ten 
years, or more. He ranks as a model citizen, a good neighbor, good friend 
and a public-spirited man. who is always ready to help any cause which prom- 
ises to aid in the de\'elc>pment of the city. 



JOSEPH E. BOTTORFF. 

A native son of Indiana, a representative of one of its prominent large 
pioneer families, and one who has been for many years identified with the 
industrial and material development of Clark county, a well known factor in 
the progress of this favored section of the commonwealth, is the gentleman 
whose life-history is herewith briefly outlined. 

Joseph E. Bottorf? was born in Harrison count}-, Indiana, in 1864, the 
son of Tacob S. and ^latilda (LaDuke) Bottorff. the father a native of Clark 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 595 

county and the son of Louis Bottorff, both influential members of this old 
and well established Clark county family, and in many ways the subject 
evinces praiseworthy characteristics of his ancestors. He grew up in Eliza- 
beth, Indiana, where he attended the public schools and laid the foundation for 
a good education. Early deciding to devote his life to the mercantile profes- 
sion he came to Jeffersonville, in 1881, and entered the employ of Dennis 
IMurphy, owner of a dr\'goods store on Spring street. Mr Bottorff gave evi- 
dence from the first that he possessed innate ability in the management of a 
concern like that of Mr. Murphy's and he made such i-apid strides that he was 
enabled to buy out his employer in 1886, Mr. Murphy having been compelled 
by failing health to give up the business. Although then only about twenty- 
one years old, our subject assumed management of this store with ease and 
assurance, continuing to extend the trade of the same with most gratifying 
results. About 1904 his brother, Edward Bottorff, was taken in as a partner 
under the firm name of J. E. Bottorff & Company, since which time their trade 
has continued to increase, owing t(j the reliability of the managers and the 
fact that they handle a good grade of merchandise and always strive to give 
full value received, consequently never fail to please their customers. Their 
store is neatly kept and is equal to any of its kind in Jeffersonville. (The reader 
is respectfully referred to biographies of other members of the Bottorff familv 
in this work for a history of the subject's ancestors. 

Joseph E. Bottorff is the capable and efficient storekeeper at the quarter- 
master's department, which position he has held for a period of three 
years. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, of which he has the distinction of being the past exalted ruler and he is 
a member of the grand lodge. Always abreast of the times Mr. Bottorff is a 
pleasant man to know and bears a reputation for integrity that is worthy of 
his ancestors. 



CAPT. JOHN R. VAN LIEW. 

Capt. John R. Van Liew is the scion of a respected and prosperous famih^ 
of old Dutch stock and a man who has gained the position he holds today in 
the civic and business life of Jeffersonville, Clark county. As a militarist of 
the pronounced type ever since his term of service in the Spanish-American 
war he has done much to instill enthusiasm for a military calling into the 
younger citizens of the community. 

Mr. Van Liew was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on Octolier 15, 1876, 
the son of Dennis and Blanche (Weaver) Van Liew. ^^'^:en he had about 
reached his fourth year his parents removed to Jeft'erson^•iI!e across the river, 
and there his education was received, and the greater part of his life, since 



596 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

then, spent. Upon leaving school he went into the box manufacturing busi- 
ness, in which he continued for eight years. In 1893 he began a course of 
three years' service as sergeant of Company G, First Regiment. Indiana Na- 
tional Guard. On the 4th of July. 1898, he enlisted in the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry and was breveted with the rank of first 
sergeant in Company E, of which Lewis C. Baird, the editor of this work, 
was captain. He preceded with his company from Indianapolis to Jackson- 
ville, Florida, thence to Savannah, Georgia, and thence to Havana, Cuba. 
After seeing four and a half months' active service they returned via Savan- 
nah, were mustered out April 30, 1899, and returned to Jeffersonville 
through Washington, D. C. The captain has been successful in building up 
the National Guard in his district and was captain of Company M, which he 
organized at JefTersonville on February 9, 1906, for the period of two years. 
Since the close of his military career he is looked upon as an authority of im- 
portance in all things pertaining to army matters. 

On his return from participation in the Spanish-American conflict Cap- 
tain Van Liew was selected as an officer of the Indiana Reformatory, in June, 
1899, and in consideration of his services as an officer of that institution was 
later promoted to the assistant superintendency of the shirt-making depart- 
ment, which position he still holds. 

He was married on July 8, 1902, and selected as his wife, Emma Smith, 
the daughter of Augustus and Anna Smith, both natives of Louisville, Ken- 
tucky. Mrs. Van Liew has borne her husband one child, Clarence P. Van 
Liew. 

Captain Van Liew is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, the Modern Woodmen, and the Spanish-American war veterans. He 
has numerous friends and is known to possess a kind and obliging disposi- 
tion. He is warmly attached to his family, and has a reputation for trust- 
worthiness and efficiency in his present sphere of work. At the present time 
he is no more than thirty-two years of age and, though his record in the past 
has been of the highest, his familiarity with business afifairs are sure to win 
for him a larger share of recognition as a citizen of worth and probity. 



ROBINSON PRATHER BOTTORFF. 

There is a large and widely distributed family connection of this name in 
Clark county and for many years they have been engaged in developing this 
section. Conspicuous in various walks of life, they are best known as farmers 
and devotees of the various mechanical arts. They belong to the class of men 
that the essentially useful, doing those things which the people want done and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 597 

obtainino- success by doing- them well. While none of the connection have 
accumulated great wealth, most of them have done well and laid by a compe- 
tence. It is seldom indeed that a Bottorff is found who is not well-to-do and 
the name has become synonymous with thrift and industry. Originating in 
Germany representati\-es of this family became itlentified with Indiana at an 
early day. There has been a large increase l>y natural growth and inter-mar- 
riage and at present it ramifies through all parts of Clark county. William 
H. H. Bottorfl:, a son of Samuel, owned a farm near L'tica for many years, 
lint in 1884 disposed of his property and went to Kansas. One vear later he 
died in the \\'est and in 1888 the family returned to Clark county, locating in 
Jeffersonville. William H. H. Bottorff married Eliza, daughter of Da\id and 
Edith (Prather) Grisamore. by whom he had eight sons, David, Nathan, 
Charles, Ruddle. Robinson P., Myron, Walter and Homer. 

Robinson Prather Bottorff was born in Utica township, Clark county, 
Indiana, July 27, 1871. He remained on the farm until his parents went to 
Kansas and after returning secured a position in the car works. After a 
year in this line he began learning the trade of carriage trimmer, in which he 
soon became proficient. Two of his brothers also had jobs at the car works 
in dift'erent lines and developed into good mechanics. Myron learned black- 
smithing and now holds a responsible position with the American Brake 
Company at St. Louis. He is married and has one son. Walter learned car- 
riage painting and at preent has charge of the Kentucky Buggy Company at 
Owensboro. Homer, the \()ungest of the boys, learned the carriage trimmer's 
trade under his eldest brother. All four brothers became employes at Jef- 
fersonville, but in November, 1900, Robinson P. changed employment and 
took service with Rubell Brothers, carriage makers. In the spring of 1903 
Mr. Bottorff, Robert O. Rubell and others organized the Falls City Buggy 
Top Company in Louisville and have made quite a success of this enterprise. 
Originally intending onh- to manufacture buggy tops the extensive use of 
automobiles suggested an opportunity to branch out in that line and in Janu- 
ary, 1909, larger quarters were secured to afford room for making tops for 
autos, which has proved a profitable addition. Most of the stock is now owned 
by Messrs. Bottorff and Rubell and under their hustling management the busi- 
ness is increasing rapidly. 

On September 3, 1896, Mr. Bottorff was married to Edna, daughter of 
Joseph and Emma (O'Neill) McPherson, of New Albany, Her father came 
from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but her mother is a native of Floyd county. 
They have had three children, those living being lona and Roberta, two un- 
usually bright girls of whom their parents are justifiably proud. Mr. Bottorff's 
fraternal relations are with the Red Men and Haymakers. He was three times 
a delegate to the Grand Council of Red Men at Indianapolis, and is one of the 
most influential and best known workers for the welfare of this popvdar order. 



598 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

OSCAR H. DUFFY. 

The family of this name in Clark county are of Scotch ancestry, their 
forefather's migrating across the English channel and settling in the north of 
Ireland, where several of the name rose to positions of prominence. A branch 
of the family emigrated to America about the first decade of the last century 
and in 1828 Maj. Andrew Duffy removed from there to Indiana, settling at 
Hanover Landing and became one of the early pioneers of Jefferson county. 
He dealt extensively in real estate and his grandson has papers in his posses- 
sion signed by President Madison and James Monroe, when the latter was 
Secretary of State. Two of Major Duffy's uncles rose to higher rank as 
statesmen, both living bachelor lives and leaving large estates. Major Duffy 
was influential in Clark county affairs and served for a while as County Com- 
missioner. His son, Thomas Duffy, gave additional luster to the family name 
during his long and useful life. He was bom during his father's residence 
at Hanover Landing, but in childhood was brought to Clark county by his 
parents, Andrew and Kezziah Duffy, who settled at New W'ashington. After 
he reached maturity he engaged in farming for a while, but later removed to 
Jeffersonville and embarked in the grocery Ijusiness. He was the first in the 
city to start a delivery wagon and for many years his establishment was the 
leading" grocery of the county. For a long time he had charge of the poor of 
the township and established a reputation for charity, often giving out of his 
own store to relieve distress. During a small pox epidemic it was his duty to 
take provisions to the patients, which he performed bravely though daily ex- 
posed to infection. During the Civil war he remained a sturdy Democrat, 
though it cost something in those days, as men of that political faith were 
then rare in Southern Indiana. He and Jonas G. Howard voted together 
when the latter was threatened with violence for expressing his sentiment. 
While still a resident of New Washington, Thomas Duft'y married Jane, 
daughter of Allen and Rebecca Rogers, and to this union we are indebted 
for the worthy gentleman who constituted the subject of this sketch. 

Oscar H. Duffy was born at Jeft'ersonville, Indiana, in i860, and six 
months later lost his mother by death. \\''esley Duft'y, an uncle, took charge 
of the babe and cared for him kindly at his home in Charlestown, until he 
reached the age of twenty-one. As he grew up he had the benefit of the pub- 
lic schools and during the intervals engaged in farming. \\'hen he became 
of age he located at Jeffersonville as a guest of his sister and for ten years 
was manager of a produce house in Louisville. In addition to being the pur- 
chasing agent and general superintendent of the business he also acted as trav- 
eling salesman for the firm. At later periods he engaged in various lines of 
work, being for three years with the T. J. Lindley hardware establishment in 
Jeft'ersonville. and the same length of time with the Belknap Hardware & 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



599 



Manufacturing Company of Louisville. At present he is shipping clerk for 
the Indiana Chain \Vorks, a manufacturing company at the Indiana Refonna- 
tory. Mr. DufTy began life at the foot of the ladder, always had t(j work his 
own \va_\- and rely on his own resources, but he has "made good' and proved a 
success in every line of business he has undertaken. He is a man of quick 
sympathies, of a kind and generous nature and enjoys a quiel life in a modest 
but comfortable cottage where his many friends are always welcome. 

On October 25. 1905. Mr. Dufify married Mary Lucy Woodraff, a mem- 
ber of one of the old families and descendants of the early pioneers. Her 
father, James ^Voodrufif, was a Virginian and her m<5ther. Sarah Purdue, was 
a native i)f Scott county, Indiana. The hitter's father was Nathan Purdue, 
who settled in Charlestown township, Clark county, in the early days and did 
his share in the hard work and development of pioneer times. Mr. and Mrs. 
Duffy are members of the Wall Street Methodist Episcopal church and he 
belongs to Hoosier Camp, Modern Woodmen of America. 



JOHN LOOMIS. Al. D. 



Few families in American can boast so proud and ancient a lineage as 
that of the Loomises. As far back as the fifteenth centuiy its members were 
famous both in England and Continental Europe. They were dissenters and 
the old records speak of a John Loomis who was burned for heresy 
at Canterbury, England, in 1856, for standing firmly by his religious con- 
victions. Another, John Loomis, who was bom before 1570, was a man of 
distinction at Braintree, England. His son, Joseph Loomis, a Puritan, some 
years after the landing of the Mayflower, came from Braintree to what 
is now Windsor, Connecticut. Perigrine White, the great-great-grand- 
mother of Doctor Loomis, was the first wdiite child born at Plymouth. Mas- 
sachusetts, and the next child was Rebecca White. His grandfather and 
a number of others of the Loomis family b(_)re a conspicuous part in the 
American Revolution. The family had a cost-of-arms, which bore devices 
that stand for loyalty to the king and country, for devoted self-sacrifice and 
whose motto means, "Yield not to adversity." The family in the United 
States, who are descendants from Joseph Loomis, the Puritan pioneer, num- 
ber over twenty-eight thousand, many of them distinguished as scientists, 
soldiers, statesmen and members of the learned professions. They ha\e en- 
dowed a college wdiich stands on ground never owned by anyone but a Loomis 
since it was acquired by Joseph Loomis. in 1639. At that school any member 
of the Loomis family may be educated free of charge. It is a family, taken 
in its entirety that exemplifies the noble art of "plain livino' and high think- 



600 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ing," and seldom is one found who has not acquired a competency. Such is 
the noble Hneage of a family which includes a number of representatives in 
Clark county, well worthy of the name. 

Dr. John Loomis. chief patriarch and "head of the house" in Indiana, 
was born at Russell, Massachusetts, ]May i8, 1820. He is a graduate of both 
the eclectic and the homeopathic schools, and the oldest practicing physician 
in Clark county. Though over eighty-nine years old he is still engaged in 
his profession at Jeffersonville, where he has practiced since i86t. He was 
married October 17, 1843. to Clarissa Robinson, who was born in Pembroke, 
New Hampshire, in 1819, and died in Jeffersonville, Indiana. March 22, 1897, 
and is buried in ^^'estfield, Massachusetts. He has reared an unusually inter- 
esting family, who have well sustained the proud escutcheon of the Loomises. 
John C. Loomis, the eldest son, was born at W'estfield, Massachusetts, Janu- 
ary 25, 1845, and came west with his parents in 1861. He attended high 
school in his native place, worked in railroad positions for two years, during 
which time he was conductor on the steam road between Jeffersonville and 
New Albany, and on the line to Indianapolis. Resigning this, in spite of the 
earnest requests of the management to remain, he went into the drug business 
in 1876 at Chestnut and Watt streets in Jeffersonville. Two years later he 
bought its site across the street from the iirst locatitni and on that corner he 
still continues business. In 1906 he erected a fine new building which he 
now occupies, and enjoys the distinction of having the oldest continuing drug 
business and probably the oldest continuing mercantile business of any kind in 
the city. He is a graduate pharmacist and an analytical chemist of distinction. 
Twenty years ago he was appointed inspector of oils at the United States 
quartermaster's depot and now inspects everything there in the chemical line, 
which in an establishment of this kind are of great variety. In July, 1895, 
he married Mattie J., daughter of B. A. Johnson and wife, of Jeffersonville. 
He is a member of the Masonic lodge, of the Knights of Pythias. United 
Order of the Golden Cross, and elder in the Presbyterian church. His sister. 
Clara J. Loomis, conducts a private school in Jeffersonville and was one of 
the founders of the Jeft'ersonville Hospital, as well as the Old Ladies' Home. 
Jacob Loomis, the doctor's second son, is interested in the steel works at 
Wheeling, West Virginia: Herbert is associated with his brother in the drug 
business. Alice, the second daughter, is housekeeper for her father, elder sis- 
ter and brother Herbert, who are still under the parental roof. Arthur Loomis, 
the youngest son and twin brother of Alice, is one of the best architects in 
Kentucky. In the line of his profession he designed the Todd building, the 
first sky-scraper in Louisville. He also designed the public library building 
and the beautiful new bank building at the corner of Spring and Court streets 
in Jeft'ersonville. The latter is the finest business building in the county. 
Kirke H.. who died in 1878, in \\'estfield. Massachusetts, was a graduate of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 6oi 

Eastman Business College, at Poughkeepsie, New York, and became C( inductor 
on the Pennsylvania and later Louisville & Nashville Railroad. At the time 
of his death he was on his way to Canada to attend the annual meeting of 
the railway order of the United States and Canada, of which he was vice- 
president. Christia R., another daughter, married Homer Bush, and died in 
Westfield, Massachusetts. 



BURDET CLIFTON PILE. 

The lineage of the family of this name is ancient and honorable. The 
men on both sides served their country well both in war and peace and where- 
ever found were among the sturdy citizens of their respective communities. 
We first hear of Dr. Richard Pile, who lived in Virginia when she was a 
colony of Great Britain. His son and namesake was apprenticed to the sad- 
dler's trade but ran away to join the patriot army in the war of the Revolu- 
tion. He served for a time in the Eighth Virginia Regiment under General 
Jonathan Clark, and this body of troops rendered valiant service at the storm- 
ing of Stony Point. He was also with Washington as sergeant at Valley 
Forge. After the war he settled in Kentucky, where he married Rebecca Clif- 
ton, of the vicinity of Bardstown. Sometime before 1798 he moved to Spring- 
ville, near Charlestown, but later he removed to Jeft'ersonville His wife was 
a famous cook and prepared the dinner for the surveyors who platteil the 
town. One of his sisters married Evan, brother of Isaac Shelly, the first 
Governor of Kentucky. Another sister married an ancestor of Gen. Jefferson 
C. Davis, of Civil war fame. Richard Pile died in 1816, and about 1820 his 
widow married Thomas Morgan, of Jeffersonville, by whom she had one 
daughter, Elizabeth, who subsequently became the wife of Samuel Athey, and 
removed with him to Missouri. Richard and Rebecca (Clifton) Pile had 
four children : IMarston Green Clark. Burdet Clifton, Mary and Margaret. 
The elder brother was the first white child born in Clark county, his native 
place being what was then called Fort Finney, but afterward Fort Steuben. 
Mary, the elder sister, married Moody Dustin, and Margaret became the wife 
of Thomas Powell, a native of New Jersey, who moved to Jeffersonville and 
made his home there until his death. 

Burdet Clifton Pile, who enjoyed the pioneer honor of being Clark coun- 
ty's second white child, was born at Jeffersonville, Indiana. March 10, 1805. 
Early in life he became a brick manufacturer and later conducted a potter}' at 
Port Fulton. About 1853 he became a partner in the firm of Maybury, Pile 
& Company, proprietors of a hardware store, but several years later he pur- 
chased the senior partner's interest and substituted his son-in-law, J. J. Con- 
way. He disposed of his mercantile interests in 1871. and two years later 



602 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

became [Mayor of Jeffersonville, succeeding- in tliat office. Levi Sparks, later 
brother-in-law to his daughter, Fannie Belle Sparks. Previous to his two 
years as Mayor Mr. Pile had served a number of terms in the city council and 
was trustee of the Wall Street Methodist church. He was director in the Ft. 
Wayne & Southern Railway Company, which projected a line through Clark 
county and built part of the road bed near Charlestown. In many ways Bur- 
det Clifton Pile was a remarkable man. His early education was limited by 
lack of good schools, but he made up for this in after life by reading and 
observation. He was a close student of the Bible, had a retentive memory and 
C(iuld quote many fine passages from the good book. His vocabulary was 
extraordinary, his command of language never at fault and these qualifica- 
tions made him an orator of ability. Above all he was a man of sterling 
character who earned and held the respect and high esteem of all who knew 
him. He was an active and enthusiastic member of the Alasonic Order for 
many years and from time to time occupied all the official stations in the 
Blue Lodge and Chapter. He died March 17, 1885. January 29, 1834, 
■Mr. Pile married ]Mary Ann Cunningham, the ceremony being performed by 
the minister, who was afterwards well known as Bishop Ames. IMrs. Pile 
w-as a daughter of Da\id Cunningham and her birth occurred in Ontario 
county. New York, March 18, 181 2. Her father's removal here was due to 
the fact that he was a sub-contractor in building the Louisville and Portland 
canal. He had five sons, all of whom were engaged with him on this import- 
ant line of transportation. His wife was Anna, daughter of Peter Jennison, 
a Revolutionary soldier who responded to the Lexington alarm call. Her 
grandfather, Amos Singletary, served for eight years as a representative in the 
Great and General Court of Massachusetts. Robert Cunningham, a brother of 
Mrs. Pile, was in the battle of the Alamo under David Crockett, and his name 
appears among the other heroes on the monument erected in the state capital 
grounds at Austin, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Pile liad ten children. Alaria T.. the 
eldest, married Oliver N. Thomas, and her only daughter, Ida T., is now the 
widow of John H. Hause, who died in Jefifersonville about 1902. Mrs. Thomas 
having lost her husband b}' death, contracted a second marriage with William 
H. Buckley, a man of remarkable vitality, who at the age of eighty-eight is a 
foreman at the Howard Shipyards. Mary Ann, the second daughter of Mr. Pile, 
married Joseph Conway and after his death removed, to St. Louis. They had 
eleven children, of whom three daughters and one son reside in Jeffersonville. 
Lucinda A., third daughter of Mr. Pile, married A. S. Gill^ert, of Massachu- 
setts. She and her son, Clifton S., are residents of Jeffersonville. Rebecca 
\'irginia Pile, the fourth daughter, married \'alenline Rose and died in Louis- 
ville. Sarah Eliza Pile, the fifth daughter, married Capt. George W. Kings- 
hairy, of the United States Army, and both died at Clifton Springs, New York, 
there being one surviving child, who resides in Philadelphia. Rufus Moody 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 603 

Pile, the eldest son, has been quite successful in the railway world, and is now 
assistant general passenger agent of the Pennsylvania systems, with head- 
quarters at Philadelphia. William Clifton Pile, the second son, married Lizzie 
Barringer, and resides at St. Louis. Charles tJurdet Pile, the third son, married 
Mary Durham, and lives at \\'ichita, Kansas. Fannie Belle, the youngest of 
the family, married Nathan Sparks, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in 
this volume. 



NATHAN SPARKS. 



The gentleman whose name appears above is the representative of an old 
and well known family, members of which have been prominent in the martial 
affairs of this country since the days of the Revolution, and the present rep- 
resentative, Nathan Sparks, is eminently worthy to bear such a name. He has 
lived in Clark county for nearly three score years and his mind links the forma- 
tive era witli that of latter day progress in which he has taken a conspicuous 
part. 

Nathan Sparks was born in Daviess county, Lidiana. He came to Jef- 
ferson ville in 1850, where he has since resided. He is the son of Levi and 
^lary B. (Godwin) Sparks, both in Queen Ann's county. Maryland. They 
came overland to Daviess county, Indiana, about 1835, settling among the 
pioneers there. Soon after Nathan Sparks came to Jeffersonville, his sister, 
]Mary Jane, and other members of the family also came for the purpose of at- 
tending the Jefferson\'ille schools, but, like the others, she remained to make 
her home here. About 1877 !^Iar)- Jane Sparks was married to Capt. James 
M. Phillips, of Jei¥ersonville, who was at that time stationed at Columbus, 
Indiana. Captain Phillips dieil in Texas in February, 1895, while superin- 
tendent of the Gulf. Ciiloradd «S: Santa Fe Railroad. He was a native of Clark 
county, and he had already made his mark in the railroad world ijefore going 
to Texas. ]\L-s. Phillips died in Jeffersonville July 17, 1897, 

Nathan Sparks is one of six brothers, namely: George ^\^. Levi, Joseph, 
Thomas, Nathan and James A. Of these Thomas, Nathan and Levi came 
to Jeffersonville. George W. lived at Wilmington, Delaware, until his death. 
Joseph lived in Clinton count}-. Indiana, and James A. lives in Daviess county, 
this state. Levi came to Jeffersonville in 1836 and followed mercantile pursuits. 
He was postmaster of Jeffersonville under President Franklin Pierce, and in the 
early seventies he was mavnr of this citv. I'or a period of twenty-one years 
he was connected with the citv government, having been a rock-ribtel Demo- 
crat all his life. He took an active part in securing the government depot for 
Jeffersonville and he received well deserved credit for the part he took in the 
work. He died in 1875. Thomas Sparks came to Jeffersonville in 1847 to 



6o4 baird's history of CLARK CO.j ind. 

attend school, after which he remained. He ahvays engaged in the mercantile 
business. He was a member of the City Council for eight years. He was also 
nominated by his party as candidate for Mayor of Jeffersonville. 

Nathan Sparks came here in 1850, as already indicated, and he has since 
followed mercantile pursuits for the most part. He was long a member of the 
City Council and was United States Inspector at the government depot for four 
years under Cleveland and for two years under Harrison. He was a member 
of the School Board, part of the time as secretary and the balance of the time 
as president. 

He was united in marriage October 21. 1879. to Fannie Belle Pile, 
daughter of Burdet Clifton and ]\Iary Ann (Cunningham) Pile. 

Mrs. Sparks is descended from soldiers of the American Revolution, 
both through her mother and her father, and she has good reason to be proud 
of her parentage. A sketch of her father, Burdet Clifton Pile, appears in 
this volume. Mr. Pile was Mayor of Jeffersonville, having succeeded Mrs. 
Sparks' brother-in-law, Levi Sparks. 

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sparks have lived in Jeffersonville continuously 
since their marriage. Three children have been bom to them, the first having 
died in infancy ; the second, Levi Clifton, married Mary Josephine Burke, and 
they are the parents of one child, Mary Lee. The third child c~if IMr. and Mrs. 
Sparks is Janibelle. 

Mrs. Sparks is a prominent member of the Daughters of the American 
Revolution. For seven years she was a teacher in the public schools at Jef- 
fersonville and has always manifested a deep interest in promoting the wel- 
fare of the schools. 

The Sparks residence in Jeft'ersonville is a homelike, cozy and well fur- 
nished one, where friends of the family often gather and where hospitality 
always reigns. 



\MLLACY JOSEPH SCHWANIXGER. 

Up-to-date and thoroughly reliable, Mr. Willacy J. Schwaninger has 
proved to the community his fitness for his chosen vocation — a pharmacist, and 
a call at his drug store at 458 Spring street, in Jeffersonville, will soon con- 
vince one of that fact. He has one of the best equipped and thoroughly stocked 
establishments in the city and is enjoying a flattering patronage. 

Mr. Schwaninger was born in this city on the 7th of November, 1871, 
being the son of the late Judge Schwaninger, who filled the office of City 
Judge in Jeffersonville for many years, and was also ]\Iayor of the city for one 
term. Judge Schwaninger was a native of Switzerland, came to Charleston 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 605 

in this county in early manhood, where he was married in tiiis citv to Sarah 
Ann Carwardine, who was a native of England. She is still living and enjoy- 
ing the ripening years of her life with a reasonable share of health and vigor. 
Six children were born to this union, namely : Aniena R., wife of Lewis 
Girdler, of Jeffersonville ; Willacy J., of this review; Mary Agnes, wife of 
Emil Keil, of New Albany, where he is engaged as a wholesale merchant ; 
Edith H. married Walter E. AlcCullough, a farmer of this vicinity ; Charles A., 
a druggist, being a former partner in business with our subject ; and Jacob J., 
an employe on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and husband of Louisa Mahaffv. 

Air. Schwaninger recei\-ed his early education in the public schools of this 
city and made a good record as a student. In order to prepare himself for 
his vocation, he attended the Louisville School of Pharmacy, and graduated 
from that institution with honors in 1890. He has been in business for him- 
self for the last six years, devoting his entire time to the sale of proprietary 
medicines, drugs, and the filling of physicians' prescriptions, etc. He has the 
confidence of the public and the medical profession of the city, and stands 
high among the leading business men of his community. 

In 1892 Air. Schwaninger was married to Alartha Leeper, who was born 
in Jeffersonville, being the daughter of Capt. James Leeper, deceased, and 
Mary (Phillips) Leeper. Two children have graced this union, Jeanne, 
Vance and Joseph L., aged fourteen and seven years, respectively. The former 
is now a sophomore in the Jeffersonville high school. 

Mr. Schwaninger has made it his business to participate in the social and 
political activities of the community. He is a member of the Jeffersonville 
Lodge No. 362, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is past exalted 
ruler of the same. He wannly supplements the activities of this organization 
and is held in high esteem by his fellow members. His political affiliations 
have always been with the Republican party, and he is at the present time 
treasurer of the Clark County Republican Central Committee. In 1904, he 
was secretary of this organization. He also gives a share of his time and 
means to the discharging of the religious duties devolving upon him as a mem- 
ber of the St. Paul's Episcopal church, being one of the Board of Vestrymen. 



JOHN JOSEPH CASEY. 



In a beautiful and comfortably furnished home on the banks of the Ohio 
overlooking the head of the Falls, will be found an interesting man to talk to. 
He belongs to the class of inventors, the men who, perhaps, have done more to 
advance the industrial interests of the United States than any others. Especial- 
ly is this true of those who have invented something of use in the mechanical 
arts inventions that accelerate business, increase work and make life better. 



6o6 baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 

They are seldom rewarded as tliey ought to be. the Ijenefits of their work 
usually going to others, who have the capital to manufacture them and promote 
their sale. The public, however, gets the benefit and it is to the inventors 
chiefly that the great republic owes its marx^elous advance in wealth and 
power and glory. When in 1850 Michael and ]\Iary (Nolan) Casey left their 
home at Galway, Ireland, for the land of promise across the sea, the}' brought 
along a baby who was destined to fill a useful role and make a name for him- 
self in the country to which they were sailing. John J(iseph Casey, the child 
in (|uestion. had been born at Galway in 1849 and was less than a year old 
when his parents reached the shores of America. They located at Troy, New 
York, and it was in the schools of that city that the Irish lad got his first taste 
of education. A\'hen nine years of ag"e his parents removed to Louisville. 
Kentucky, and here John Joseph continued his studies in the public schools 
and one taught liy the Christian Brothers. He was not destined, howe\'er, 
to continue long at his books as the exigencies of the case compelled him to 
seek a means of livelihood at the early age of thirteen. His first employment 
was with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company as a car-builder's 
apprentice and at the age of twenty he left home to take work at Huntsville. 
Alabama, with the Memphis & Charleston as car-builder, remaining one year 
and during that time acting as assistant foreman, .going to Chattanooga, he 
took service with the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad as gang foreman, 
from which he was speedily promoted to the general foremanship and before 
the end of the year had reached the important post of master car-builder. 
The following year Mr. Casey returned to Huntsville as general car- inspector 
for the Memphis & Charleston Railway, but in 1873 left this to accept the 
position of master car-builder for the St. Louis & S< I'.theastern. now a part 
of the Louisville & Nashville System, with headquarters at Earlingtnn. In 
1874 he returned to the Memphis & Charleston road as general foreman of 
bridges and buildings and in 1878 was promoted master car-builder of the 
same line at Memphis, Tennessee. In 18S2 he accepted a similar position 
with the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad, with headquarters at 
Vicksburg, Mississippi, but resigned in 1887 and took service as superintend- 
ent with the Missouri Car & Foundry Company at Sv Louis, Missouri. In 
1878 he resigned this place also to become superintendent of motive power for 
the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas at Vicksburg, and remained there until 
the road was absorl^ed by the Illinois Central, when he was transferred to 
Chicago as assistant superintendent of machinery of that system. In Decem- 
ber, 1895. he resigned to accept the superintendency of the Haskell & Barker 
Car Company at Michigan City. Indiana, where he remained until July i. 1905. 
and a few weeks later came to Southern Indiana to accept employment as 
superintendent of the Jeffersonville plant of the American Car & Foundry 
Company. He has retained this position and made his home at Jeffersonville 
up to the present time. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 6o7 

Thougli a \ery Ixis)- man, Mr. Casey found sume time to de\ote to his in- 
ventions. One of tliese was a truck bolster that is now probably in use under 
more than two hundred thousand cars. It is known as the Pries & Casey bolster. 
Mr. Casey was also interested in another imention called the Williamson- 
Casey brake-beam, now used on hundreds of thousands of cars, besides many 
other useful in\-entions that are used on cars. He is recognized in the rail- 
road world as a man of a high order of ability, with a genius for practical 
things. 

He is of commanding presence and highly esteemed as an able and up- 
right man, and in a remarkable degree the architect of his own fortunes. He 
is a member of the Elks in Michigan City, Knights of Columbus at New 
Albany and the St. Augustine Catholic church of Jefifersonville. 

On November 5, 1873, Mr. Casey married Mary Agnes Rebman, of 
Huntsville, Alabama, and six children, four daughters and two sons, have 
been born to them. The latter are dead, and only three daughters survive. 



WILLIAM SWEENEY. 



By dint of sheer industr}-. and the faithful performance of the duties that 
devolved upon him. William Sweeney deservedly stands high in the estimation 
of the firm by which he has been employed for a number of years in the capac- 
ity of a salesman. 

His youthful days were spent upon the farm, and although it was the 
hope of his father that the boy W'ould follow in his footsteps and become an 
agriculturist, the lad entertained no such intentions, being filled w'ith an am- 
bition to enter upon a business life, but no opportunity to realize this desire 
offered, until he had reached the years of maturity, and he labored on the 
farm of his grandfather up to the time that he reached the sixteenth year 
of his age and then secured a position on the lime kilns at Utica. 

Mr. Sweeney was born at Utica, Clark count}-, in 1861, his parents being 
James and Sarah Jane (Hobson) Sweeney, while his grandfather, with 
whom he spent much time, was Jacob Hobson. 

William Sweeney has been married twice, his first wife being Martha 
Canter, of Utica, to whom he was wedded in 1884. Four children were 
the fruits of this alliance, as follows ; Charles Oscar, Nellie, Arthur and Wil- 
liam Earl. Nellie is the wife of Guy Daily, and they reside at the present 
time near Jeffersonville, while Charles wedded Agnes Elliott, daughter of 
William Elliott, of Jeffersonville. The death of Mrs. W'illiam Sweeney 
occurred December 22, 18Q4, immediately after the birth of her son, William 
Earl. Mr. Sweeney chose a second wife in March, 1897. when he espoused 



6o8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Cora Howard, dauglitcr of Idiomas Jefferson Howard, generally known 
to his friends as "Jeff" Howard. He was a brother of Ex-Congressman Jonas 
Howard, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Sweeney 
has two danghters by adoption, Roberta Sweeney and May Howard Sweeney, 
both of whom live with their foster-parents. 

^Ir. Sweeney is a man of religious convictions, being a member of the 
Christian church of this city. He belongs to the Jeft'ersonville Lodge, Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Daughters of Rebekah. Besides this 
he is a Modern Woodman. 

He has been in the employ of J. B. Speed & Company, Louisville, for 
many years, having commenced with this firm when he was thirty-three 
}ears of age. During the year 1892 his employers transferred him to their 
warehouse, Louisville, Kentucky, where he fills the position of salesman. 

The domestic life of Mr. Sweeney is all that could be desired. The 
family live in a large house, comfortably and tastily furnished, and are 
highly respected by their neighbors. Both ^Ir. and Mrs. Sweeney are 
socially inclined, and have many warm friends in Jeffersonville and immediate 
vicinity. 



J. HENRY MEIBOOM. 



When Gregory H. Meiboom was united in marriage with Caroline Fuehrer 
there was a union l>etween representatives of two of the most distinctive and 
progressive nationalities in the history of the world. The former was a native 
of Emden Ost F'riesland. a province of Holland, and his wife was of German 
nativity, but came to America when a child of eight years. J. Henry Meiboom, 
their son, was born at Ironton, Ohio, January 2"/, 1872, and two years later 
was brought to Jeffersonville by his father, who received a call to the pastor- 
ate of the Evangelical Reformed church, of which he was a well known 
minister. Besides the usual course in the public schools of the city, Mr. 
Meilx)om attended college at Franklin. Wisconsin, and soon after finishing 
his studies obtained employment at the Reformatory at Jeffersonville. Two 
years later he became instructor in shorthand and typewriting at the Graham 
Business College in Louisville, from which he went into the quartermaster's 
depot at Jeffersonville to take a position which he held until June 30. 1898. 
This was the year that witnessed the opening of the war between Spain and 
the United States, and the event appealed io the patriotism of young Meiboom. 
He was not without military experience, as he had been a member of Com- 
pany G, of the Lidiana National Guard, while employed at the Reformatory 
and took part in quelling the rioters in the strike of the miners of the block- 
coal district. Promptly after the declaration of war he enlisted in Company 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 609 

E, One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantr_v, 
and served as sergeant under the command of Capt. Lewis C. Baird. The 
regiment was located for several months at Havana, Cuba, and ditl its full 
share in the liberation of that unhappy isle. Returning from the front at the 
conclusion of hostilities. ]\Ir. Aleibiium became bookkeeper for the Reliance 
jManufacturing Company at the Reformatciry, but after ten months in this 
position he went into the employ of the Big Four Railroad Company and 
spent five years in their otifices at Louisville and Jefferson\'ille. He then 
re-entered the government service as an iitificial in the quartermaster's depot 
at Jeftersonville. where he has charge of the sample room. As a side line he 
conducts a grocery store in the city and is regarded as a young man of good 
lousiness ability. He was instrumental in organizing the third camp in the 
state of Spanish-American \var veterans, the same being called the W. T. 
Durbin Camp, Xo. t,j. This organization was succeeded b}- the Spanish 
V\'ar Veterans, which was later liy amalgamation with other organizations, 
changed to the Lnited Spanish War Veterans, of which M'r. ]\Iieboom is 
department senior vice-commander. His fraternal relations are confined to 
membership in the Woodmen oi the World and the Improved Order of 
Red Men. 



JOSEPH M. HUTCHISON, D. D. 

Originating in Scotland the Hutchison family came to America in 
Colonial days and located in Pennsylvania. During the first quarter of the 
nineteenth century James and Ann Hutchison removed to Knox county, Ohio, 
where the)' ended their days as representatives of the early pioneers. Their son, 
Joseph Miller Hutchison, was born at Fredricksburg, Ohio, in 183 1, and in 
early boyhood decided to become a minister of the Gospel. .\t the age of 
sixteen he began teaching school near his native town and despite his youth 
was successful in his first venture into the field of pedagogics. When alx)ut 
eighteen years old he entered the United Presbyterian Seminary at Xenia, 
and later, after a term at Monmouth College in Illinois, was given the degree 
of Doctor of Divinity. Subsequently he had charge of a mission in West 
Philadelphia, but remained there only six months and then started on an 
extended trip to the Holy Land, which consumed over a year and proved of 
great educational benefit. While abroad he made the acquaintance of Mark 
Twain and formed a warm friendship for that celebrated author and humor- 
ist. After returning from Europe Dr. Hutchison spent a short time in Phila- 
delphia and was invited to Jeffersonville to preach for the congregation of the 
First Presbyterian church. He gave such satisfaction that he received a 
call as the regular pastor and remained in that capacity for nearly twenty- 

39 



6lO BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

five years. He was of charitable disposition, kind and lovable, and during 
his long residence in Jeffersonville was perhaps the most popular of the city's 
pastors, Ijeing revered by his congregation and highly respected liv all the 
citizens. For many years he was a trustee of Hanover College and exercised 
a strong influence in religious circles. His useful and blameless life was 
closed on April 2, 1896, and his funeral was the most largely attended of any 
ever held at Jeffersonville up to that time. August 21, 1883, Dr. Hutchison 
was united in marriage with Annie McCampbell, a lady of distinguished 
parentage and many graces of character. The only fruit of this union was 
a son. christened James Harvey Hutchison, who died when five years old. 
Mrs. Hutchison, who is spending the evening of life in a beautiful home 
in Jeffersonville, fronting the Ohio river, enjoys the love and respect of 
her husband's old friends and is admired by all who are permitted to share 
her gracious hospitality. Her parents were James Har\ey and Letitia ( Ivleri- 
wether) Campbell, both names that recall many historic associations. Letitia 
was the daughter of Dr. Samuel Merriwether, a man of distinction, whose 
life left a strong impress upon the community in which he lived. He was 
the leader in founding the Presbyterian church, of which Dr. Hutchison be- 
came pastor, and for many years was its first and only elder and clerk. Dur- 
ing the War of 18 12 he was a surgeon in the United States army and subse- 
quently was receiver of moneys for public lands sold in Indiana, acting as 
sub-treasurer at Jeffersonville. He was a descendant of Nicholas Meri- 
weather, who came from Wales six g-enerations ago and became the founder 
of one of the most distinguished families in America. Representatives of 
this name served as soldiers during the Revolutionary war, and one of them 
was with Washington at the time that young major of the Virginia militia 
endeavored to save General Braddock from his disastrous defeat on the bloody 
field near Pittsburg. Still others were with Gen. George Rogers Clark at Vin- 
cennes and Kaskasia, one served as Governor of Kentucky and they rose 
to places of distinction, both military and ci\-il, under the Federal govern- 
ment and various states. Merriwether Lewis, one of the leaders in the his- 
toric exploration of the Northwest in 1803-04, known as the Lewis and 
Clark expedition, was a member of this distinguished family. James Har- 
vey McCampbell, father of Mrs. Hutchison, was born at Charlestown, Clark 
coimty, Indiana, in 1817. His parents being Samuel and Jane (Tilford) Mc- 
Campbell, both natives of Kentucky. He married Letitia Meriwether Octo- 
ber 6, 1840. He came to Jeffersonville in bo}-hood and after growing up 
engaged in the dry goods business with John D. Woodburn. Shortly after 
his marriage he abandoned dry goods and joined Walter Meriwether in the 
retail drug business. In 1848 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the 
Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad and continued with the 
company until its lease to the Pennsylvania, when he assumed the position 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 6ll 

of cashier. At the organization of the First National Bank of Jefterson- 
ville in 1865, Mr. McCampbeil was elected as the president. In 1880 he left 
the railroad service and from that time devoted his whole attention to super- 
vising and directing the business of the bank. He served for a while as mem- 
ber of the city council and under all circumstances proved to be a large- 
minded, public spirited citizen. Througiiout life he was a devoted member 
of the First Presbyterian church, holding the position of elder from 1846 until 
the time of his death, which ocurred February 16, 1888. 



BASIL ROBINSON HOLMES. 

Possessed of a strong individuality, endowed with an active brain, coupled 
with great energy, Basil Robinson Holmes, of Jef?ersonville, is a true tvpe of 
the successful business man of this day and age. He is an example well 
worthy of the emulation of the aspirant for honors in the world of commerce, 
who is now placing his foot on the first rung of the ladder that leads to fame 
and wealth, being identified with \'arious gigantic interests, throughout the 
state of his nativity. 

Basil Robinson Holmes was born in Jeffersonville December 2. 1862, 
the son of Hamilton and Mary Elizabeth (Prather) Holmes. His mother 
is the daughter of William Prather and wife, who live between Jefferson- 
ville and Utica. He received a good education in the pul)lic schools of Jef- 
fersonville. but did not enter college, preferring to enter upon a business 
career at once, and he was well equipped therefor, when, at the age of twenty- 
one years, he opened a grocery at the comer of Chestnut and Graham streets, 
Jeffersonville. Ambitious, and imbued with a desire to enlarge his scope 
he gave very close attention to his business from the very start and the rigid 
honesty which characterized his dealings with 'his customers, eventually 
brought its reward in the shape of a rapidly expanding patronage, with the 
result that the facilities of the little store were increased until it developed into 
one of the largest establishments of the character in the city. Alx>ut three 
3"ears ago a disastrous fire completely wiped out Mr. Flolmes" place of busi- 
ness, and instead of sitting down and bemoaning his fate, as many of his 
weaker fellow-men would have done, he began to take the initial steps toward 
rebuilding before the smoking ruins had fairly cooled. This in itself marked 
him as a man of undaunted courage. 

It was not long after the fire before a new structure, larger and more 
modern than its predecessor, stood upon the site of the old building, and the 
business that had been temporarily suspended, renewed with more vigor than 
ever. In this connection it mav not be amiss to state that ^Ir. Holmes has 



6l2 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

been in the grocery business, witliout a change of site, longer than any other 
grocer in Jefferson\'iIle. His store is very heavily stocked with commodities 
of a high grade, and he caters to the best class of people in Jeffersonville. 

On May 12, 1887, Mr. Holmes wedded Emma Beck, daughter of Cor- 
nelius and Harriet Beck, of Jefifersonville. The father of Mrs. Holmes was 
always very active in politics, and held the (iffice of County Commissioner for 
several terms. He was acting in that capacity when the county seat was 
moved from Charleston to Jeffersonville. He has also been a member of 
the Jefifersonville City Council. 

By his first wife, for he was married twice, Mr. Holmes had one son, 
Clyde Holmes, who is a traveling salesman for the Peaslee-Gaulbert Com- 
pany, of Louisville, Kentucky. Mrs. Holmes died in July, 1889. Mr. Holmes, 
in 1891, married Ella Beck, a sister of his first wife, and to them were born 
two children, Richard, now aged nine years, and Entmogean, the latter being 
in the sixth year of her age. Mr. Holmes believes that secret orders exert a 
great influence for good, and he is an active member of the Odd Fellows. 
He also has firm religious convictions, and he and his wife are members of 
the Port Fulton Methodist Episcopal church. The interests of Mr. Holmes 
are by no means confined to the grocery business. He has funds invested 
in mines and stone quarries, is a shareholder in the Peyton Lumber & Realty 
Company, stock in the Princess Amusement Company, of Indianapolis, also 
in the Ben Harrison Gold & Copper Company, the Apex Mining Company, 
one-fourth interest in the U. S. T. Mining Company, and one-half interest 
in the Delmar Skating Rink. Some time ago he took stock in the Bloom- 
ington & Bedford Stone Company. 

With these diversified interests it may well be imagined that Mr. 
Holmes is an unusually busy man. He has the reputation, however, of keep- 
ing a watchful eye on his business affairs, and his investments have usually 
been a source of revenue. Notwithstanding his close attention to the material 
things of life he is a man of social proclivities, and both he and his wife go 
much in societv, where thev are alwavs warmlv welcomed. 



H. MONROE FRANK. 



The study of such a life as Mr. Frank's cannot fail of interest as he is 
representative in his sphere of activity and has contributed in no small measure 
to the prosperity of the city in which he was born and reared and which 
alwavs has been his home and the scene of his operations. H. Monroe Frank 
was born September 11, 1852, and is a brother of Adolph Frank, whose 
sketch appears elsewhere in these pages in connection with which the reader 
will also find a brief general outline of the familv history. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 613 

As Stated above Mr. Frank first saw the light of day in Jeffersonville in 
the public schools of which he received his educational training. Actuated by 
a desire to devote his life to commercial pursuits, he entered at the age of 
seventeen upon an apprenticeship to learn the dry goods business and in due 
lime mastered the basic principles of the same, besides becoming a very efficient 
salesman. His ambition, however, was not to hold a subordinate position but 
to engage in business for himself and become an employer instead of an em- 
ployee. Accordingly after acquiring a practical knowledge of the dry goods 
trade he started in March, iS88, an establishment of his own at his present 
location, 355 Spring street, beginning with limited capital and in a modest 
way, but it was not long until his patronage grew to such proportions as to 
enable him to increase his stock and enlarge the building in which he met 
his customers. 

I\Ir. Frank has spared no pains or expense in his efforts to please his 
customers and make his store the leading one of its kind in the city, lioth of 
which desires have long since been realized, as bis present large and fully 
equipped establishment, the only exclusively dry goods house in the city, 
abundantly attests, carrying a stock co^lser^'atively estimated in excess of 
fifteen thousand dollars, and giving steady employment to five clerks, a force 
Avhich he is frequently obliged to increase during busy and special seasons. 
Mr. Frank's early training and subsecjuent careful study of the dry goods 
business ha\'e been greatly in his favor in Inu'lding up the large and lucrative 
trade which he now commands. 

On the 22(\ day of October, 1885, Mr. Frank was united in marriage with 
Novella Fry, daughter of John F., and Mary E. Fry, of Utica township, 
representatives of two of the oldest and most respected pioneer families of 
Clark count}-. The Frys have been actively identified with this part of the 
state ever since its original settlement, where a number of them have become 
prominent in public affairs and acquired considerable wealth and a high social 
status. John F. Fry, father of Mrs. Frank, was for many years an enterpris- 
ing and successful farmer of the above township, but is now living a retired 
life in Jefl^ersonville. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank, 
the older of whom. Homer M., after being graduated from the Jeffersonville 
high school, entered DePauw University, where he earned an honorable record 
as a student; Graham M'-. the second in order of birth, is pursuing his 
studies in the public schools of his native city, and, like his Ijrother, has a 
bright and promising future before him. 

Mr. Frank and family are members of the Wall Street Methodist 
Episcopal church, and deeply interested in the success of the same, lieing 
among the most active and influential workers in the Sunday school, the 
Fpworth League and other lines of endeavor, Mr, Frank holding at this 
time the position of trustee in the organization. He is an ardent member 



6l4 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

of the ancient and honorable order ci Alasonry, belonging to Clark 
Lodge, No. 40, and is also identified with Myrtle Lodge of the Knights of 
Pythias, in which he holds the title of past commander. Li politics he has 
been a Hfe-long Democrat, as was also his father, and with a single exception all 
of his brothers are pronounced in their allegiance to the same party. He 
keeps well informed on the great questions and issues of the day, notwithstand- 
ing which he has never aspired to office, having no time to devote to such 
matters and little taste for public life. With the exception of serving a short 
time as Police Commissioner he has held no public position though well 
qualified by nature and training for any office within the power of his fel- 
low citizens to bestow. He has been a member of the board of directors of 
the Carnegie Public Library of Jefifersonville ever since it was established. 

Mr. Frank was among the first to urge the necessity of such an institu- 
tion and from the time it was under the management of the township board 
to its present permanent standing he labored assiduously with others in its 
behalf, who communicated with Mr. Carnegie and induced great capitalists 
to contribute the liberal fund for the erection of the fine building in which 
it now has a home. He has always used his influence in many other ways 
to arouse and promote an interest in the enterprise of the city and anything 
for the conservation of the public good has met with his hearty co-operation 
and endorsement, giving freely of his time and means. He was one of the 
organizers of the Jefifersonville Commercial Club and has served as its presi- 
dent for the past five years, having been re-elected to that position four 
times. 



DAVID COHEN, M. D. 



Dr. Cohen is a native of the city in which he resides and an honorable 
representative of one of its prominent families. Louis Cohen, his father, 
was born in Germany, but came to the United States in early life and lived 
for some time at Newbern, North Carolina. Leaving that place a number of 
years ago he located at Jefifersonville, Indiana, where he worked for some 
time at his trade of cigar making, subsequently engaging in the real estate 
business, which he still carries on and in which he has achieved marked finan- 
cial success. Jeanette Graumer, wife of Louis Cohen and mother of the doctor 
was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and departed this life in the city of Jefifer- 
sonville. She was an estimable lady of high social standing and sterling 
worth, and is affectionately remembered, not only by her immediate friends, 
but by all who came within the influence of her gracious personality. The 
family of Louis and Jeanette Cohen consisted of seven children, four sons and 
three daughters, the doctor being the third in order of birth. Maurice, the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 6lS 

oldest son, is engaged in the shoe husiness in Jettersonville and is also secre- 
tary and treasurer of the Memphis & Sellersburg Canning Company, in which 
he owns a controlling interest; Herman is manager of a clothing store in 
Jefifersonville, and principal owner of the same, being one of the leading 
merchants of the city and widely known in business circles ; George, a lawyer 
by profession, is a resident of Chicago, where he has built up a large and lucra- 
tive practice; Hulda married Lesser Jacobs and lives in Versailles, Kentucky; 
Nannie, who is unmarried, is secretary of the canning company with which 
her brother is connected ; and Dollie, the youngest of the number, is still a 
member of the home circle. By a subsequent marriage with Anna Eppstein, 
Mr. Cohen is the father of four children, namely Blanche, Melvin. Sultan and 
Armond. 

Dr. David Cohen was born December 3, 18S2. and grew to maturity in 
Jefifersonville, receiving his preliminary mental discipline in the public schools. 
Later he entered the Louisville L'niversity to prosecute his medical studies 
and in due time completed the prescribed course, graduating in the year 1903, 
with an horable record. Shortly after receiving his degree he effected a co- 
partnership with Dr. E. N. Flyim, of Jeffersonville, with whom he practiced 
three years and at the expiration of that time was made assistant phvsician at 
the Indiana State Reformatory to the duties of which position he devoted one 
year. Since severing his connection with the latter institution the doctor has 
been alone in the practice, the meanwhile building up a large and eminently 
successful professional business and forging rapidly tcj the front among the 
leading physicians of the city. 

Doctor Cohen keeps abreast of the times in all matters relating to his 
chosen calling. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the 
Indiana State Medical Society, the Third District ^Medical Society, in which 
he holds the office of secretary, and the Medical Society of Clark county, of 
which rie is now the secretary and treasurer, taking an active interest in the 
deliberations of these several bodies and keeping pace with the advanced pro- 
fessional thought they inculcate. 

Doctor Cohen recently took a post-graduate course in the Bellevue ^ledical 
Hospital of New York City, where he made a specialty of genito and urinan,- 
diseases. He is a member and medical examiner of the Modern Woodmen 
of Jeffersonville, and holds a similar position with several other fraternal 
organizations, including the Pathfinders, Knights and Ladies of Honor and 
Knights and Ladies of Security. 

Doctor Cohen maintains an abiding interest in all worthy enterprises for 
the material advancement of the city and is thoroughly informed on the lead- 
ing questions of the times, being a Democrat in politics and an influential 
worker in the party, btit not a partisan, much less a seeker after the honors 
and emoluments of office or public place. With other members of his family 



6l6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

he is connected with the Reformed Jewisli Synagogue in Louisville, and is 
not only one of the accomplished and popular leaders of his nationality in the 
city, but numbers his friends and admirers by the scores among all classes, 
irrespective of nationality or creed. 



EBERTS BROTHERS. 



This widely known and influential firm composed of Jacob and Conrad 
Eberts, operate the flouring mills at Hem'vville and Charleston and do a large 
ami continual!}- growing business, being among the most enterprising and 
progressive men of those places, besides holding worthy prestige in other 
lines of trade and enjoying an honorable reputation in commercial circles 
throughout Indiana and the neighboring state of Kentucky. As the name 
indicates, the Eberts family is of German origin, the father, Conrad Eberts. 
Sr.. having been liorn in Hesse, Darmstadt, of which Grand Duchy and two 
sons are also natives. 

In the year 1853 the elder Eberts, with his two sons and widowed mother, 
immigrated to the United States, landing in May of that year at New Orleans 
and proceeded thence to St. Louis, Missouri, where Conrad, Jr.. remained 
during the ensuing thirteen years. 

Conrad Eberts, Jr., was born on the 5th day of August, 1S44, and 
was nine years of age when he became a resident of the country with which 
his suljsequent life has been so closely identified and in which he has achieved 
such signal success as an enterprising, broad-minded man of afifairs. Leav- 
ing St. Louis in 1866, he went to Cincinnati, but after spending a brief time 
in that city, proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked at his trade 
of currier and leather dresser for many years. At the breaking out of the 
Civil war he joined the First Missouri Infantry, with which he served for a 
period of thirteen months, at the expiration of which time he resumed his 
trade and continued the same at various places, until 1870, when, in partner- 
ship with his brother, Jacob, he engaged in the tannery business at Shep- 
herdsville, Kentucky. 

The firm of Eberts Brothers, after remaining three years at the latter 
place, purchased a plant at Henryville, Clark county, which they operated 
with gratifying success until its destruction by fire in 1884, when they erected 
a flouring mill in the same town, which also fell a victim of the flames within 
less than three years after its completion. Nothing daunted by these disasters, 
they located at Jefferson vi lie and immediately began rebuilding but upon a 
more extensive scale. In January, 1887, the new mill was finished and in 
operation since which time the business has grown rapidly in magnitude and 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 61/ 

importance, until their milling interests are now the largest of the kind in 
Clark county, the daily output of the plant at Jeffersonville averaging three 
hundred barrels of high-grade flour, for which there is a wide demand bv 
lioth the local and general trades. They also own and operate a second mill at 
Charlestown, with a daily capacity of one hundred barrels, both plants l>eing 
thoroughly equipped by the latest and most approved machinery for the 
manufacture of flour by the roller process, the two properties representing 
a capital considerably in excess of sixty-five thousand dollars, and affording 
steady employment to about twent}--four men e\'ery working day of the year. 

In addition to the large and increasing business interests of the Eberts 
Brothers at Jeffersonville and Charlestown, they also own and operate a 
cue hundred barrel mill at North Vernon, Indiana, valued at twenty thousand 
dollars, and an ice plant at the same place, conservatively estimated at fifteen 
thousand dollars, besides doing a successful coal business with a stock ranging 
from three thousand dollars to five thousand dollars, their various enterprises 
being extensively patronized and giving them a reputation in business circles 
second to that of no other man or firm in Southern Indiana similarly engaged. 
To meet the steadily growing demand for their products the Eberts Brothers 
are obliged to operate their mills at their full capacity, the number of men 
employed in these and their other lines of effort averaging about fifty. 

While maintaining somewhat of a conservative policy and making no 
special efforts to give their business undue publicity, the character of the 
output and honorable dealing on the part of the proprietors furnishing their 
be.st advertisement. The Eberts Brothers have contributed largely to the 
material advancement of Clark cnunty and td the upbuilding of the towns 
where their interests are located. 

Conrad Eberts was married at St. Louis in the year 1875 to Margaret 
G. Lall. a native of that city, the union being blessed with four children, 
namely: Olga C. wife of Charles Gallrein. a shoe merchant of Jefferson- 
ville: Edward C. : Minnie, wife of Horner F. McNaughton, manager of the 
business at North Vernon, and Otto J., a student in the manual training 
school of Louisville. Edward C, the elder son, is a young man of intelli- 
gence and business standing, being at this time general manager of the large 
and growing interests of the firm. He married Estella Schwaninger and 
has an interesting family of three children. 

Jacnl) Eberts, whose life, like that of his brother, has been closely inter- 
woven with the business and industrial interests of Clark county and who. 
as already indicated, is now associated in some of the largest business enter- 
prises in this part of the state, was also a soldier in the Civil war. enlisting 
at St. Louis in 1861 and serving for a period of four years and five months: 
three months with the Fourth Missouri Infantry, thirteen months in the First 
Regiment, United States Reserve Corps, Missouri Volunteer, and three years 



6l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

and one month in the Second Missouri Battery, spending his last five months 
in the army on the frontier, guarding the settlers against the hostile Indians. 
He witnessed the construction of the first five miles of the Union Pacific 
Railroad, saw the building of the first locomotive on the Iron Mountain Rail- 
road System, besides participating in many daring adventures and thrilling 
experiences during his long and strenuous period of service in behalf of his 
adopted country. He married Eliza Baumbarger, of Henry ville, and is the 
father of three living children, Carrie, wife of George B. Parks, County At- 
torney of Clark county ; John J., who is engaged in business at El Paso, 
Texas, and Edith, who is still with her parents. 

Both Jacob and Conrad Eberts belong to the Free and Accepted Masons, 
the Knights of Pythias, and in religious matters are zealous and respected 
members of the German Reformed church, taking an active interest in the 
congregation to which they belong and contributing liberally to its material 
support. Politically they are Republicans, but not partisans, nor have they 
ever asked for office at the hands of their fellow citizens or aspired to leader- 
ship. 

Conrad Eberts, Sr., spent the closing years of his life in Jeffersoiiville. 
where his death occurred at the ripe old age of eighty-one ; his mother, who 
accompanied him to the city, departed this life when eighty-four years old. 



CHARLES F. AXTZ. 



Like many of America's progressive men of affairs. Mr. Antz is of 
foreign birth, being a native of Oberdam \\'inesburg, W'urtemburg, Germany, 
where he first saw the light of day on December 2. 1850. His father, Charles 
F. Antz, was a man of high standing and wide influence in his town, having 
been a successful lawyer for a number of years and later a judge of the 
highest court of his province, which office he was holding at the time of his 
death in the year 1853. Subsequently in 1854 the widowed mother and 
her two children, a son and a daughter, came to the United States and located 
in Louisville, where for some years she was obliged to rely upon the hardest 
kind of manual labor in order to rear her children respectably and provide 
for their education. Later she became the wife of Charles Schifler, of Jef- 
fersonville, a very worthy man who came to this city in i860 and made it 
his place of residence until his death in the year 1885, Mrs. Schifler depart- 
ing this life on the 3d day of November, 1907. The two children born to 
her first marriage were Katie, who died in 1880, and Charles F., whose name 
introduces this sketch. By her marriage with Mr. Schifler she had three 
children, two daughters, the older being Mrs. Emma Quick, the younger Mrs. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 619 

Carrie, botli living in Jeffersonville, and a son, Louis Sciiifler, died in 1904, at 
the age of thirty-six years. , 

Charles F. Antz was but four years of age when brought to tiie United 
States and from that time until attaining his majority he spent the greater 
part of his life in Jeffersonville, receiving the meanwhile a practical edu- 
cation in the city schools, though his opportunities in this direction were 
rather limited. In 1862 he engaged to drive a government train in conveying 
soldiers and war supplies to the scene of action and later drove an express 
wagon until the year 1867, when he resigned his position and entered the 
Ohio Falls Car Works to learn the moulder's trade. Applying himself closely 
to his work he made such rapid progress that at the age of twenty he was con- 
sidered one of the most efficient moulders in the city, his wages at that time 
ranging from six to eight dollars per day. He continued his trade until the 
panic of 1873, when his trade was rendered no longer profitable and he accepted 
employment as a hod-carrier in the building of the quarter-master's department, 
United States Army, on the completion of which job he returned in 1883 
to his work in the foundry, where he remained during the ensuing years 
commanding high wages the meantime and filling one of the most important 
positions in the moulding department. Severing his connection with the 
foundry in March, 1884, he made a trip to San Antonio, Texas, where he 
purchased two car loads of Texas ponies, which he bnuight to Jeffersonville 
and sold at a handsome profit, which marked the beginning of his career as an 
enterprising and successful trader and business man. During the several fol- 
lowing years he traded and sold in various parts of Indiana, ^lissouri and 
Illinois, coming in contact with the people and acquiring a practical knowledge 
of business which proved valuable to him, not only at the time, but after- 
wards. On retiring permanently from his trade he melted his tools, declaring 
that never again would he enter a foundr}- as a workman, a resolution to which 
he has adhered strictly ever since. 

Shortly after his business experience in the states above mentioned. Mr. 
Antz engaged in the saloon business in Jeffersonville and during the ensuing 
fifteen years devoted his attention to that line of trade, meeting with encour- 
aging financial success and becoming known as a progressive man of affairs. 
In 1890 he was one of the nine men who incorporated the Jeffersonville Ice 
Company, an enterprise which continued under the original management until 
1897, when he bought out the last of the stockholders' interests and became 
sole proprietor. Since taking possession of the plant he has added greatly 
to its capacity and built up a large and lucrative business, the present daily 
output being twenty-seven tons of excellent high grade ice, all of which finds 
ready sale in the city, the factory being taxed to the utmost to supply the con- 
stantly increasing demand. The improvement in the plant have kept pace 
with the steady growth of the business and under the judicious oversight of 



620 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

the present proprietor it has Ijecome a verj- valuable property, one of the larg- 
est and best of the kind in the southern part of the state, with encouraging 
prospects of still greater growth in the future. 

Financially Mr. Antz's success has been commensurate with the energy 
and sound business ability displayed in the management of his affairs, being 
at this time one of the substantial and well-to-do men of the city, with a suffi- 
ciency of material wealth to place him in independent circumstances. In addi- 
tion to his manufacturing plant and other business interests he owns a beau- 
tiful and commodious modern brick dwelling erected in 1902 on the lot ad- 
joining the ice plant and is well situated to enjoy the results of his many years 
of well directed profit. The former presiding spirit of the comfortalile and 
luxurious home was the amiable lady to whom he was joined in the bonds of 
wedlock in the year 1872, and who previous to that time was Elizabeth Green- 
agle, a native of Wayne county. New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Antz were 
bom five children, namely: William C, who is engaged in the ice business 
in Jeffersonville; Anna M., her father's housekeqaer; Edith who has charge 
of the lx)oks in her father's establishment : George, who holds a position in 
the factory, and Walter, a student in the Manual Training School of Louis- 
ville. William C., the oldest of the family, is married and is the father of 
two children. Gertrude and Kennetli, his wife having formerly been Daisy 
Akers, daughter of Charles Akers, of Jeffersonville. Mrs. Antz, who was an 
e.xemplary wife and mother, and a devoted member of the German Lutheran 
church, departed this life on the 5th day of September, 1904, since which 
time the hfiusehold has been looked after and successfully managed by the 
daughter, Anna, a young lady of high social standing. 

Politically Mr. Antz is a Democrat and as such has taken an active part 
in county and municipal affairs, representing the third ward four years in the 
City Council and proving an able and untiring worker while a member of that 
body. At the age of twenty-one he was initiated into the local lodge of the 
Knights of Pythias and has been an active member of the fraternity from that 
time to the present. He is also identified with the uniform rank of the order, 
besides holding membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks and Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in both of which societies he 
has been from time to time honored with important ofticial positions. He 
was one of the organizers of the society known as the Knights and Ladies 
of Washington, and has been prominent in the affairs of the same, 
holding at this time the office of treasurer of the supreme body in the L'nited 
States. In his religious belief he subscribes to the Lutheran creed, himself 
and family being members of the church of that name in Jeffersonville. 

Mr. Antz is interested in various business enterprises in Jeffersonville and 
•elsewhere, being a stockholder in the New Albany Ice Company and in the 
American Machine Company of Louisville, besides owning considerable valu- 



UAIKO'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 621 

able real estate in these cities to say nothing of his large private means, all of 
which bear witness to his mature judgment and sound financial ability. He is 
in the best sense of the term a self-made man as few started in life with poorer 
prospects. 



THE MERIWETHER FAMILY. 

Those who read the history of the United States, including the 
period of discovery, the subsequent settlement, the colonial times and event- 
ually the great work of development that followed the establishment of the 
Union, will frequently come across the name ^Meriwether. Sometimes it is a 
soldier fighting the battles of England against the French and Indians, then a 
patriot taking part in the struggle for independence; bleeding at the crossing 
of the Delaware, starving at Valley Forge, suffering the privations of the 
march through the western wilderness under the banner of George Rogers 
Clark. Then we find these heroic descendants of worthy sires, filling high 
places in the state, as representatives of the Federal government, members of 
the Legislature or Congress, governors, administrators and promoters of the 
great industrial enterprises. The Meriwethers were especially conspicuous 
during the formative period of the Republic, and we hear of them in Ken- 
tucky and Indiana, when the Indians were still on the war path, when the 
woodsman's ax awakened the echoes in the lonely glens, before the buffalo had 
crossed the ^lississippi, and while Daniel Baone was endeavoring to plant the 
white man's standard in the regions of the Blue Grass. It was one of this 
patriotic family that Jefferson selected to lead his celebrated exploring expedi- 
tions to the mouth of the Columbia river, an expedition that resulted in ac- 
quiring the Oregon country for the L'nited States, and which made possible 
that American possession of the Rocky Mountain regions, with its romantic 
and dramatic developments, that give such fascination to the era of discover^' 
and settlement in the times of Bonneville, Bridges, Sublette, and other heroic 
spirits. During ten generations of North American history there has not been 
a time when some man with Meriwether blood in his veins was not acting a 
conspicuous part in the great drama unfolded by the occurrences of the last 
three centuries. 

It was Nicholas Meriwether, born in Wales, in 1678. to whom this coun- 
try is indebted for the red blood that enriches so many men and women dur- 
ing the troublous years that succeeded the first settlements on the Atlantic. 
Nicholas, his namesake, and one of three sons, reared a family of children 
and became a man of vast wealth. He owned one tract of land near Char- 
lottesville, Virginia, that included seventeen thousand nine hundred and fifty- 
two hundred acres and manv other thousand acres in other sections, besides 



622 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 

horses and immense numbers of cattle. This Nicholas, of the second genera- 
tion, lived to the advanced age of ninety-seven years, was a figure of conse- 
quence during the period of his activities and left descendants well worthy of 
his name. One of his sons was Col. David Meriwether, who married Anne 
Holmes, and became the direct ancestor of the famous Meriwether Lewis, 
who went with Clark across the continent in 1803-4, on what was perhaps 
the most momentous exploring expeditions in the histon,' of the world. 

Another of his descendants was Col. Nicholas Meriwether, who was one 
of four American soldiers that bore General Braddock from the fatal field at 
Fort DuOuesne. when \\'ashington was serving in his first important mili- 
tarj- expedition, as a subordinate officer of the Virginia troops. Still an- 
other Meriwether was with George Rogers Clark in his daring campaigns 
against Vincennes and Kaskaskia. The roll of governors of Kentucky, filled 
with glorious and heroic names, shows a Meriwether as one of the earliest and 
most enterprising of the state's executives. William Meriwether, a son of 
Colonel David, married Martha Wood and died in lagoon a large farm near 
Louisville. His son, William, married Sarah Oldham and after making two 
or three trips from the Virginia home, finally settled near Louisville in 1784, 

It was the son of the latter, Dr. Samuel Meriwether, who settled in Jef- 
fersonville in 1813 and through his descendants became interwoven through 
all its subsequent local hisroiy. He served during the War of 181 2 as a sur- 
geon in the Northwest Territory and subsequently became chief of the land 
ofifice at Jeffersonville and receiver of the public moneys. He was a leader in 
founding the Presbyterian church at Jeffersonville, buying ground for the 
site and otherwise contributing liberally to the enterprise. He was the first 
and for many years the only elder and clerk, holding the flock together in 
the face of many discouragements until it became a large and flourishing 
congregation. His sacrifices for the church and his stalwart Christian char- 
acter are commemorated for a marble tablet in the edifice which he helped to 
build and to which he devoted so much of his time and energy. 

In 1813 Doctor Meriwether married Mary Lewis, by whom he had five 
children, one son and four daughters. One daughter became Mrs. J. H. 
McCampbell and mother of Mrs. Joseph M. Hutchinson. The son. Waller, 
Lewis, was born at Jeffersonville, Indiana, April 23, 1824, and during a long 
life was actively and influentially connected with the development of that city. 
For thirty-five years he was engaged in business as a druggist, and became the 
owner of considerable real estate, including the beautiful homestead in Clarks- 
ville, fronting on the Falls of the Ohio, which he built for a family residence. 
He was a member of the Presbyterian church and respected by all who knew 
him as an upright citizen. On December 10, 1846, he married Rebecca Keig- 
win, member of a very prominent family. She was the daughter of James 
Keigwin, Sr., a sister of Col. James Keigwin, Jr., and an aunt of James S. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 623 

Keigrwin. Mr. Meriwether died November 17, 1905. Onl}' two children by 
this marriage are now living, Nora Elva, who married J. M. Glass, a former 
Mayor of Jeffersonville. is now a resident of Los Angeles, California. 

Henry K. Meriwether, the surviving son, was born March 16, 1852, and 
grew up in Jeffersonville and after leaving school occupied a position in the 
First National Bank until his twenty-second j'ear, when he went to Cincin- 
nati and engaged in the ice cream business, which he was compelled to aban- 
don on account of ill health. In 1878 he settled on a farm at Olney, Illinois, 
where he has since spent most of his time, though he still retains his home at 
Jeffersonville. He devotes his Illinois farm to stock raising, making a 
specialty of Hereford cattle and finds his chief pleasure in agricultural pur- 
suits. In 1877 he married Caroline, daughter of John C. Lewis, a county 
official at Cincinnati, and has three sons. Walter Lewis, who is married, lives 
on his father's farm at Olney: Samuel Eber is a resident of Los Angeles, and 
Henry Keigwin, familiarly called Harry, is also on the Illinois farm. The 
Jeft'ersonville branch of the Meriwether family has worthily sustained the 
reputation of an historic ancestrj', by bearing bravely their share of life's bur- 
dens. In whatever department their lot was cast, as farmers, business men, 
officials of the county, members of the church, as plain citizens or officers they 
have always been found equal to the requiremeiits and challenging both the 
respect and good will of the community in which they lived. 



GEORGE \\'. LUSHER. 



George W. Lusher was born in Floyd county, Indiana, near New Albany, 
August 27, 1846. being one of three children born to Michael and Mar}' 
(Knasel) Lusher. ^Michael Lusher, father of George \\'., was born in Switz- 
erland in 1S12 and came to this country with his parents when he was five 
years old. He was active in the affairs of life, making' a success of whatever he 
attempted. His wife was born in Baden, Germany, on the Rhine river in 
1832. She immigrated to America with her parents when seven years old. 
They attended the public schools of Floyd county and were married in 1844. 
The other children besides George W. born to them were Carrie and M. D. 
Lusher, the former being deceased, and the latter a farmer of Jefferson county, 
Kentucky. 

George ^^'. Lusher attended the common schools in his native community 
until he was eighteen years old, receiving a good education, but being am- 
bitious for higher learning he entered the Hartsville Academy where he re- 
mained until he was twenty-two years old and where he made a brilliant 
record for scholarship. 



624 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

After leaving school he decided that his true calling nnd inclination lay- 
along the peaceful lines of the husbandman, consequently lie at once began 
farming on the land where he has ever since resided, giving it his undivided 
care and attention with the result that he has today one of the finest and best 
improved farms to be found in Utica townsh.ip, highly improved in every 
respect, well drained and well fenced, and the soil produces as abundant crops 
as ever in the history of the place, which consists of one hundred and four 
acres, upon which general farming and truck growing are carried on with the 
care and skill that ever insures success and which yields the owner not only 
a comfortable living from year to year, but also enables him to lay up an ample 
competency for his declining years. The products raised here find a ready 
market near home, his vegetables especially being eagerly sought for, being 
always regarded as first class. 

The residence of Mr. Lvisher is a large brick structure that is well 
arranged for comfort and convenience, being substantial and well equipped 
with modern appliances, also nicely furnished. The either buildings on the 
place are up-to-date in every respect, so that all in all, Mr. Lusher has one 
of the most desirable places to be found in this locality. 

George W. Lusher was united in marriage on May 8, 1872, to Mildred 
A. Gilmore, a native of Floyd county, Indiana, a member of a fine old family. 
The following children have been born to this union : Laia Byron, wife of 
Fielding L. Wilson, of Jeffersonville ; Maud J., wife of E. M. Frank; Charles 
died when twenty years of age ; Edna is now living at home. Mrs. Lusher 
is a talented woman, and she was a student of DePauw L'niversity. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Lusher is a member of the ]\Iasonic Order, 
Clark Lodge Xo. 40. He is a member of the Christian church and a liberal 
subscriber of the same. In politics he is a Democrat. 

Mr. Lusher has ever been known as a loyal citizen and has done his share 
in aiding the march of progress and development in this county, and sur- 
rounded by everything conducive to his comfort and happiness he has the un- 
bounded esteem and confidence of a community for the material, social and 
moral advancement of which so much of his life and interest have been de- 
voted and no man in Clark county is held in higher esteem than he. 



WILLIAM E. COLLINGS. 

Originally from Ireland the ancestors of the Collings family were early 
emigrants to America and settlers in various other states, and when William 
E. Collings and his family floated down the Ohio river they found no town on 
either side of the Falls of the Ohio in Kentucky or Indiana. They had to stop 
at the Falls because the water was too low to get over and they made a settle- 




WILLIAM E. COLLIXGS. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IX D. 62^ 

ment in Clark county, the lirst family to locate there. The head of this pioneer 
household had a son named Kearnes and he also left a son of the same name, 
who was born in Clark county in 1823, on a farm, a portion of which is where 
the town of Underwood now stands. He died ^Nlarch 3. 1894, in the same 
house where he first saw the light of day and in which he spent se\'enty-two 
years of his life. His father bought the one hundred sixty acres from the gov- 
ernment at two dollars and twenty-five cents per acre, which is still in the pos- 
session of his grandson, and the latter has a valued souvenir in shape of the 
original sheepskin patent received from the government. Indians were still 
plentiful in Southern Indiana when the Collings settlers arrived and some of 
them were killed in the frequent fights that occurred. \A'illiam E. Collings 
was an Indian fighter of note and was engaged against the band that perpe- 
trated the Pigeon Roost massacre. Everybody carried a gun in those days 
as a protection from wolves and other wild animals and one of these guns, 
handed down through three generations, is presened as a precious heirloom 
by the owner, William C. Collings, a cousin of our subject. Kearnes Collings 
the second, was a well known man in Clark county and a farmer and timber 
man by occupation and prominent as a member of the Baptist church. The 
Underwood branch of this denomination was organized in his house and he 
became a charter member both there and at Vienna. He was a great church 
worker and gave the ground on which two churches were built. He married 
Elizabeth Partin. who was bom in Tennessee in 1847. By this union there 
were eight children, but by two previous marriages eight other children were 
born to Kearnes Collings. 

William E. Collings, eldest of the children by his father's last marriage, 
was born at Underwood, Indiana, July 24, 1871. He inherited a part of the 
old homestead entered by his grandfather and cleared and improved by his 
father. In addition to farming he learned the carpenter's trade and has divided 
his time between these two occupations. On July 31, 1892, he was married to 
Maggie M., daughter of \\'illiam H. and Cynthia (Mendenhall) Glessner, the 
former of Morgan and the latter of Marion counties, Indiana. Mrs. Collings 
is a native of the last named county, where her birth occurred July 20, 1873. 
Mr. and Mrs. Collings have three children, Charles W., born January 17, 1895, 
and died January 26th, in the same year; Ruth G., born January 21, 1897, and 
Cynthia E., born January 21, 1902. Mr. Collings is justly proud of the patri- 
otic record of his ancestors, some of whom served in the War of the Revolu- 
tion, also the War of 1812, and in the Civil war of 1861. He also has just 
reason for recalling with pride the services of his direct line as pioneers in 
settling and civilizing Clark county. The fami he owns has been in the fam- 
ily for nearly a hundred years and no name is more highly respected in Clark 
county than that of Collings. Mr. Collings inherited his politics as well as his 
religion, being the latest representative of a long line of Baptist church people, 

40 



626 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

wliile his wife affiliates with the ^lethodists. They Hve in a comfortable home 
in Underwood and cordially entertain all the friends who visit them. 



SAMUEL NOBLE WOOD. 

Among the self-made men in Clark county whose efforts have been 
influential in promoting the welfare of the community in which he lives, is 
Samuel Noble Wood, who has won success in life because he has \\orked for 
it and has exercised those qualities that always win nut if properly and per- 
sistently applied, as has been done in his case. 

Mr. \\'ood was born in Utica township, August 9, 1849. He is the son 
of Napoleon B. and Lucinda (Hay) Wood. They were natives also of 
Clark county, being among the pioneer families here. 

Samuel Wnod recei\-ed his early erlucation in the common schools of his 
natix'e community, where he applied himself as best he C(juld and laid a good 
foundation for his subsequent mental development, which has been done by 
coming in contact with the business world and by home reading. After cast- 
ing alxjut for some time during his boyhood days in an effort to find just 
what line of work was best suited to his tastes he eventually became a stone 
contractor, which line of business he is still conducting in a most satisfactory 
manner, having handled some big jobs in Clark county. He understands 
thoroughly this line of work and has been very successful owing to his close 
application to business and his desire to please his patrons which he invariably 
does, always turning out high class work at reasonable charges. He is kmnvn 
as one of the leading stone contractors in this locality. 

Mr. Wood was married April 24, 1879, with Mary E. Todd. She was 
born at Paris Indiana, the daughter of \\'illiam Todd, a representative citizen 
of Jennings county, this state, the wedding occurring at Paris. ]\Irs. Wood's 
mother was known as Mary Cleland, a native of Madison, Indiana. Mrs. 
Wood was one of a family of the following children : Mary, Lizzie, deceased ; 
W'illiam, who married Florence \\'ells: Stella, who married a Mr. Carlock; 
Bertha is living at home : Fletcher is deceased. 

Mr. Wood is a Socialist. He has never held political office, however, 
he takes considerable interest in local political affairs, and is liberal in his 
religious views, being a well read man and keeps abreast of the times and is 
an interesting conversationalist. In his fraternal relations he is a member of 
the Knights of Pythias. The Wood family is well and favorably known in 
Clark county, having always borne good reputations and taken an active part 
in local affairs for the general welfare of the cnmiuunitv 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 627 

JOHN MACKAY. 

Death came to Mr. Mackay after lie had retired from active hfe and 
was Hving quietly amid tlie scenes of his early manhood, and was, in his 
declining years, enjoying the fruits of a career that was marked by few idle 
moments. Very peaceful indeed were the latter years of his long and honor- 
able life, as he was absolutely free from the cares that overburden many men 
in their old age. It was a consolation to him to know that he had reared a 
family of children who had thrived and prospered and had been guilty of no 
act that might cast dishonor uixan the family name. This venerable man 
was one of the best known citizens of Utica, having made it his home for 
more than half a century. 

John Mackay was born in Jefferson county, Kentucky, in 1831, and came 
to Utica seventeen years later, and engaged in farming with his cousin, M. P. 
Howes, working very hard and saving his money. He was inarried February 
20, 186 1, to Julia Morrison, a native of Utica township, and daughter of 
William and Sarah Morrison, being one of a family of nine children, three 
of whom died in infancy. The survivors are Ephraim, who is married : John, 
who wedded Miss M. Gibson: Mrs. Samantha (Morrison) \\'orthington ; 
James married Ellen Goodwin : William remained single. 

Mr. and Mrs. Macka}' were the parents of four children, namely: Mrs. 
Mollie Marsh: a son. William: Mrs. Cora Emmerich, and John Floyd ^ilackay. 
who married Nora Colvin. 

Mr. Mackay died November 13, 1905. While a Democrat all his life 
he took no part in politics beyond casting his vote, and never held, or aspired 
to any public office, his interest being centered in his agricultural pursuits. 
He was not a member of any secret order, but attended church regularly, 
being a Methodist. There was a strong bond of affection between the de- 
ceased and his wife. He was a man of high character and sterling worth, 
and his demise was greatly deplored by the comniunity which looked upon 
him as a man it could ill nfford to lose. 



OSCAR DIX. 



To conduct successfully a mercantile business requires not only a knowl- 
edoe of articles handled, but a broad conception of human nature, and the 
skill so to manijnilate affairs as to bring about a satisfactory- relation between 
merchant and consumer. Prominent among the merchants of Utica. Indiana, 
is the firm of Dix Brothers, dealers in general merchandise, and now for many 
years rated as among the town's most progressive business men. The mem- 
bers of the firm are Oscar and George B. Dix. 



628 

Oscar Dix was born at Utica on the 5th of April, 1876. the son of 
James and ^Margaret (James) Dix, both of whom were born in Clark county. 
Samuel Dix, grandfather of Oscar Dix, was a native of Virginia, and after 
coming to Indiana was married to a Miss Swartz, of Utica. 

Oscar was educated in the local school and after completing the work 
there decided laier to prepare himself thoroughly for business. He accord- 
ingly went to Louisville and completed the course at Bryant and Stratton's 
Business College. Following this he returned to Utica and soon entered into 
business, continuing therein up to the present time. 

On September 6, 1900, Mr. Dix was united in marriage to Leanora 
Cleffmann, who was born at Florence, Indiana, on the 21st of November, 
1875. She is the daughter of Henry Cleffman, a native of Germany. Mr. 
and Mrs. Dix are the parents of one child, Dorothy, born January 25, 1904. 
They are members of the Christian church and stand well in the community. 
Mr. Dix is a Democrat in politics, and has served his party as a member of 
the Township Advisory Board. 



JA:\1ES W. TAYLOR. 



James W. Taylor, well known in Port Fulton and JefTersonville, and 
throughout Clark county in general, has arisen to his present high standing 
in the community through his own innate ability and personal worthiness. His 
career is a direct refutation of the charge made nowadays that men of worth 
and merit have not the scope and opportunity in our present complex business 
life to develop themselves without injury to their own individuality. While yet a 
comparatively young man, he is successful in business life and a factor in 
the political afifairs of his county. He is the present paymaster of the Ameri- 
can Car & Foundry Company, an office which he fills with distinction and 
credit to himself. He has also for many years been proprietor of the Excelsior 
Laundry in Jeffersonville and has brought that concern to a high state of 
perfection. He is in addition treasurer of the town of Port Fulton, having 
held the office for four years. 

James W. Taylor was born in Port Fulton on the 19th of December, 
1870, and was the son of Thomas and Catherine (Sweeney) Taylor. Thomas 
Taylor was born in Wales, and in his boyhood lived near London, England. 
In 1837, having meanwhile emigrated, he settled in Jefifersonville, where he 
carried on a butchering trade for a great many years. He died in 1894. 
Mrs. Catherine Taylor was a sister of the Sweeney brothers, the shipyard 
and foundry men. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Taylor four boys and two 
girls were born. They are all living with the exception of one boy. Benja- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 629 

mill is in Mobile, Alabama, as representative of the American Car & Foundry 
Company. Thomas B. is at Thomasville. Georgia. iia\-ing previously 
resided at ]\Iobile and Birmingham for the past ten years. He is engaged 
in the lumber trade as a buyer for the Chicago Lumber and Coal Company. 
Catherine Taylor, one of the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Taylor, is 
secretary to the district manager of the car works in Jefifersonville. She has 
held her present position for about fifteen years and is said to be a woman of 
unusual business ability. Her sister, Mary C. Taylor, is a stenographer in the 
general offices of the Louisyille & Xaslnille Railroad at Louisyille. Kentucky. 

James ^^'. Taylor was educated in the public schools and the high school 
at JefYersonyille. He also graduated at the Louisyille Br;siiiess College. 
L'pon leaving school he was for the period of eight years a clerk for the Penn- 
S}-lyania Railroad. He then changed to the American Car and Foundry Com- 
pany, the firm with which he is now paymaster, a position which has been 
his since 1907. Prior to that time he was with the same company for about 
fi\e years as assistant auditor and paymaster. 

In July, 1904. he succeeded Cheney and Williams in the proprietorship 
of the Excelsior Laundry, an industry which for the term of twenty years 
and up to quite recently was the only one of its kind in Clark county. Mr. 
Taylor has directed and concentrated all that business resourcefulness with 
which he is credited in an efl^ort to bring the Excelsior Lavmdry to a greater 
state of efficiency. In this he has admirably succeeded, and it is now well 
equipped to meet the competition of the most up-to-date concerns of its kind. 

James \\\ Taylor has always been the friend of the fraternal societies. 
He belongs to the Elks and Red ■Men, being a past exalted ruler of the former. 
In religious life he is a practical and influential member of St. Augustine's 
Catholic church. He is a Democrat, and he is looked upon by the party leaders 
as a coming power in county politics. He is an able accountant, a level- 
headed, practical business man whose success has been due to his own efiforts, 
and a man who possesses amiable and kindly traits. 



GEORGE B. DIX. 



The second member of the firm of Dix Brothers. George B. Dix. was 
born at Utica on the 21st of September, 1878. The facts regarding his 
parentage are given under the article headed Oscar Dix on another page of 
this work. 

George received his early education in the L'tica public schools, and after 
reaching maturity entered into business as a partner with his brother Oscar. 
Much of the success of the firm is owing to his close attention to business and 



630 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

his ability to interpret the demands of the trade. He holds liberal views 
on religious questions and votes with the Democratic party. He is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity and is a popular figure in the social life of the 
community. 

The firm of Dix Brothers has now been duing business for twelve years. 
Their stock is complete, their prices popular and their equipment second to 
none. They are obliging to their trade and are able to meet all the demands 
made by the exactions of competition and progress. They enjoy a large 
patronage and hold a high place in the esteem of neighbors and friends. 



MATTHEW COLVIN. 



The family of Matthew Colvin, made up as it was of thirteen children, 
will stand as an example of plenitude both in numbers and in domestic spirit. 
After all there is a charm that gathers about the home life of a large family. 
There is a feeling of kinship and a spirit of fellowship that is not found else- 
where in life. The circle of children gathered about the evening fire awakens 
in the breast a bond of fellowship never to be broken and one that years may 
make dimmer but can never efface. The contest of mind with mind and the 
many calls for sympathy and brotherly kindnesses are not without their in- 
fluence in shaping the disposition and temperament of boys and girls in the 
most impressionable period of their lives. 

Matthew Colvin was born in Mercer county. Kentucky, on January 4, 
1845. He was the son of Elisha and Margaret (Curry) Colvin, both natives 
of Kentucky, as were also the grandparents of our subject, Abraham J. and 
Sarah Colvin. Abraham Colvin reached the age of seventy-five years. The 
maternal grandparents of Mr. Colvin were James and Jane Curry, also 
natives of the Blue Grass state. 

Mr. Colvin was educated in the district schools of Mercer county, Ken- 
tucky, and upon reaching maturity began life as a farmer. When about forty- 
five years of age he came to Indiana and continued to fann after his arrival. 

Matthew Colvin chose as his companion in life, Lorenda Tatum, who 
was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky. Their union took place in 1867 
and as stated above, resulted in the birth of thirteen children, as given below : 
Elisha Thomas, husband of Mary Carmany ; Joseph, married to Ellen Driscol ; 
William Ivory, deceased; Ruth, wife of Granville Hooper; Georgia Ann, wife 
of \\'illiam Ross ; Lucy, wife of William Bruner ; Jennie, wife of John Mackay ; 
Maggie and Sarah, deceased ; Martha, living with her parents : Mary, wife of 
Edward Zable : Ophelia, deceased ; and Emma, at home 

Mr. and Mrs. Colvin are members of the Christian church as are almost 



BAJSD'S history of CLARK CO., IND. 63 1 

all of tl:e children. The parents are held in high esteem, not only by their 
children, but by friends and neighbors as well. The home is often the scene 
of happy social gatherings and the spirit of welcome and genial hospitality is 
a strong characteristic known far and wide, and heartily appreciated. 



WILLIAM GOODWTN. 



Many of the early settlers of Clark county were descen.ded from ances- 
tors that came to the Middle West from Maryland and Virginia. These 
made their way for the most part through the Cumberland Gap into Ken- 
tucky, branching later into the territory' north of the Ohio river, as oppor- 
tunity afforded. Prominent among these families coming to Clark county 
is the one from whom our subject is descended. 

\\'illiam Goodwin was born on the farm where he now lives, in Utica 
township, Clark county, on May 20, 1846. His father, Isaac Goodwin, 
was born in the county also in 1818, and died September ig, 1883. Amos 
Goodwin, William's grandfather, was born in Virginia, in 1789, and died in 
August, 1863, having attained the age of seventy-three years. His wife, 
Amelia (Dunn) Goodwin, grandmother of William, was born in lefferson 
county, Kentucky, in 1793, and died in 1885. having reached the age of 
ninety-two years. 

William Goodwin was one of a family of seven children, as follows: 
Amelia Ann, deceased : William, of this review : Amos married Miss A. Sharp 
and is now deceased ; Beverly died at the age of thirteen years : Maria, wife 
of Dr. W. N. McCoy ; Charles died at the age of seventeen years, and ^lary 
Bell, wife of John D. Sharp. 

Mr. Goodwin received his early education in the neighboring district 
school, but as he advanced toward maturity he was possessed with the ambi- 
tion to acquire a more liberal training, and accordingly attended the North- 
western Christian University, at Indianapolis, later known as Butler Col- 
lege. He also took up a period of study at Kentucky University at Lex- 
ington. Kentucky. After these years of study he addressed himself to the 
wholesome task of running the farm, and his subsequent career demonstrated 
his ability to bring intelligent and scientific thought to bear upon the problems 
of the soil. 

On the 15th of February, 1888, Mr. Goodwin was married to Lena 
Goodwin, to whom was born one child that died in infancy. She was the 
oldest daughter of Columbus C. -Goodwin, a native of Clark county, and was 
one of a family of thirteen children. 

Mr. Goodwin affiliates with the Republican party and has always taken a 



632 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

firm stand for thoroug"hness and a conscientious discharge of all public duties. 
From 1896 to 1900 he served as Clerk of the Circuit Court, giving general 
satisfaction to all with whom his duties involved connection. He has also 
sensed two terms as Township Trustee and was for seven years postmaster 
at Utica. In all of his public life he has made a clean record and has left the 
affairs of the several offices in excellent condition. 

His farm of three hundred and fifty-six acres keeps Mr. Goodwin, for 
the most part, engaged. He has shown in its management the same busi- 
ness sagacity that characterized his public career, and has applied a most 
intelligent and sane judgment in its management. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and is a most worth}- exponent of the principles laid down 
by the order. The Goodwin home possesses a most wholesome atmosphere 
of social welcome and domestic happiness. 



CHARLES SHARP GOODWTN. 

From 1900 to 1904 Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, was served 
in the official capacity of Assessor by the youngest incumbent to that office 
in the history of the township. This was none other than Charles Sharp 
Goodwin, who was nominated for the office before he was twenty-one years 
of age, reaching his majority in time to fulfill the requirements of the law. 
Although the office is one that is humble in its scope, yet it requires good 
judgment and close application to bring about satisfactory service and in this 
Mr. Goodwin was eminently successful. 

Mr. Goodwin was born on the 21st of June, 1879, in Utica township, 
on the farm where he resides at the present time. He is the son of Amos and 
Alice (Sharp) Goodwin, who are among the highly respected citizens of the 
township. The family consisted of five children, viz : Maggie, wife of Charles 
Litzler ; Iva, deceased ; Lena, wife of Homer Holman ; Charles, of this review ; 
and Ella, who is unmarried. 

Charles was educated in the neighboring district school and after com- 
pleting the work of the grades took a two years' high school course. As a 
student he was apt and industrious and was generally well liked by companions 
and teachers. After leaving high school Mr. Goodwin began farming and has 
continued in that line up to the present time. In this he has achieved success, 
bringing to bear on his work the benefits of his training and experience. He 
does not waste time on day-dreams or theories, but drives steadily at the 
vital duties that come to hand and as a result is enabled to make a splendid 
showing without any waste of time or energy. He operates th.e farm on 
which he lives, consisting of fiftv-one acres, and also controls a farm of one 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 633 

hundred and fifty acres in the neighborhood state of Kentucky. Xo doubt 
future years will be for him years of opportunity and achievement. 

On April 29, 1903, Mr. Goodwin was united in marriage to JMaud Fry, 
an estimable young lady of good education and excellent tastes. This union 
has been .graced with one son. Charles, who was born on the 4th of June, 
1905. 

Mr. Goodwin votes with the Republican party antl advocates a strict 
observance of the principles of honesty and the fair discharge of all official 
duties and obligations. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, belonging to Utica Lodge. No. 112, and is a faithful exponent of 
the principles of that noble organization. 



PETER H. BOTTORFF. 

Although bent with the weight of years the mind of Mr. Bottorft is as 
bright and active as that of many men still in the middle journey of life, and 
he relates with a keen relish incidents of the days when Indiana, and especially 
the southern section of the state, was practically a trackless forest. This ven- 
erable man's memory of the stirring events, and the hardships that confronted 
the men and women of those early times is ven,' vivid. He has seen a great 
commonwealth grow from an almost inpenetratable wilderness,, his family 
having been one of the eight original settlers of Utica township, Clark county, 
and it was there that Peter H. Bottorff first saw the light m.ore than eighty- 
one years ago. having been born in Utica township, October 19, 1827. His 
parents were Peter and Sarah (Fry) Bottorff. the former a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, and the latter from the state of Kentucky. The date of the birth of the 
father was December 17, 1791. while the mother was born August 17. 1799. 
Peter H. Bottorff was one of a family of nine children, three of whom are 
living, Abraham, eighty-eight years old : Sarah Ann, eighty-six years old, 
and the subject of this review. 

Mr. Bottorff secured little or no education, as schools were very scarce 
in the days of his boyhood, and such as did exist were decidedly crude, the 
course of study being confined to reading, writing and spelling, with a smatter- 
ing of arithmetic. He began to work on his father's farm ver\- early in life, 
accumulating sufficient money to enable him to become a land owner him- 
self after he had attained his majority. He is at the present time the possessor 
of one hundred and thirty acres of very productive soil. He was married 
three times, his first wife being Clarissa Ann Crump, by whom two children 
were born, namely: William Peter and ]\Iary Alice. His second marriage 
was with Hannah Carr, by whom one child was born, which died in infancy. 



634 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Later they adopted a son ten years old, Albert Carr Bottorff. He has reached 
manhood's estate, having been born December 25, 1879. He is married and 
the father of two children. His present wife was known as Eliza Crandall in 
her maindenhood and was the widow of James Bottorff. 

Mr. Bottorff is a member of the Methodist church. He has been a 
deacon in this church for many years and is also an ordained elder of that 
body, having been a local preacher of that denomination and accomplishing 
much good. During early and mature years he was a hard worker. (5ne of 
the most active in the neighborhood and second to none in the township in 
skill and speed with a cradle. He does not Ijelong to any fraternal order. In 
politics he is a Democrat, and never held but one public office, that of 
Supervisor. 



DAVID ALDEN SPANGLER. 

Many of our families are constantly changing their place of residence 
and the family traditions and warm associations clinging about the old home 
are entirely wanting. Close observers think this is a serious defect in our 
modern life and should be met and adjusted as rapidly as possible in order 
to conseiwe the best interests of our community life. But we are already old 
enough as a nation to be as well provided with a stable population as are 
many other nations of today, and it is to be hoped that the keeping of the 
family homestead by members of the same family will be more common in 
the future that it has been in the past. 

This thought leads us to mention the fact that the man whose name 
heads this review, was born on the farm where he now lives, having never 
left the old homestead. He was born on New Year's day in 185 1, and was 
the son of James and Clarissa (Smith) Spangler, the former having been born 
in Clark county, Indiana, and the latter in New York state. 

David Alden Spangler received his early education in the district schools 
in the neighborhood, and showed many excellent traits as 1 student when a 
boy. As he grew to manhood he resolved to widen his general training as a 
preparation for life, and finally decided to go to Moore's Hill College. After 
returning from there he went back to the farm and later took up the study 
of law under Judge J. K. Marsh, of Jeft'ersonville, a leading authority on 
legal matters. He was admitted to the liar, liut never practiced, for, upon the 
death of his father, he was looked to as the proper one to manage the farm, 
which duty he assumed in 1882. This farm of one hundred acres bears the 
marks of thrift and good management. Mr. Spangler has given it his entire 
time and thought, with results that are noticeable to the most casual observer. 
:\Ir. Spangler is a member of the Methodist church and the Masonic fraternity. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 635 

JACOB LEXTZ. 

Jacob Lentz was born on May 12, i860, the son of Jacob and Mahala 
Lentz, the former being a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Clark 
county. Indiana. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom be- 
sides Jacob are still living. They are Frank, who was married to Amanda 
Oilman, of Kentucky; Fannie, who became the wife of Bruner Daily; and 
Mary, who was married to D. Tuttle. 

Mr. Lentz's early days were spent upon the farm, where he acquired his 
habits of industry and steady application to work. His opportunities for 
education were limited both on account of the lack of good school facilities 
and also on account of the short periods of time that could be given over to 
the work of education and school training. However, he made the most of his 
common school course that he was privileged to obtain and has made the edu- 
cation thus acquired instrumental for self-culture and development after com- 
ing to maturity. As soon as he reached manhood he began farming on his 
own responsibility and has continued at that occupation ever since. 

His domestic career began with his marriage to Emma Howes, an accom- 
plished lady and daughter of Mitchell and Eliza (Parks) Howes, the former 
being a native of New York and the latter of Kentucky. Four children were 
born to this union, three of whom survive. They are, Bernice E., who has 
become the wife of Cornelius Kennedy ; Frank has become the husband of 
Carrie Ross ; the third child, Charles, married Ethel McCoy ; the fourth child. 
Bertha, being deceased. 

Although a member of no particular church Mr. Lentz sees something of 
good in all churches and stands ready and willing to further the interests of 
righteousness and justice in his neighborhood in every way that he can. He is 
independent in his views in church questions of a doctrinal nature. In politics 
he adheres to the Republican party although he has always advocated the need 
of placing great emphasis on the sovereignty of the ballot, and makes of it 
an instrument for the advancement and uplifting of the cause of good 
government. 



WALTER J. HOLMAN. 

W'alter J. Holman was born in Clark county, Indiana, near LTtica, Sep- 
tember 29, 1870, and, unlike many of his contemporaries, never sought his for- 
tune in other fields, but early in life concluded that the best opportunities for 
him were to be found right at his door, consequently he has remained in his 
native county, with the result that his labors have been crowned with success. 
He is the son of Andrew Jackson Holman, who was born and reared in this 



636 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

county, spending his life here in such a manner as to gain the respect and 
plaudits of his fellow men. The mother of the subject was known in her 
maidenhood as Rozella Worrall, who was born near Utica. Isaac Holman, '^ 
who was born in Virginia, was Walter J.'s paternal grandfather, and Thomas 
W^orrall, who was born in Kentucky, was his maternal grandfather, whose 
wife's name was Eliza, and who was also born in Kentucky. 

Walter J. Holman lived at his birth place until he w^s five years old, 
when his parents moved, taking him to the farm four miles from Jefferson- 
ville, where he now resides and where he and his brother, H. A. Holman, 
carry on the various departments of farming with that discretion and indus- 
try that insures them a comfortable living from year to year. The farm con- 
sists of eighty acres, well tilled and highly improved, and on which a com- 
fortable dwelling and convenient out buildings stand. 

Mr. Holman received a fairl}' good common school education at Utica. 
He was united in marriage on December 5. 1900, with Carrie Wright, who 
represented a well known and influential family, and to this union two chil- 
dren, one of whom is deceased, were born. The living child is named W. B. 
Holman, whose date of birth occurred September 22, 1901. Mrs. Carrie Hol- 
man was born in Jefferson county, Kentucky, in 1874, and came to Clark 
county, Indiana, with her parents after she had reached maturity, meeting Mr. 
Holman after coming to her new home, and her domestic life was harmonious 
and happy for a brief period of four years, when she was called to her reward 
on April 7, 1904. Mr. Holman was again married September 23, 1908, to 
Myrtle Swartz, a native of Utica township, and daughter of George W. 
Swartz, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. 

Fraternally Mr. Holman is a member of the Modern Woodmen, and in 
his church relations he subscribes to the Christian denomination. Politically 
he is a Democrat, and he has never aspired to public office, being contented 
to spend his time on his farm and to lead a quiet life at home. 



ISAAC N. HOLMAN. 



Isaac N. Holman was born December 27, 1834, in Utica township, Clark 
county, and he died August 27, 1905. His education was obtained in the 
local schools after which he became a farmer, which work he followed in a 
successful manner for a period of six years. But believing that he was best 
suited to a business career he launched into general mercantile pursuits and 
followed this until his death, building up a good trade and maintaining a 
neat and well managed store at Utica. 

He was the son of Andrew Holman, who was born in Utica township, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 637 

and his mother was known in lier maidenhood as Levina Bowman. They 
were people of influence in their community. 

Isaac N. Hohnan was married to Juha A. PoiUon on November 9, 1856. 
She was born July 21. 1835, in Utica township, Clark county, and she was 
educated in Louisville. They were married in Utica. Airs. Holman is one 
of two children, her brother, John Poillon, having married a Miss Snyder, 
and they are living in Jeffersonville. 

Julia A. Poillon was the daughter of Alexander C. Poillon, who married 
Harriet A. Middlecoff. The former was bom in Utica, New York, in 1801 
and died in 1890, and the latter was born in 181 1 and died in 1901, her 
birthplace being Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

To Mr. and Isaac N. Holman the following children were born : Nettie, 
who remained single, died at the age of twenty-three years; Richard married 
a Miss Howes; Annie married Alonzo Brindle. 

In religious matters Air. Holman adhered to the beautiful principles of 
L^nitarianism, and in politics he was a Republican but never aspired to public 
office. In his fraternal relations he was a member of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. He was a man whom everyone liked and respected for he 
was courteous and honorable in his dealings with his fellow men. 



GEORGE WILEY SWARTZ. 

All classes recognize the fact that this venerable citizen of Clark county 
stands in the foremost rank of her worthy and substantial business men, being 
the owner of one of the finest landed estates in this county, and who, in the 
golden evening of his age can quietly enjoy his declining years, conscious that 
his life has not been spent in vain and that he has nothing to regret or retract. 

George Wiley Swartz. as the name would indicate, is of German descent, 
and he was born in Utica township, this county, December 26, 1827. That 
was during the pioneer period when the beautiful banks of the Ohio were 
yet covered with giant trees of the primeval forest and the first settlers were 
combating the red men, the obstacles of a new soil, and it is interesting to 
hear Mr. Swartz recite the many stirring happenings of those early days. 
Believing that this was one of the best countries on earth, he preferred to risk 
his chances at home, and he has seen this locality develop through the various 
gradations from the wilderness to its present solid prosperity. 

He is the son of George Swartz, a Methodist minister, who was also 
born in Utica township, spending his long and useful life in this locality, 
becoming known as one of the greatest pioneer defenders of the Gospel, 
having been born January 13, 1803, and called to his reward August 11, 1890, 



638 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. His wife was known in her 
maidenhood as Nancy Fry, a native of Jefferson county, Kentucky, where 
she was bom March 29, 1804, and after a long and beautiful Christian life 
passed to her rest September 10. 1888. 

George W. Swartz's paternal grandfather was John Swartz, who was 
born November i, 1767, and his grandmother, Elizabeth Swartz, was born 
January 20, 1775, in Pennsjdvania. 

George W. Swartz was one of a family of twelve children, of which he 
is now (1909) the only surviving member. He received what education he 
could in the primitive schools of his native township. After spending his 
youth attending school and assisting in the work about the home place Mr. 
Swartz launched in the mercantile business in 1845, ''"^ Jeft'ersonville, Indiana, 
handling a stock of dry goods, but believing that a freer and more successful 
life existed for him in agricultural pursuits he moved to a farm in 1863 in 
Utica township, where he has since resided, developing it into one of the 
model farms of the southern part of the state. It consists of nearly two 
hundred acres of fertile land, and it is in a high state of improvement, and on 
it stand a beautiful residence and splendid out buildings and in its fields 
roam all kinds of carefully selected live stock. 

Mr. Swartz has been twice married, his first wife having been Elizabeth 
Butler, whom he married March 29, 1853, and who bore him four children, 
named in order of birth as follows: Sally, who died February 18, 1894; Belle, 
Kate, Anna, who died in childhood. The subject's first wife was born Decem- 
ber 25, 1828. and passed to her rest October 25, 1861. He was married to 
Maria Lentz on August 26, 1862. She was born in Utica township, Clark 
county, April 17, 1836, and she was called to the other shore July 8, 1902. 
Four children were also born to this second union, namely : Charles, who is 
a farmer living on a part of his father's land: William, who is a teamster; 
Ella, deceased, and IMyrtle. 

Mr. Swartz is a member of the Masonic fraternity, also the Odd Fellows, 
having become a member of the former when a young man. In religious 
matters he subscribes to the Methodist creed, and in politics i« a Democrat. 



NICHOLAS LENTZ. 



Nicholas Lentz was born in Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, 
December 27, 1830, and he has preferred to spend his days in his native 
community. His birth occurred on the same farm where he is now (1909) 
living, having lived here until 1847, when he went into the harness and saddle 
business at Louisville, at which he made a success, but ga\'e it up when his 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



639 



mother died and returned to the farm, having iived with hi*; father and min- 
istering to his wants in his old age for ten years prior to his death, having 
bought the home place and managed it on his own account. His father, a 
man of influence and high integrity, was Samuel Lentz. who was born in 
Philadelphia, in 1802, who came to Utica township, this county, when he 
was fifteen years old. The subject's mother, Eleanor Shafer, a kindly and 
industrious woman, was born in Germany and came to America when she 
was thirteen years old and married Samuel Lentz in Utica, this county. 
The father was called to his rest in 1875, having been preceded to the silent 
land by his wife in 1865. They were the parents of ten children, four of 
whom are living at this writing as follows : Katherine, Ellen, Christian and 
Nicholas. 

Nicholas Lentz spent his early youth much in the same manner as other 
boys in his community, attending what schools the times afforded and in 
working on the old liomestead during the remainder of the year until he 
reached man's estate. He delights to tell of the early days, remembering the 
wild game which was in abundance and also most distinctly the Lulians but 
who were then fast passing away from this locality. 

Mr. Lentz has always carried on general farming. His farming propertv 
consists of two hundred and twenty-five acres on the home place, another farm 
adjoining of two hundred and twenty-five acres, fifty-one acres in another 
farm and another farm two miles away of two hundred and seventy acres, 
all of the seven hundred and seventy acres under a high state of cultivation 
and well improved. The fields are well drained and well fenced, mostly with 
wire, in fact, everything atout these farms shows thrift, prosperity, and that 
a man of modern agricultural ability has managed them. i\Ir. Lentz has 
also always handled some live stock of an excellent quality, being a good 
judge of all kinds of stock, especially horses and cattle. Early in his busi- 
ness career he assumed a debt of fifteen thousand dollars, but that was lone 
ago paid, and he has been remarkably successful in his dealings in the busi- 
ness world. On his lands are to be found as substantial and modern build- 
ings as anywhere in the county, and he lives in an up-to-date residence, ha\-ing 
every convenience. The grounds in which it is located are well kept. 

The domestic life of Nicholas Lentz dates from 1862, when he was mar- 
ried to Margaret Carr, the representative of an influential family, and after a 
most congenial married life of forty-three years, passed to her rest in 1905. 

Five children were born to Mr. and ]\Irs. Lentz, named in order of their 
birth as follows: Samuel, Oma, \\'alter and \\'ebster. Elden, the oldest of 
the family, died in infancy. 

Mr. Lentz has never held pulilic ofiice, being content to devote his time 
and attention to home life and his pri\-ate business. He is a Democrat. 



640 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Fraternally he belongs to the Masunic Order and the Odd Fellows and is 
liberal in his religious views. 

He has led an eminently useful life in his cnmmunity and his influence 
has ever been exerted on the side of right and morality. 



CAPT. HEXRY Oi^MSBY HOFFMAN. 

Capt. Henry Ormsby HoiTmau was born in .\llcgheny county. Pennsyl- 
vania, September 2, 1847, the son of George and Sarah (Hutchinson) Hofif- 
man, both natives of Allegheny county, in the old Keystone state, where their 
successful and influential lives were spent, both reaching an advanced age, and 
rearing a family of five sons and one daughter, all living- at this w-riting except 
two of the sons. Their names follow: Samuel. William. John. George, Sarah 
and Henry. 

Mr. Hoffman was educated in the public schools of his nalixe couiUw and 
he remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, when he departed 
fr(jm his parental roof and entered river traffic, emigrating to Jeffersonville, 
Indiana, and becoming a river pilot, soon evincing an adaptability for this work 
that placed him in the front rank of pilots, even performing his duties with as 
much caution and discretion as the oldest men in this line of work on the Ohio, 
and he has been engaged in the navigation and coal business nearly all his life, 
having made a marked sucess of both, lie was a pilot around the Louisville 
harbor for twelve years. 

Mr. HofYman is the owner of oik- hundred and ninety-seven acres of land 
at his homestead which are under a high state of cultivation. The improve- 
ments of the ]ilace are first class in every respect and a general air of thrift is 
plainly discernible. The Hoffman residence is oire of the most modern and 
elegantlv furnished of any farm house in this jiart of the state and surrounding 
it are elegant grounds well laid out and tastily maintained. ]\Ir. Hoffman also 
owns a valuable farm in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. 

The domestic life of Mr. Hoffman dates from 1871, when he was united 
in the bonds of wedlock with Angeline Stewart, a native of Pennsylvania. She 
was a woman of gracious demeanor, who, after a happy wedded life of thirty- 
four years, was called tr) her rest in October, 1905. To Mr. and Mrs. Hoff- 
man three daughters were born, namely: Nellie, Irene and Ruth, all well 
educated, and of a charming personality. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Hoffman is a member of the Knights of 
Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His political affilia- 
tions are with the Democratic party, the principles of which he has ever sought 
to foster when an occasion demanded. However, he has never found much 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 641 

time nor inclination to tleal extensively in pcjlitics. Relig'imisly he snbscribes 
to the Christian faith and is a liberal snpporter of his local churcli. 



BEXJAMIX 1-. SWARTZ. 

The emigrant ancestors of the large and well knnwn famil\- of this name in 
Clark county were members of the German yeomanry who did so much during 
the nineteenth century to populate and push forward the development of the 
United States. John and Elizabeth (Oldweider) Swartz, who were born in 
Germany shortly before the American revolution, emigrated in early life and 
located in Pennsylvania. From that commonwealth they came to Indiana in 
time to be numbered among the first settlers of Clark county, and from them 
have descended a long and constantly ramifying line which by its inter- 
marriages, is connected with a wide social circle in Southern Indiana. The 
original arrivals were among the founders of the second Methodist church. 
South, in Indiana, known as the New Chapel Methodist Episcopal church of 
Utica circuit, Clark county. They were the parents of f(Dur sons: Jacob, John, 
George and Leonard, all of whom w ith the exception of the second became 
local Methodist preachers. Jacob was the father of A. A. Swartz, president 
of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville. Rev. George Swartz married 
Nanc\' Fry, of Jefferson county, Kentucky, daughter of George Fry, who was 
born in Virginia in 1796. A son by this marriage was John Franklin Swartz, 
who married Alice A Cole. Benjamin F. Swartz, a child of this union, was 
Iwrn in Clark county, Indiana, in May, 1865. He was reared on a farm and 
attended the old Fry school near Watson. He became a farmer after reaching 
maturity and w-as engaged in agricultural pursuits until the early nineties. 
About 1891 Mr. Swartz removed to Louisville and engaged in the wholesale 
commission business, dealing chietiy in fruits and vegetables. Subsequently 
he admitted C. L. Drane into partnership and the Inisiness was continued under 
the firm name of B. F. Swartz & Compan)-. Li 1905 Mr. Swartz brought 
his family to Jeffersonville and re-established himself in a large home on East 
Chestnut street. As previously stated the entire Swartz family of the older 
days were pioneer ^Methodists and to this religious faith most of the descend- 
ants have adhered. The subject of our sketch joined many years ago and 
has for a number of years been regarded as one of the pillars of Methodism. 
He is also a member of the Travelers' Protective Association, but beyond this 
has not extended his fraternal relations. 

On February 3, 1884, Air. Swartz was married to Cora Charlton, daughter 
of Jeremiah and Lizzie (Charlton), the former of Scotland, the latter's 
parents were natives of Ireland and of Protestant faith. Mr. and ]\Irs. Swartz 

41 



642 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

have an only daughter. Elsa Charlton, and the family enjoy general esteem 
in the social, religions and husiness circles of the city. 



JOHN H. HOFFMAN. 



John H. Hoffman was born in Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, in 1844. 
His ancestors were Pennsylvania Germans, Scotch and Irish, who were 
established in America several generations ago. He was reared and educated 
in his native county. He came to Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1859, but re- 
turned to Pittsburg in 1861, and feeling that her services were needed in the 
Union army, enlisted in Company I, Sixty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer In- 
fantry, in which he served with distinction for a period of three years in the 
army of the Potomac, having taken part in all the engagements of that historic 
army. He was wounded in the second battle at Bull Run, but returned to 
the front in time to take part in the- first battle after the great engagement at 
Antietam. So gallant was his conduct that he was promoted to sergeant of 
his company. He was discharged at Pittsburg in 1864. 

Air. Hoffman ran a steamboat between Pittsburg and Nashville for one 
year, after which he located again in Jeffersonville. He was in the coal 
landing business from 1868 to -1891, when he sold out to the combine, after 
having become known as one of the leading coal men in this locality. After 
selling out Mr. Hoft'man had charge of the business of the Monongahela 
Coal & Coke Company on the Indiana side of the river at Port Fulton. He 
became the owner of one of the finest farms in Clark county, comprising one 
hundred and twenty acres of well impro\-ed and highly productive land which 
under skillful management became a model twentieth century farm, on which 
stands one of the best residences in this part of the state, of beautiful archi- 
tecture, convenient, and having all modern appliances and equipment. It is 
located about a mile and a half above Port Fulton, o\-erlooking the Ohio river. 

Mr. Hoft'man's domestic life dated from 1874, when he was united in 
marriage with Mattie Cook, a lady of culture, who is a native of Clark county, 
and tlic scion of a well known and representative family, her parents being 
Mitchell and Elizabeth (Ballam) Cook. One son and two daughters were 
born to this union, namely : Bertha, who was called to her rest on March 29, 
1896, at the early age of twenty-one )'ears, much to the profound sorrow of 
a host of friends and acquaintances who prized her talent and amiability; 
Bessie, the living daughter, a genteel young lady, is a member of the 
home circle, being much admired for her accomplishments- Samuel R., the 
son, is engaged in the automobile business at Denver, Colorado. He married 
Nellie Holmes, the representative of an aristocratic family of Indianapolis. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 643 

Mr. Hoffman was a Republican in his political views, and was well forti- 
fied in his opinions in the political world, however, he never spent much time 
in local conventions or elections, but preferred to merely cast his vote for the 
men whom he deemed would best serve the public good. He was liberal in 
his religious views, believing that to do good comprises all religion. His 
family are Episcopalians. Fraternally he was a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, Encampment, also the Masons, Royal Arch degree. 
Knights Templar and the thirty-second degree, and the Shriners. As might 
be expected from his war record he was a consistent member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. He never held any ofificial position. 

In ever}' relation of life Mr. Hoffman proved himself the possessor of 
such qualities as are bound to win in any line of effort and he won and 
retained the esteem of all who knew him as a result of his honesty of purpose, 
kindness of heart and courtesy of manner. His death occurred December 
3, 1908. 



OLIVER P. GRAHAM, M. D. 

The family of this name in Clark county feel a native pride in their 
genealogy, which is ancient and JKjnoralile. The name, spelled in \-arious 
ways, is constantly found in the old chronicles of England and Scotland and 
later in connection with the history of the New \\'orld. In the fifth ccnturv 
a noted warrior named Graeme fought so valiantly and effectively at the 
Roman wall in England that ever afterward it was called Graham's Wall, or 
Graham's Dyke. In the twelfth century. Sir William de Graham, of Scot- 
land, ancestor of the great house of Montrose, in England, was a member of 
the Scotch nobility, and a close relative of King David I. His grandson. Sir 
John Graham, was called the "right hand" of ^^'allace, in whose arms he died 
at the battle of Falkirk. Many other illustrious Grahams, including lords, 
earles. marquis and finally the Duke of Montrose, most of them were soldiers 
for Scotland and later Scotch Covenanters. Under the Stuarts manv of them 
were driven out by religious persecution and settled in the northern part of 
Ireland. In 1812 Duncan and Margaret Graham, descendants from the Cov- 
enanters, came from Ireland to America while the war with England was in 
progress. They had fi\c sons: John, William. Duncan, James and .Vndrew. 
James was born in Ireland in 17S0, and in 18 15 married Sarah Cavan, who 
was born in Maryland in 1794. In 1822 James Graham and wife removed 
to Ohio and a year later to Madison, Indiana, settling ten miks west of that 
place, near Kent. Still later the\- established a home in Saluda township. Jef- 
ferson county, where thev ended their davs. They had seven children : WW- 
liam, Margaret, Eliza, Andrew. Marv, lane and Susan. William married 



644 Cairo's history of clark co., ind. 

Catlieriiie G. Patterson, whose lineage is traceable to a Revolutionary ancestry. 
Major Giles, a soldier of the patriot army under Washington, had a daughter 
named Mary, who married James Fisher, a soldier of the War of 1812. After 
his death she married Robert Patterson and b}- him became the mother of 
Catherine G., wife of William Graham. To the latter were born eight chil- 
dren, whose careers are thus briefly sketched in the family records: Margaret 
Jennie married Harvey C. Allison, editor of the Franklin (Indiana) Jeffer- 
sonian, and died in 1866; Robert L. married Julia M. Mitchell, of Decatur 
county, in 1872, and resides near Maxon, Kansas; Thomas A. became a physi- 
cian at Jeffersonville, practicing medicine there for thirty-three years, probably 
visiting more homes in Clark county than any other man of his time. He 
was a member of the City Council, served two terms in the Indiana Legislature 
and took an active interest in public affairs until his death in 1901. He mar- 
ried Belle D. Haymaker, of Eminence, Kentucky. James M., the fourth 
child, married Anna O. Walker and lives near Mount Hope, Kansas. John A. 
was a druggist in Jefifersonville and a leading member of the Presbyterian 
church. He married Cora B. Fry and died June i, 1901, leaving one son, 
Roy Allen. Ella G. married Dr. J. L. Reeves, of Edwardsport, Indiana, a 
member of the Legislature and otherwise prominent. She died in 1884. Emma 
D. maried Frank R. Allen, member of the wholesale grocery firm of Boniface, 
Webber and Allen, at Jeffersonville. He has charge of the branch house of 
his firm at Bedford, Indiana, and makes his home at that place. He was the 
father of three children, two of whom are living. 

Oliver P. Graham, the eighth and youngest of his father's children, was 
born at New Washington, Indiana, March 29, 1864. His father died in 1872, 
and about ten years later his mother mo\ed to Jeffersonville in company with 
her son. He attended school for awhile and took a course in Hanover College, 
and then entered the medical department of the University of Louis\'ille, from 
which he was graduated in February, 1890. Shortly thereafter he began prac- 
tice in Jeffersonville and has continued without intermission until the present 
time. He has an extensive practice in the city and surrounding counti7 and 
is regarded as one of the ablest and most successful of Clark cijunty's physi- 
cians. He stands in the front rank in his profession and is popular with his 
fellow practitioners, taking an active part in anything that concerns the 
progress and growth of medicine as a science as well as the welfare of the in- 
stitutions devoted to the protection of the public health. A close reader and 
student, he follows the latest discoveries, experiences and theories concerning 
sanitation, hospital work and other brandies of medical practice. Dr. Graham 
is a member of the State and County Medical societies, and the American 
Aledical Association. His fraternal relations are with the Clark Lodge, No. 
40, Free and Accepted Masons, Horeb Chapter Royal Arch Masons and Jef- 
fersonville Commandery, Knights Templar. He also belongs to the Elks, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 645 

Hope Lodge, No. 13, Knights of P}'thias, Jefferson Lodge. Independent Order 
1)1 Odd Fellows, and Hoosier Camp Modern W'oodmen of .\merica, of which 
he is a charter member. 

On- Decemlier ir, igo6. Doctor Graham married Julia B.. daughter of 
Thomas Paswater, a Justice of the Peace for Jeffersonville township. They 
ha\-e nne sun. Thomas Garland Graham, who was liorn October 29, 1908. 



THO^L\S T. LIXDLEY. 



The name above is familiar to everyone in Clark county as that of one 
of Jeffersonville's best and most successful business men. Left an orphan 
at an early age, deprived of the ]jaternal advice so essential in boyhood, he 
overcame all obstacles and long before he had reached middle life had fully 
established himself in the commercial and financial world. In all of his under- 
takings, and they have been many, he has exhibited the same good judgment, 
the firm grasp on the laws of trade and fluctuations of the market, which are 
indispensable to the man who hopes to keep abreast with this progressive age. 
The result is that he has "made good" in every respect and enjoys high stand- 
ing among those at the head of Jeffersonville's industrial development. Mr. 
Lindley was born in Lawrence county, Arkansas, in 1858. His parents were 
Abraham and Maria (Curtis) Lindley, the fonner of Quaker ancestry and 
both born in Illinois, of Pennsylvania parents. After marriage in their 
native state they removed to Xew Orleans and later to Arkansas, where the 
father established a large pork packing plant, occupying an entire block. 
This section was overrun during the Civil war by soldiers of both armies and 
business suffered much from these disttirbing factors. Abraham Lindley died 
in 1865, and his wife six years later, after which Thomas J., then thirteen 
years old. came to Jeffersonville to make his home with a sister. 

After leaving school he entered the employment of ^^'illiam H. Law- 
rence in the hardware business and remained with him until 1882, Mr. 
Lawrence having failed in business. Mr. Lindley obtained a position with 
the Perrin & Gaff Manufacturing Company as assistant shipping clerk. This 
firm was contractors at the Indiana Prison. South, making and supplying 
builders" hardware. After remaining with them three months Mr. Lindley 
formed a partnership with A. F. IMcNaughton and purchased the business of 
Mr. Lawrence, the location of which was a few doors south of Chestnut on 
Spring street, in Jeffersonville. In August, 1883, Mr. Lindley bought the 
interest of his partner and continued the business at the former location until 
1892. when he built the block at the northeast corner of Spring and Maple 
streets, to which he removed his plant. In 1894 he established a farm imple- 



646 . BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ments and seeds business two doors from his hardware business and in 1896 
added lumber to his other enterprises, the building for this trade being located 
on Maple street, east of the hardware store. 

In 1884 Mr. Lindley married Estella M., daughter of William Thias, of 
Jeffersonville. They have four children, Claude, Frank. Clara and Grace. 
Mr. Lindley is a director of the First National Bank, trustee of Clark Lodge, 
No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons, and a member of Myrtle Lodge, No. 
19, Knights of Pythias. 



EPENETUS HOWES. 



An examination into the ancestral records of the residents of Southern 
Lidiana, or any other district contiguous to the Ohio river, reveals a very in- 
teresting intermingling of various streams of settlers during pioneer days. 
The movement of the emigrants from Virginia and the Carolinas was largely 
through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky and Tennessee, spreading from 
there like a fan in the Middle West. Another stream crossed from Maryland, 
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Southern New York and descended the Ohio 
river, dropping off here and there to find themselves homes in the virgin wil- 
derness. Still another stream moved from New England through the Mo- 
hawk Basin in New York state, traveling westward along the lake route to 
tiie agricultural regions farther on. Thus we find the Ohio Basin peopled with 
settlers who ranged from homes sometimes widely removed from one another. 
Clark county. Lidiana. received its major portion from the southern stream, 
but there have come into this section goodly numbers from the states farther 
north. ^Among others, we make mention of the parents of the subject of this 
review, Epenetus Howes, who was born in Utica township. Clark county, 
Lrdiana. in June, 1849. He was the son of M. P. and Eliza (Parks) Howes, 
the former a native of New York state and the latter of Kentucky. They 
joined the stream that flowed steadily to the west and made their way down 
the usual route, stopping at last in the promising district of Clark county. 

Epenetus Howes received his education in the township schools of Utica 
township and as soon as opportunity afforded turned his attention to fruit 
growing, devoting considerable care to this industry and in the course of time 
became an expert in the business. He has decided views on the question re- 
lating to the culture, production and development of high grade fruit and is 
recognized as a standard of authority on many questions coming up at the 
present time. The fame of Southern Indiana as a fruit section has become a 
matter of more than liical importance and it is to such men as l\Ir. Howes that 
the credit for these praiseworthy achievements should be given. 

Air. Howes was united in marriage September 29, 1870. to Virginia Cam- 



BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 647 

mack, who was born in Louisville on Decemlier 2g. 1851. This union was 
blessed with the following children: Bettie, Fannie, deceased, and [ulian E. 
The last named holds an important appointment in the post-office of Louis- 
ville, and he is reflecting considerable credit upon his parents as a result of 
close applicatio^n to liusiness and a polite and pleasant demeanor. 

Air. and Airs. Howes are members of the Christian church, and are held 
in high esteem by their many friends and acquaintances. 



EDGAR MITCHELL LEXTZ. 

In the southern part of Indiana we find natural scenery which, though not 
stupendous, is yet fascinating. It is in such a locality that we come upon the 
countrj' residence belonging to Edgar Alitchell Lentz, whose home lies high 
above the beautiful stream whose meanderings are \-isible for miles as it lapses 
peacefully on towards its destination. 

Mr. Lentz was born at Utica, Indiana, October 4, i860. His father, 
Louis Lentz, who died in 1893, at the age of sixty-three years, was a farmer 
and was at one time a Justice of the Peace in Kentucky. The mother of our 
subject was Mary E. Parks, who was born in 1824 and passed to her reward 
in 1873, twenty years before the death of her husband. The other children of 
the family, besides Edgar M., were Samuel, deceased; Osa W., Mamie E., 
and Ella, the latter dying when a child. 

On February 10, 1892. Mr. Lentz was joineil in marriage to Xannie 
Barbara Zinck. who was born at L'tica. Indiana, on the 19th day of June, 1862. 
She was the daughter of John C. and Xancy ( Summers ) Zinck. the former 
being a native of Germany, Ijorn in 1816, and the latter oi Clark county, In- 
diana, born in 1825. Her father was one of the industrious type so well 
known in this country as being among the best class of immigrants that have 
come to us from foreign lands. He was originally a cabinet-maker, but later 
turned his attention to farming. The other children of this family are : 
Marietta, now living in Chattanooga, Tennessee : George Leonard, who has a 
general store at Utica; Elizabeth Eleanor; Charles Henry, John Edward, 
Alice Alma and Ida Amnion. 

John George Summers, grandfather of Mrs. Lentz, wife of our subject, is 
deserving of mention for his patriotic spirit and courageous conduct, having 
served as a drummer boy in the Continental Army during the Revolution. 
Later, on account of meritorious conduct, he was promoted to positions of 
greater responsibility, and fulfilled his obligations with praiseworthy integrity. 
He was a pioneer settler in this section of the county. Henry Summers. Airs. 
Lentz's uncle, was for many years a minister of the Atethodist Episcopal 
church. 



648 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

The lollciwir.g ciiiklren have Ijeen born to y\v. and Airs. Lentz : .Vhna 
Lorean, born August 29, 1893: Ruth Ashmore, Octolier 12. 1895. and Allen 
Graham, Alarch 7, 1899. 

Mr. Lentz has made farming his chief occupatiun. He is a memljer of 
the Masonic fraternit}- and affiliates with the Democratic party. 



WILLIAM C. PFAU. 



Among the prosperous business houses of Jeffersonville, none is better 
known than Plan's Cut Rate Drug Store at 329 Spring street, owned and 
operated by William C. Pfau, one of the city's progressive citizens. Mr. Pfau 
■was born in this city on the 24th of March, 1868, being the second son of 
George and Barbara (Fuhrman) Pfau, both natives of Germany. The former 
was one of the early business men of the city, having emigrated hither in an 
early day and was one of the number that laid the foundation for the later 
growth and prosperity of this thriving community. He has now retired from 
active business and with his wife is spending his days surrounded by the scenes 
made familiar through many years of pleasant associations. His business 
interests are being taken care of by two of the sons, George. Jr.. and Alfred C. 
Pfau. 

William C. Pfau was educated in the city schools, continuing in the regular 
vvork until he reached the junior year of the city high school. He then took 
up the study of pharmac}* tmder Prof. C. Lewis Diehl, at the College of 
Pharmacy at Louisville, Kentucky. This preceptor has the degree of blaster 
of Pharmacy, only three of which are extant in the United States. Mr. Pfau 
completed his course, graduating on March 7, 1890, and has since been in pro- 
fessional work. He started in business at his present location in January, 
1893, and has continued there without interruption up to the present time. 

His drug store is a model of its kind, being one of the best equipped in the 
southern part of the state. It stands for honest ])rices, being the pioneer in- 
stitution in the city among what aie known as the "Cut Rate Stores." Mr. 
Pfau was the originator of the "cut rate" idea here and promoted the system 
in such a way as to enlist the co-operation of the local dealers, so that its 
inauguration was consummated without friction. 

Turning to the domestic side of Mr. Pfau's biography, we find that he 
was first joined in marriage on October 4, 1893, to Xellie P)ly Russell, of Leb- 
anon, Kentucky, daughter of A. Knox Russell and wife, who are now resi- 
dents of Louisville. After three years of this hapi)y domestic union, death 
summoned Mrs. Pfau to her reward. She was the mother of one daughter. 
Madeline Charlotte. Mr. Pfau was married again on Xmemlier 16, 1898. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IND. 649 

taking- as his companion Viola Schrader. i:)f Xew All)any. daug-hter of T'jlm 
and Alary (Hough) Schrader, Ixilh natives of Xew Alljany. AIis. Alarv 
Schrader died wlien \^iola was still an infant. Xo children lime been born of 
this last union. 

In political questions Air. Pfau usually espouses the Rei)ul)lican cause, l)ut 
he la}'s no claim to political aspirations. The religious element of the home, 
ciimnumity and personal life is n(.)t without attention on the part of our sub- 
ject and his wife. They are affiliated with the German Lutheran and Episcopal 
churches respectively. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Or- 
der of Elks, being on the charter roll of the local lodge, X'o. 362. He is also 
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being past grand 
master of the Jeifersonville Lodge, Xo. 272. The lodge finds him a most 
excellent supporter and an enthusiastic exponent of all that these orders rep- 
resent. The Pfau home is one of the most attractive ones in the city, and is 
known to intimate friends as a center of warm associations and uplifting 
influences. 



CORNELIUS BECK 



The ancestry of the Beck family is one of unusual interest and is de- 
serving of conspicuous notice as the following random items from the various 
life records of the subject's forebears will show. Cornelius Beck, whose 
date of birth is given as March 17, 1826, having been born on what in now 
known as the \\'ormald place on the Charlestown Pike, near Jefifersonville, 
was the son of Daniel and Esther (Signiond) Beck. Felix Siginond, father 
of the latter, was an uncle of the famous Gen. Alarquis de I.nFayette, making 
the subject's mother a cousin of that distinguished Frenchman. 

W^hen an infant Cornelius Beck was left an orphan, and after reaching 
th.e age of six years he was reared by Isaac Prather. a well known memljer 
of the numerous Prather family in L^tica township. Cornelius began to learn 
the blacksmith trade near the village of Prather when fifteen years of age. 
Possibly a year later, when about sixteen years old, he came to Jefferson- 
\-ille and went to work for his brother-in-law. Joshua Phipps, making edge 
tools. He assisted in forging the first iron used on the old Jeffersonville. 
Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, now a part of the Pennsylvania S}'Stem. 
Later he went into the c(;operage business and after a short time began clerk- 
ing for Reuben Dedrick in a store, which position he resig'ned after two or 
three years, and went into partnership in a wholesale and retail grocery busi- 
ness with Dan Dedrick, a nephew of his former employer. In 1870 Air. 
Beck purchased the interest of his partner and continued the business alone 
until his death, which occurred July i, 1896. having died very smldenly. He 



650 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

made a pronounced success of his chosen hue uf work, building up a \'ery 
extensive trade and giving evei-y evidence of a thorough business man. His 
death was very much regretted by the entire community for his had been a 
Hfe of industry, integrity and resulted in good to the public. His store was 
located on Spring street. 

Cornelius Beck was united in marriage with Harriett Christy in 1857. 
Her father was Francis M. Christy and her mother was known in her maiden- 
hood as Rosalinda Burett, daughter of Solomon Burett, wh(3 enlisted in the 
Revolutionary cause, under General La Fayette at Valley Forge and served 
with distinction in his command. Long after this, in the year 1824, when 
La Fayette made an address at Jeffersonville, he recognized his old and dear 
fiiend, Solomon Burett, and embraced and kissed .him in the presence of a 
large audience, ]Mr. Burett being probably the only veteran of the Revolu- 
tionary war then living in Jeft'ersonville. He was buried in the old cemetery 
at the foot of Mulberry street in Jeffersonville. The Buretts were known 
as bright, highly educated people, William Burett,' of Massachusetts having 
been a very versatile and prolific author. Solomon Burett and Felix Sigmond, 
La Fayette's relative, were both natives of France. 

Cornelius Beck had the distinction of serving as a soldier in the ^Mexican 
war, having enlisted in Company C, Fourth Lidiana Regiment, at Xew Al- 
bany, May 31, 1847, serving under Capt. Morgan L. Payne. 

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Beck consisted of the following- 
children : Hattie, Emma, Ella, Stephen A. Douglas, Esther Rosalind, Anna 
Cornelia, Eugenia and Irene Virginia. 

Cornelius Beck was a man who ever availed himself of an opportunit\ 
to serve his fellow citizens. He was sevo^al times Councilman in Jefferson- 
ville and always looked as carefully to the interests of the city as if he were 
managing his own private affairs; he also served as County Commissioner 
from 1872 to 1878, contributing to the removal of the court-house from 
Charlestown to Jeffersonville. He was one of the oldest members of Jefferson 
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a regular attendant on 
the services of the Maple Street Methodist Episcopal church. South, and a 
liberal supporter of the same financially, and left Ijehind him a noble heritage — 
a good name. 



lESSE E. COLEMAN. 



Mr. Coleman is a man of simple and unaffected tastes and has for many 
years been a trusted employe of the Walton boiler manufacturing concern. 
He is descended on his mother's side from one of Southern Indiana's most 
prominent pioneers, while his father's ancestry were staunch participants in 
the War of the Revolution. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 65 1 

Jesse E. Colenran was born in Leavenwortli. Crawford couniy, Indiana, 
on the 22d of December, 1866, and was the son of Charles W. Coleman and 
his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Gray. Mrs. Coleman was the 
daughter of Thomas Gray, who settled in Crawford county early in the 
nineteenth centuiT and was the prominent pioneer above referred to. A mem- 
ber of the Coleman family served through the Alexican war. and our subject'^ 
father was a member of Company E. First Indiana Cavalry, the first cavalry 
regiment to go to the fmnt from Indiana during the Civil war. While yet 
a boy Jesse E. Coleman's parents moved to Jefferscinville. Clark county, and 
here he availed of the opportunity of attending- the public schools. Before 
becoming of age he associated himself with the boiler manufacturing concern 
of C. J. Walton, now known as C. J. Walton & Son, and has continued ever 
since with the same firm. For nearly a quarter of a century his business 
ability and trustworthiness have been well tested and today he holds a high 
place among the older employes of the plant. 

The ^^'alton Boiler ]^Ianufactory was first started in 1836 by Joseph 
Mitchell and was one of the first plants of its kind in the South. It made a 
specialty of steamboat boilers and furnished many for boats from the Howard 
shipyards. The Waltons control a widespread business extentling to lumber 
mills in Florida and sugar plantations in Louisiana. The steel trust recently 
bought thirty-five boilers from the firm for use in their Imsiness in Alabama. 

In December, 1888, Mr. Coleman married Josephine M. Runyon, 
daughter of Joseph and Ann Runyon, of Jeffersonville. Airs. Runyon. whose 
maiden name was Ann Morgan, was the granddaughter of Ebenezer Mor- 
gan, one of Jeftersonville's early settlers. At the time of his arrival we are 
told that there were but three houses in the vicinity. He contemplated pur- 
chasing the tract of land on which the Gait house now stands on the Louis- 
ville side of the river, but owing to some unsatisfactory flaw in the title he 
contented himself by buying land on the Jefifersonville side. Ebenezer ]\Ior- 
gan made his way from Connecticut, bis native state, all the way on foot. 
Mrs. Runyon's father, Sylvester P. Morgan, was a Virginian and came of the 
opposite side of the family from Ebenezer; the two Morgan families being 
onlv related by marriage. He was a prominent citizen of Jeffersonville, and 
was a relative of Daniel Morgan of Revolutionary fame. A sister of Airs. 
Coleman, Dr. SalHe Keller Runyon. is one of the best known lady dentists 
practicing in Southern Indiana. Her early life was spent on the family farm, 
and she attended the public schools in Jefliersonville and graduated from high 
school there. She then became a teacher for the space of eleven yars. until 
1893. in the local public schools. At that time she resigned and entered the 
Ohio Dental College at Cincinnati. She graduated from the institution in 
1896 and located in Louisville, where she has practiced with considerable suc- 
cess ever since. In September. 1897, she opened her present office at 723 



& 



652 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Third avenue, Louis\'ille, which lias Ijeen her head(|uarters ever since. For 
about ten years she was the only woman practicing denistry in Louisville and 
deser\'es much credit for succeeding- so well in so large a city, where though 
practically unknown, she successfully overcame the Southern prejudice against 
women in public life. 

Jesse E. Coleman and his wife have one son, Charles ^^'alton Coleman. 
Mr. Coleman was formerly one of the most acti\-e members of the local Pres- 
bA'terian church and when a few years ago he removed across to Louisville. 
he continued his religious acti\'ity in connection with tlie \\'arren ^Memorial 
church of which he is an officer. 



CLAYTES McHENRY ]NL'\RBLE. 

A brilliant and varied career as an educator, and accomplished as a 
scholar in man}' branches of learning, have made Professor ^larble both a 
useful and interesting man. If it be true that the greatest benefactor is he 
who makes intelligent citizens by educating the people, he has strong claims 
to this high recognition. His whole adult life has been devoted to this 
high calling and the record will show that he has done his work well. 
The genealogy of this gentleman indicates a long line of worthy ancestors on 
both sides of the house. The paternal grandfather was Nathan Marble, one 
of the pioneer citizens of Ohio. His son, Ephraim P., married Elizabeth Mc- 
Henry, descended from a Scottish emigrant, who came to America at a very 
early day. Isaac McHenry moved to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, 
shortly after marriage with his first wife, Maiy, who died after giving birth 
to an only son, named Joseph. The second wife of Isaac McHenry was Eliza- 
beth O'Neal, who became the mother of twelve children, including one named 
James. The latter married Eliza S. W. Gard, wliose father served two terms 
in the Indiana Legislature. He took part in the \\''ar of 1812. being among 
the number sin-rendered to the British by General Hull at Detroit. James and 
Eliza (Gard) McHenry were the parents of Elizabeth, who afterwards be- 
came Mrs. Marble and the mother of our subject. In 1841 members of the 
McHenry family took the lead in rather a novel temperance movement which 
would hardly be possible in the changed conditions of modem times. The 
pastor of the Baptist church in Switzerland county was, it seems, an indulger 
in intoxicants to a degree that shocked the moral sentiment of some of his 
congregation. A faction of the church opposed going to extremes with their 
bibaceous pastor, liut the ?ilcHenrys, unable to get rid of the minister, boldly 
led the wav to the organization of another church, which stood for absolute 
temperance, and this was the last heard of the hard-drinking preacher in that 
section of the state. 



UAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXU. 653 

Claytes ^IcHenry ?\Iarble was born at Rising Sun. Indiana. February 22, 
1857. He passed through tlie common schools finishing in the high school 
at Rising Sun. and then entered the National Normal University, where he 
was graduated in 1885 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. In 1900 
the University of Chicago conferred on him the degree of Bachelor of Peda- 
gogy and seven years later he received from Hanover College the degree of 
Master of Arts. Beginning in 1878 he taught for five years in the common 
schools of Ohio county, and for tw-o years held the office of County Superin- 
tendent of Schools. Later he was elected principal of the Poseyville (In- 
diana) schools and served in that capacity for one year. After his third term 
in college he served two years as principal of the Rising Sun high school. In 
1887 he was chosen principal of the Jeft'ersonville high school, and after hold- 
ing this office until February 2-/, 1904. was appointed superintendent of the 
city schools, which position he has held up to the present time. His long 
tenure of these important positions furnishes ample proof of Professor 
Marble's efificiency and popularity. He is a man of easy address, amiable 
manner and entertaining conversation. 

In August, 1887 Professor Marble married Louise Haines, daughter of 
Hugh S. and Abigail (Haines) Espey, and by this union there are t\vo chil- 
dien, Hugh McHenry and Abby May. The family are members of the Wall 
Street ]\Iethodist church, and Professor Marble's fraternal relations are with 
the Odd Fellow's, Clark Lodge 40. Free and Accepted Masons, the Gnklen 
Cross and Modern Woodmen. 



ARTHUR LOOMIS. 



Though of New England origin, the Loomis family became identified 
with Southern Indiana before the Civil war and the name has been made 
famous by the genius of several of those who bore it. A talent for mathe- 
matics ran through the whole male line and it has been in the arts based on 
this noble science that they have achieved their best results. Dr. Jiihn Loomis, 
progenitor of the Clark county branch of this notable family, was born in 
Massachusetts, but came to Indiana nearly fifty years ago. He descended 
from a long line of ancestors, many of whom were prominent in the various 
walks of life, and few families have more just reason to boast of their geneal- 
ogy. In the sketch of Doctor Loomis. appearing elsewhere in this volume, 
fuller particulars will be found in this subject. Arthiu" Loomis, son of the 
doctor, was born at Westfield. ^Massachusetts, and in youth was brought by 
his parents to Clark county. Indiana. After the usual routine in the public 
schools he learned engineering and architecture. His real career began when 



654 BAIRD'S history of CLARK CO., IND. 

in 1876 he entered an architect's office in Lonisville to learn the details and 
technique of the profession to wliich he liad determined to devote his life. By 
1 89 1 he was able to become a partner in this establishment under the firm 
name of Clark & Loomis. Since the death of the senior partner in 1908, Mr. 
Loomis has continued his business alone. Though his office is in Louisville, 
he makes his residence in Jefifersonville. and has an e.xhaustive accjuaintance 
in both cities. His achievements in architecture have not only been extensive 
but distinguished. In Jeffersonville he designed the Episcopal church, the 
public library, the Citizens" Bank, the Trust Building and the new cell-house 
at the Indiana Reformatory, this declared by experts to be the largest and 
most modern establishment of the kind in the United States. It contains si.x 
hundred cells, is original in design and embodies the very latest ideas and 
discoveries connected with prison architecture. To Mr. Loomis' skill and 
taste Jefifersonville is also indebted for the new school-house on Spring Hill 
and many of her finest residences. He also made the plans for some of the 
principal buildings in Louisville. Among them' are included the Louisville 
Medical College, Levi Brothers' store building. Bacon & Sons' large depart- 
ment store, St. Paul's Evangelical church, the German Reformed Evangelical 
church, St. Matthew's, St. Peter's, and the First Presbyterian church at Fourth 
and York streets. Mr. Loomis also designed the Todd building, the largest 
office building at the time of construction in Kentucky, and the first steel 
frame fire-proof structure in Louisville. The fire-proof storage building on 
Green street stands as a monument to Mr. Loomis's architectural ability, as it 
■ combines in a remarkable degree artistic excellence with utility of service. 
Perhaps, however, the most striking example of his achievements is the new 
Whiteside Bakery, which is a marvel of the ornamental combined with the use- 
ful, and of the beautiful in its adaption with the practical. It is indeed a 
wonderful plant, which must be seen to l)e appreciated, and if Mr. Loomis 
had done nothing else, this great building would be sufficient to perpetuate 
his name. The Armstrong residence, on Third avenue, is regarded as one 
of the best examples of Italian Renaissance in the city. Another gem in the 
architectural wreath that adorns the brow of Mr. Loomis is a beautiful stone 
structure, the Conrad residence, situated in St. James Court. Mr. Loomis 
was associated as architect with Carrere H. Hastings, of New York, in build- 
ing the J. Ross Todd residence at Cherokee Park. The style is Italian Renais- 
sance, and it is easily the finest residential establishment in the limits of the 
Kentucky metropolis. Mr, Loomis is erecting the residence for Capt. Clyde 
Howard, of Jeffersonville. on Third avenue, Louisville, which will be of un- 
usual design and attraction. 

On December 9, 1902, Mr. Loomis married Carrie B., daughter of Capt, 
J. C. Dorsey, for many years superintendent of the Jeffersonville and Louis- 
ville Ferr\- Companv. Mr. Lnomis is a member of the American Institute 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 655 

of Architects, president of the Louisville Chapter of American Architects, and 
was a delegate inigoS to their national convention at Washington. He stands 
high in the Masonic circles, having reached the thirty-second degree, heing 
past eminent commander of Jeffersonville Commandery, Knights Templar, 
and past high priest of Horeb Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. He is also an 
honorary member of Louisville Lodge, No. 400, Free and Accepted Masons. 



HIRAM E. HEATON. 



The Heatons can trace their genealogy into the far distant past and may 
justly boast of an ancestry which was honorable and distinguished in their 
respective callings. As early as the beginning of the eighteenth century they 
were domiciled in Pennsylvania, and several became leading men of affairs in 
their community. Isaac, son of Samuel Heaton, was born in 1731, and be- 
came the father of a son afterwards known as Col. John Heaton. The latter 
was born in 1760. accumulated wealth and laid ofif parts of the town of Jef- 
ferson in 1814. He married Sarah Morgan and to this union was born John 
Heaton, Jr., eventually to become the founder of the family name in the \\^est. 
He married Nancy, daughter of Isaac Weaver, who was born in 1756, became 
a man of wealth an.d held many high offices in Pennsylvania during the earlier 
decades of the nineteenth century. He and others of his name were honored 
by their neighborhood with official trusts of importance, fohn Heaton, Jr., 
of Sullivan county, where he was a miller and merchant, achieved high repute. 
His son, Hiram W. Heaton, removed to Jeffersonville in the early fifties and 
engaged in the mercantile business, which he followed with success for many 
years. He was noted for his honesty, his word being as good as his bond with 
all who knew him and was equally famed for his Christian morality, and lib- 
eral handed generosity. He gave at least a tenth of his income to the church 
and charitable causes, his whole life being such as to gain, him an unusual 
esteem and affection. He married Hulda, daughter of Thomas Jefferson 
Howard, a prominent and influential citizen of Clark county, whose wife, 
Elizabeth Helmer, \\-as descended from Revolutionaiy ancestry. She was the 
daughter of George Frederick and Elizabeth (Thum) Helm.er. laoth of Herk- 
imer county. New York. Her paternal grandfather was Lieut. George Hel- 
mer, who _served through the Revolutionary war and was wounded at the battle 
of Oriskany. for which he received a pension for life. He served in the com- 
pany of Captain Small, under Col. Peter Bellinger, commander of a regiment 
of New York state troops. His parents came from Holland long before 1740. 

Hiram E. Heaton, son of Hiram ^^^, was born at Jeffersonville, Indiana, 
January i, 1858, and was educated in the local schools. Following the ex- 



656 BAIRU'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

ample of his father and grandfather, he had a \ earning for commercial pur- 
suits and took a course calculated to equip him for success in that line. For 
seven years he was employed as bookkeeper and cashier for the Perrin, Gaff 
Manufacturing Company, contractors at the old Indiana State Prison, South, 
their specialty being the production of hollow-ware and hardware of various 
kinds. In 1882 he accepted a position as cashier of the First National Bank 
and has since continued in this employment. Mayor Burtt appointed him City 
Comptroller and he was for five years a member of the Clark County Council, 
holding the position of president of that body for some time and resigning 
in September, 1908. He is a member of the Democratic party and though 
not an extreme partisan always takes an active interest in public affairs. For 
at least thirty years Mr. Heaton has been a member of the Presbyterian church 
and is president of the board of deacons. For seventeen years he has been a 
member of Jefferson Lodge, No. 3, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and 
holds the office of trustee. He is also a member of ]\Iyrtle Lodge of the 
Knights of Pythias. 

On April 5, 1881, ]\Ir. Heaton married ^linnie E., daughter of William 
and Esther Smart, the former a native of Kelso, near Edinburgh, Scotland. For 
a long time he was located at North Madison, Indiana, as master mechanic 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. j\Ir. and ]\Irs. Heaton have two 
daughters and a son : Jeanette F., the eldest, is the wife of William S White- 
side, manager of the ^^^^iteside bakery, of Louisville, and has two children, 
William S. and Hiram H. ]\Iinnie Hutchinson Heaton, the second daughter, 
is a teacher in the public schools of Jeffersonville. Hiram H. Heaton, the 
only son, is assistant bookkeeper and stenographer at the Howard shipyards. 



WILLIAM MORROW. Sr. 

The biographer is greatly pleased to give the life history of the well 
remembered pioneer citizen whose name appears at the head of this sketcli, 
than whom a more whole-souled, sterling and public-spirited man it would 
have been hard to find within the borders of Clark county, and whose friends 
were limited only by the circle of his acquaintance. 

He was one of those far-seeing men who realized the great future of 
Clark county, and did what he could in its development. William Mor- 
row, Sr., was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, February 8, 1794. 
He was the son of William Morrow, a native of Scotland, who emigrated 
to America when seventeen years of age, locating in Bourbon county, 
Kentucky. He married Sarah Patton, and they emigrated to Ohio in 1806, 
where he owned a farm in Highland county, on which he lived the remainder 
of his life, dying in 1846. While a resident of Kentucky he became the first 




WILLIAM AIORRO\\^ 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 657 

Sheriff of Bourbon county. Being- opiiosed to slavery lie left that state and 
located in Ohio. 

William Morrow, Sr., was reared in Highland county, Ohio, and came 
to Indiana in 1820, settled in Charlestown, where he resided during the re- 
mainder of his life. He was a successful business man and for several years 
was a magistrate. He left ample property for his children, his death having 
occurred in 1873. He was a devout member of the United Presbyterian 
church. In politics he was a Whig and later a Republican. He was an influ- 
ential man in this community and had hosts of friends. Tn his first wife, 
Margaret Adair, seven children were born. Mrs. Elizabeth A. Wright is the 
only surviving child of her father's second marriage, with Jane Manley, who 
bore him four children. Mrs. W^right was born in Charlestown, Indiana, on the 
lot where she now resides. May 24, 1847. She was reared in Charlestown, 
where she received her education. She was united in marriage December 3, 
1889, to John D. Wright, who was born in Highland county, Ohio, October 
27, 183 1. He was reared in the Buckeye state. After his marriage he lived 
in Charlestown, Indiana, until his death. He farmed in Ohio on an excellent 
place which our subject now owns. He was successful as a business man and 
was known to be scrupulously honest, industrious and a man of pleasing ad- 
dress. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, having been an elder 
in the same. In politics he was a Republican and was always ready to lend 
his aid in furthering any movement looking to the advancement of his com- 
munity, whether political, educational or moral. He was one of the organiz- 
ers, a stockholder and president of the Charlestown Bank at the time of his 
death, which occurred September 6, 1904. 

Mrs. Wright's beautiful, commodious and elegantly furnished home 
stands at Main and Cross streets, where her friends often gather and where 
true hospitality and good cheer are ever unstintingly dispensed. She is justly 
proud of the record of her ancestors who were true American patriots. Wil- 
liam Morrow, her father, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and John Morrow, 
Mrs. Wright's brother, was a soldier in the Civil war. He died in 1907 in 
Charlestown, being survived by four children, three sons and one daughter. 

Mrs. Wright is a lady of tact and culture, pleasant to meet, and she holds 
high rank socially among the people of Clark county. 



CHARLES F. SWARTZ. 



The career of Charles F. Swartz is that of a man v.dio has depended 
largely upon his own personal efforts to attain that goal which most men are 
seeking, success. Possessed of a large fund of energy, and indomnitable will 
he has forged rapidly to the front in his avocation, that of an agriculturalist, 

42 



658 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

being today one of the most prosperous fanners in Utica township. Clark 
county. 

INIr. Swartz was born in Utica township, March 8. 1S65, being a sou of 
George \V. Swartz. a skelcli of whom appears elsewhere. Ht acquired a fair 
education in the local schools. Immediately after his graduation he began 
active work on the farm, and he has given his undivided attention to the culti- 
vation of the soil ever since. He was twice married, his first wife being Mrs. 
Ellen \\'orral!, whom he espoused in 1887. This union was devoid of chil- 
dren, and Airs. Swartz died June 8. 1905. Nearly two years later, April 10. 
1907, he wedded Mrs. D. V. Scott, who had two children by her first marriage. 
These children were Marvin and Catherine Scott. By her second mar- 
riage one child, Charles A\ ., was born to her. 

Mr. Swartz is a Methodist and takes considerable interest in religious 
aiTairs, as does also his wife. He has always been a consistent Democrat, 
although he does not participate actively in politics. He joined the IMasons 
some years ago, and is also a member of the ]Modern Woodmen, being high 
in the councils of both organizations. Mr. Swartz has lhe reputation of 
being a public-spirited citizen in every sense of the word. He lias a very 
extensive acquaintance throughout Clark county. 



THOM.\S J. PIERS. 



Although modest and unassuming, with no disposition to boast of his 
attainments, Thomas J. Piers, through hard study has acquired a most com- 
plete knowledge of the profession upon which he launched at an early age, 
and his services have been sought by many big firms in different parts of the 
countrv. It is a profession that requires a steady hand and a clear brain. 
Mr. Piers has traveled extensively, and he is a man o{ broad ideas. The fact 
that he is the chief of an important department of a big manufacturing com- 
pany is a sure indication that he is thoroughly competent and trustworthy. 
Although he is not a native of Jeffersonville he has spent a large portion of 
his life here. 

Thomas J. Piers was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Joseph and 
■Margaret (Gregory) Piers. His mother was the daughter of Smith Gregory, 
of Louisville, who was a prominent Mason, having been one of the organizers 
and the first worshipful master of Preston lodge. Free and Accepted ]\Iasons, 
one of the oldest and largest ?kIasonic lodges in Louisville. He was generally 
known as a man of most loveal^le character, being generous and charitable 
almost to a fault. It was while the subject was an infant that his parents 
removed to Jeffersmn-ille. He attended the public schools and procured a 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 659 

fair educatiiin. He entered tlie employment of the Jeffersonville car works 
and learned pattern-making'. From there he went to the drafting room of 
the Henry Voigt Macliine Compan}-. of Lonisville, and took up the study of 
mechanical engineering. Desiring a wider experience, he remained there l)Ut 
a year, going east, where he secured employment with different large man- 
ufacturing' concerns. He spent five or six rears in that section, on steam 
pump and gas engine work, and at the end of that time returned to Jefferson- 
ville a proficient designer of machinery which knowledge is of great use to 
him in the position that he now occupies, as chief draftsman of the B. F. 
Axery & Sons Plow Cnmpany. of Louisville. Mr. Piers devoted about two 
years to locomotive work in the shops of th.e Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 
and also traveled for an electrical house of Dayton. Ohio. Since he has been 
in the employ of the Avery company he has jjroduced a nuniber of very credit- 
able designs, and is looked upon as a \'alual)le man bv his emplovers. He re- 
tained his residence in Jeffersonville, except while on his eastern tour. 

Mr. Piers is a member of Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons, Horeb Chapter. No. 66, Royal Arch Masons : Jeffersonville Commandery, 
No. 27, Knight"^ Templar, also Kosair Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Louis- 
ville. Besides this he belongs to the Jeffersonville lodge of Elks, serving as 
exalted ruler in 1908 and 1909, and representing his lodge at the session of 
the Grand Lodge, held at Los Angeles in July, 1909. As an evidence of his 
popularity in the last named organization Iie has prior to being elected exalted 
ruler, filled all of the cliairs in the lodge. ^Ir. Piers is an unmarried nian, 
with pronounced social proclivities. 



CAPTAIN ADDISON BARRETT. 

Although he practically spent the years of his manhood in high official 
positions in the service of the government, with a small army of subordinates 
subject to his orders, Captain Barrett was the true type of a modest and un- 
ostentatious man. He believed in discipline, but ne^'er abused his power by 
resorting to tyranny in the discharge of the functions of his office, and when 
all that was mortal of him was laid to rest the men who had worked under 
him joined with his loved ones in passing eulogies upon his high character. 
He was a descendant of old Puritan ancestors, and from tliem inherited the 
qualities that form the foundation of a noble life. In his early youth he 
showed a desire to follow the varying fortunes of a soldier's career, and no 
sooner had he attained his majority than he entered the arniy. 

Capt. Addison Barrett was born at Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, May 5, 
1841, the son of Samuel and Ann Juliet (Eddy) Barrett. His mother was the 



660 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

daughter of Zachariah and Sally (Edson) Eddy, ^^"hen Captain Barrett was 
twenty-one years of age, August i6, 1862, he was appointed sergeant in the 
general service of the United States army in the War Department at Wash- 
ington, D. C. He served in this capacity until April i, 1863, when he 
was made a civilian clerk in the office of the adjutant-general. On 
December 21, 1864, he was appointed captain and commissary of subsistence 
of the volunteers. United States army. Further honors came to him Septem- 
ber 14, 1865, when he was breveted major of volunteers. This promotion 
came to him as a fitting reward for meritorious services. He was mustered 
out the following year. His next appointmjent was that of captain and mili- 
tary storekeeper in the quartermaster's department, this appointment being 
dated back to July 28, 1866. In August of that year he was married to 
Marion Harrison, daughter of Lieutenant W. M. Harrison, a native of 
Georgia. Six children were born to them, of whom four are living. Horace, 
the first born, died in early manhood ; Harold E. lives at Silver Hills, New 
Albany, and is married to Corene G. McNaughton ; they have two children, 
Margaret and Annelle ; Mr. Barrett is manager of the Henry Voigt Machine 
Company, of Louisville. Addison Barrett, Jr., married Minnie Howes, and 
upon his death had one child, Addison Barrett. Miss Marion married James 
H. Armstrong, who is connected with the Howard Ship Building Company, 
and they have one child, James Barrett Armstrong. Ernest H. Barrett mar- 
ried Annie Zimmerman, daughter of the Reverend Zimmerman, a German 
minister, and they are the parents of a daughter, Corene. Samuel Barrett 
an^ wife, whose maiden name was Ethel Pern,', have a daughter, Helen. 
Both Ernest and Samuel are residents of San Diegb, California. 

In 1872 Mr. Barrett was ordered to take charge of the militan,' stores of 
the quartennaster's department at Jeffersonville, and during his twenty-two 
years' service in that office he distinguished himself by his industry, and the 
skill that he displayed in conducting the operations of the department. His 
long seiwice in itself is mute testimony to his competency. In July, 1891, 
Captain Barrett sustained a great affliction in the death of his wife. On De- 
cember 26, 1893, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Anna Laura Ferguson, 
widow of Walter Ferguson, a son of the eminent jurist. Judge C. P. Fer- 
guson, In 1894 the subject was ordered to San Francisco, where he filled the 
same office that he had occupied in Jefifersonville. Two years later he was 
stricken with a severe attack of pneumonia, and died at his residence in Al- 
meda. The esteem in which he was held in Almeda is indicated by the fol- 
lowing from the Almeda press : 

"Captain Barrett was a man of such noble character and sterling worth 
that more than a passing notice seems necessary'. During his residence here 
he became greatly endeared to all with whom he came in contact, and dis- 
played such qualities of mind and heart that his example will serve as an in- 
spiration to a noble life and character, to those with whom he was associated. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 66l 

The Presbyterian church will keenly feel the loss of so valuable a member. 
He held the office of elder, besides being a trustee, the only one who held both 
of these positions. As president of the Boys' Brigade, his influence and ex- 
ample have been of benefit to the boys and young men whom he has met e\'ery 
week for instruction and counsel. Those who knew him best say that a more 
perfect example of a Christian gentleman is seldom met with." 

In Jef¥ersonville, where Mr. Barrett lived much longer than at Almeda, 
he was no less esteemed. He was for many years an elder in the church in 
that citv. In view of the character of the position that he held with the gov- 
ernment, he studiously avoided any political entanglements. Plix'sically he 
was a fine specimen of vigorous manhood. He was much beloved by his as- 
sociates, and took a kindly interest in bis fellow men, more than one human 
being owing his rescue from a debased life to Captain Barrett. He was in- 
tensely religious, but for a long time refused the office of elder, fearing that 
he was not worthv of the honor. 



JACOB S. SMITH. 



The family name of the subject is certainly very closely associated with 
the pioneer history of Utica township, Clark county, since not only he, but 
his father and mother were both products thereof, and helped blaze the way 
for future generations. Mr. Smith, like his father before him, has devoted 
his life to farming, and has had a very large degree of success, for fertility 
and productive capacity the land he tills being unexcelled in Clark county. He 
is wamily attached to the place of his nativety, having never lived anywhere 
else in his sixty years of life, with the exception of two years spent in Illinois, 

The date of the birth of Jacob S. Smith was March 9, 1849. He is one 
of a family of twelve children, of whom only seven are living. Including the 
subject they are: Ezra L., Simon L., Mrs. Sarah Spaulding, Mrs. Mary Mc- 
Farland, Mrs. Susan Gant, and Mrs. Rebecca Worman. Both Mrs. Gant 
Mrs. Worman reside in Missouri, while Mrs. McFarland is a resident of 
Illinois. 

The parents of these children were James and Mary (Swartz) Smith, 
natives of Utica township. The grandfather and grandmother of the subject 
also lived here. Mr. Smith secured a limited education in the township schools 
at the end of which time he took up farming, and that has been his avocation 
ever since. He was married February 14, 1877, to Belle Young, of Charles- 
town, Indiana, and four children were born to them, Daisv. Ruby, Arthur and 
Earl. 

Mr. Smith resides on one hundred and sixteen acres of fine farm land in 



662 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Jefferson township, which each year yields binintiful harvests. He is very 
progressive, and his place is fitted with many moilern appliances in the way of 
agricultural implements of the latest design. He is a member of but one 
secret order, the Knights of Pythias, and belongs to the Methodist church. 
He has always voted the Republican ticket, but does not give a great deal 
of attention to politics, as he is a very busy man. Any project contemplating 
the advancement of the interests of his locality finds in Mr. Smith a hearty 
supporter, and that accounts for his great popularity in that section of Clark 
county. 



WILLIAM OSCAR SWEENEY. 

From a father who was one of the most prominent figures in the business 
circles of Jefifersonville William Oscar Sweeney inherited those traits that 
mark the character of the man who attains success in a wordly way. One of 
the secrets of his success lies in the fact that he gives close personal attention 
to his affairs, instead of leaving it to the supervision of others, as many men 
engaged in his line are often wont to do. 

The birth of Mr. Sweeney occurred at Greencastle. Indiana, in 1859, 
his parents being Patrick H. and Amelia J. (Lane) Sweeney, who, when 
W'illiam O. was fourteen years of age, moved to Jefifersonville. His father 
immediately upon arriving there engaged in the contracting business, doing 
considerable municipal work. In 1870 he began contracting on a large scale, 
erecting a number of public buildings. His first venture in that line was in 
Johnson count)^, Indiana, where he built the court-hcjuse. It was not long 
before he had attained a wide reputation, and he took his son into his employ 
as superintendent of construction on his various public works. They built 
jails, court-houses, asylums and school-houses all over the state, the Rose Poly- 
technic at Terre Haute being among the buildings they erected. When the 
State-house at Indianapolis was in the course of construction Patrick H. 
Sweeney acted as stone inspector. He built altogether thirty-two court-houses 
in Indiana, besides many others outside of the state. From 1870 until 1890 
they moved about to different parts of the country, where they had contracts. 
During five years of that period William O. Sweeney was in the South super- 
vising the construction of government boats. In the winter of 1889 he re- 
turned to Jeffersonville, and a year later, January 2, 1890, he married Hettie 
Miner, of Lewisville, Henry county, Indiana. She is the descendant of pious 
Quaker stock. One son was born to Mr. Sweeney and his wife, namely, 
Patrick H. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Sweeney and his father resumed 
street contracting at Jeffersonville, and were kept busy up to the time of the 
latter's death, in 1900. After this sad event William O. continued the con- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 663 

tracting business alone, huililing- macadam streets, sewers, bridges and turn- 
pikes. It is his theory that in the C(jntracting lousiness time is money, and 
tlierefore he wastes very few of the precious moments. He has the credit of 
doing some remari<ably quick work, ha\-ing Iniilt ten squares, fifty-six feet wide, 
of street in fifty-six days. He sumetimes employes three hundred men. \\'hen 
he was engaged in government work on the Ohio Falls he used two hundred 
and ninety teams. He has recontracts of streets that his father built many 
years ago, and has constructed the masonry for practically all the first class 
bridges in Clark county, besides having put in nearly all the sewers that have 
been built in Jefifersonville in the last few years. 

On November i, 190S, Mr. Sweeney and T. J- Lintlley. and their sons, 
organized a corporation under the name of the W. O. Sweeney Company for 
the purpose of enlarging the scope of the business. Mr. Sweeney is president 
of the organization. 

Mr. Sweeney is equipped with a good education. He attended the public 
schools, and graduated after a four years course at St. Joseph's College, Bards- 
town, Kentucky. He is a member of the Elks lodge. 



RICHARD MELDRU^I HARTWELL. 

Mr. Hartwell has reas(in to be proud of his ancestr)-, l)eing descended 
from a very old English family. He is the son of Samuel Adams and Char- 
lotte (Meldrum) Hartwell. He was born at Louisville, Kentucky, August 28, 
1850. Through the veins of the Hartwells flows the blood of William Hart- 
well, who came to America from England in 1636, and settletl at Concord, 
Massachusetts. Through his father's maternal line he is descended from 
Capt. Seth Walker, who took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, and also dis- 
tinguished himself in- an engagement in the harbor of P(irtsmouth, between 
an American vessel and a British armed ship, in which his superior officer 
was killed by a cannon ball. Lieutenant Walker assumeil command, and con- 
ducted the engagement to a successful termination, although he was serious- 
ly injured. He retired with the rank of captain. Samuel Adams Hartwell 
was the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth B. ( Walker) Hartwell. His mother 
was the daughter of Capt. Seth Walker. 

Mr. Hartwell attended the public schools of Louisville, and after com- 
pleting a course there he attended an academy at Lake Forest, Illinois. Sam- 
uel Adams Hartwell was largel_\- interested in the Ohio Falls Car and Loco- 
motive Company of Jet¥erson\-ille, and here in July, 1868, Richard M. secured 
empkiyment in a clerical capacity, taking up his residence in Jeffersonville a 
year later. So satisfactorily and faithfully did he perform his duties that in 



664 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

September, 1876, he was made secretary and treasurer of the company. He 
continued in tliat capacity until he became imbued with a desire to go into 
business for himself. Filled with this determination he resigned after a term 
of service covering a period of eighteen years. In 1887 he purchased an in- 
terest in the firm of H. Verhoef. one of the largest finns of grain dealers in 
Louisville, with which he is still identified. Mr. Verhoef, senior member of this 
firm, owned the first elevator south of the Ohio river. 

On September 9, 1873, Richard M. Hartwell was married to Bettie 
Heaton, of Jefi^ersonville. who was the daughter of Hiram ^^'. and Huldah 
(Howard) Heaton. The latter is the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Howard, 
a former well known citizen of Clark county, and a member of the Indiana 
Legislature in the early days when he rode to Indianapolis on horseback. 
Through her maternal grandmother ^Irs. Hartwell traces her ancestry back 
to Revolutionary stock. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Helmer, daughter 
of George Frederick Helmer, of Herkimer county, Xew York. His father. 
George Helmer, was of Dutch parentage, and was a lieutenant in Captain 
Small's company in a New York regiment, commanded by Col. Peter 
Bellinger. 

The first child bom to Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Hartwell, Charlotte 
Amelia, died in infancy. They have two daughters and one son, all of whom 
are married, Clara Hartwell became the wife of J. Halbert Lewman, of 
Jefifersonville, while Mary M. is the wife of Harry Bowden Warren, and 
lives in Louisville. The son, William Crichton Hartwell, married ]\Iadelaine 
Dunlop, of Louisville, and they are residents of that city. 

I\Ir. Hartwell is a keen business man who is highly respected and ad- 
mired bv his associates in commercial circles of Louisville. 



WALTER IRWIN. 



There is no question that in the death of Walter Irwin the city of Jef- 
fersonville lost one of its most valued citizens. In a residence in this com- 
munity covering a period of nearly twenty years, Mr. Irwin greatly endeared 
himself to all with whom he came in contact. One of the beautiful traits of 
his character was his de\'otion to home ties. 

Walter Irwin was bom at New ^Market, twenty miles north of Toronto, 
Canada, in 1843. His father was Jared Invin, who was prominent in ofificial 
life in Canada, The fomier received a thorough education, graduating from 
the Toronto University in 1865. After finishing his education he went to 
Columbus, Indiana, taking a position of ticket agent at that point for the 
Pennsylvania Railroad, and his advancement through various departments was 



BAIRD"s history of CLARK CO., IXD. 665 

rapid until 1875, when he was made paymaster of the Hne. His next step in 
the way of promotion was to the office of cashier of the road, which position he 
held until the offices of the company were removed to Pittsburg. He then 
was made secretar}^ and treasurer of the Louisville Bridge Company, which 
is operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. He held this important office for 
the remainder of his life. On October 20, 1880, he was married to Annie M. 
Howell, of Jeffersonville. She was the daughter of Martin Howell, a well 
known business man. Her mother's maiden name was Eleanor Pearson, her 
parents having settled in Jefifersonville in 1845. The father was a veiy highly 
respected man in his home city. Mr. and Mrs. Irwin, who had no children of 
their own, adopted four little ones, who were the children of the latter's 
brother, and treated them with the most tender afifection. Two of them died 
in early childhood. The survivors are Annie Marshall Irwin and William 
Robert Irwin. 

\\'hen quite a young man Mr. Irwin became a member of the Masonic 
lodge, and he always took an active interest in its afifairs. He belonged to the 
Presbyterian church, of which his parents before him were members. There 
were few men who had a greater love for their home and famJly. They held a 
place in his heart high above all other interests, being practically his world. 

Death came to Walter Irwin February 15, 1899. Physically he was a 
man of handsome presence. His passing recalled no memories of an un- 
pleasant nature, for his life had been honorable. He was descended from the 
Scotch Covenanters, who were driven into Ireland by religious persecution, 
and he had many of the traits of those fearless men and women. Despite his 
dignity he was possessed of a most sunny and genial disposition that seemed 
to make itself felt wherever he went. 



THEODORE S. JENNINGS. M. D. 

In the noble profession that he has followed for more than two decades 
Doctor Jennings has done much toward alleviating the ills and suffering of 
his fellow men. and consequently holds a high place among the medical prac- 
titioners of the city of Louisville. Kentucky. Although his practice is con- 
fined to that city he retains his residence in Clark county, where, because of 
his many sterling qualities and his genial and kindly disposition he is greatly 
esteemed. The early years of Doctor Jennings" life were spent in mercantile 
pursuits, but his paramount desire was to become a physician, and that he 
was peculiarly adapted for that profession is apparent from the success that 
has attended his eft'orts. The city of Greencastle. Indiana, was his birth- 
place, and the date thereof. June 7. 1850. He was the son of Theodore C. 



666 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Jennings, wlio first started the Cataract Flouring and Wimlen Mills in Owen 
county. When seventeen years of age he left home with the intention of 
making his own way in the world. He came to Utica and secured a clerical 
position in the establishment of Theodore Rose, who was then the leading 
merchant of the little town. It was a busy place in those days, owing to the 
fact that a large force of men were employed in the quarries, getting stone 
for the big bridge being built by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Later 
he spent four years at the Indiana State University, at Bloomington. In the 
year of 1872 he returned to Utica, and purchased the establishment of his for- 
mer emplover, continuing in this business until 1875. In 1876 he opened the 
first drug store in Utica, and remained there until 1881, when he sold out 
and went to Jeffersonville. He took charge of the drug store of Lewman 
Brothers, in that cit\% and was manager thereof until October, 1884. During 
that vear he removed to Louisville and attended medical college, graduating 
with high honors February 25, 1887. He has engaged in the practice of 
medicine in that city ever since, with remarkable success. 

On Xovember 26, 1872, Dr. Theodore S. Jennings marrieil Maggie 
Summers, daughter of Charles Summers, who was, at that time, a well known 
lime burner at Utica. She tlied May 25, 1880, having become the mother of 
three children, Annie, James and Maggie. Doctor Jennings remained a 
widower until October 11, 1883, when he wedded ]\Iaud Fogle, of Penick. 
Kentucky. Three children were the fruit of this marriage, Xellie, Robert 
anil A\"illiam. Robert died in January, 1908. 

Doctor Jennings is a member of the Masonic lodge at Louisville, and 
also of the Odd Fellows at Utica. He still has a warm spot in his heart for 
Utica, the place where he first entered upon the battle of life, and that is why 
he still retains his membership in the lodges at that place. He is an active 
member of the Ch.ristian church, and during his residence at Utica was super- 
intendent of the Sunday school, also being at the head of the Christian Sun- 
day School Association of Clark and Floyd counties. 

Doctor Jennings has a most sympathetic nature and many unostentatious 
acts of charity may be placed to his credit. A little incident that thniws 
light on his high character is related of him. While engaged in the drug 
business at L'tica, he, like other pharmacists of that time, sold licjuor along 
with other drugs. One night a crowd of well known young men of the com- 
munity purchased a cjuantity of whisky for consumption on a fishing trip. 
Some time after they had departed with the intoxicants the doctor's con- 
science began to trouble him, and late in the night he arose from a sleepless 
couch, and walking through the darkness two miles to where the party had 
pitched their tent, he refunded the amount of the purchase and compelled them 
to return the whiskv. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 667 

JOHN F. CRUM. 

Tlie family of this name originated in North Carohna, but by migration 
became identified with Clari< county, Indiana, in 1802. The first arrival was 
Mathias Crum, who, after tarrying a while in Kentucky, decided to cross the 
river for permanent residence. He brought with him a son. then only one 
year old, and a native of Kentucky, who grew up to be William Spangler 
Crum, and a farmer of some local pmnfinence. His mother's maiden name 
was Margaret Spangler, sister of David Spangler, grandfather of the gentle- 
man of the same name whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Wil- 
liam S. left a son named Andrew Jackson Cnnn, who married Mary E., 
sister of Abram Fry, whose sketch is given on another page. By this union 
there were eight children, five sons and three daughters, Oscar, Fannie (de- 
ceased) ; Sallie, wife of T. D. Jacobs, who died April 10, 1897; William A., 
John F., Abram L., Benjamin O., and Olive B., who married C. W. Baird. 

John F. Crum, fifth m the above list, was born near Prather, in Clark 
county, Indiana, June 7, 1865. He grew up on his father's farm, attended 
the Charlestown high school and Central Nomial College, later completing a 
course in surveying and civil engineering. He had a natural talent for these 
studies and was a graduate with honors, January 12, 1886. After complet- 
ing his education Mr. Crum took charge of a farm recently tought by his 
father a short distance east of New Chapel church. Mr. Crum now owns the 
one hundred and ten acres on which he resides, south of Watson, and two 
hundred and thirty-six acres on Silver creek, near Straw's mills, in Utica town- 
ship. In 1894 and again in 1896 Mr. Crum was elected Surveyor of Clark 
county, being the only Republican ever so honored. He is well educated, pro- 
gressive, public-spirited and hospitable. He is a member of the Farmers' In- 
stitute No. I, composed of the progressive agriculturists of his community. 

On October 23, 1889, Mr. Crum was married to Paulina, daughter of 
WVatt E. Willey, whose sketch appears elsewhere. They have the following 
children : Elsie, Andrew Jackson, Wyatt Willey, Nelson and Harold. 

Benjamin Oreo Crum, brother of John F., was born in Utica township, 
Clark county, Indiana, May 17, 1869. He remained on the home place until 
eighteen years old and then went to Jeffersonville to work in the Gathright 
flouring mill at the Falls of the Ohio. Some two and a half years later he re- 
turned to the home neighborhood. Previous to this experience he had educated 
himself in the high school at Charlestown and normal at Mitchell, taking a 
course in commercial work on the side. In 1904 Mr. Crum bought the Fox 
farm near Watson and some four years later removed his family to that place 
for permanent residence. He owns one hundred and ninety-five acres of good 
farming land, on which is a neat residence and necessaiy out buildings. He 
is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Union Chapel ^lethodist Episcopal 



668 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

church. On January 4, 1891, Mr. Crum married Clara, daughter of John 
and Cjmthia E. Peden. The former was a son of Joseph Peden, a prominent 
man at Memphis, where he ran a mill. He was a Quaker and lived to the 
remarkable age of ninety-four years. To Mr. and Mrs. Crum four children 
have been born : Alma Ruth, the eldest, died when two years old : the others 
are Oren Talmage, Dexter Huber, and Lucy Lorene. The mother, who was 
lioni January 17. 1867, died July 7. 1908. 



THEODORE J. KIGER. 

The family of this name is of German origin and has been identified 
with various states of the Union for more than a hundred years. Joseph 
Kiger. the emigrant founder, was a native of Germany and emigrated tO' this 
countrv before 1800. Settling in Kentucky he was there married to Alaria 
Barbara, daughter of Adam Calfhead and some years later determined to try 
his fortunes in Indiana. Crossing the Ohio ri\er he eventually landed in 
Clark county, where he entered land in the northern- part of Utica township. 
His son. John F. R. Kiger, inherited the estate and lived on his farm during 
his whole life, eventually dying peacefully on his homestead, north of 
Prather. In early manhood he married Rebecca, daughter of \\'illiam S. 
Crum, and sister of A. J. Crum. (Further particulars of this family will be 
found in the sketch of John Crum.) By this union there were seven children, 
of whom those living are as follows : James Marion, Joseph William. John 
Franklin: Anna, now Mrs. Anderson, and the subject of this sketch. 

Theodore Kiger, youngest of this family, was bom near Prather. in 
Clark county, Indiana, in 1870. He owns about seventy acres of farming land, 
nearly all of which is under cultivation. Mr. Kiger's specialty is the breedmg 
of Jersey cattle and he takes great pride in his herd, all of which is registered 
stock. The fine butter made by his wife from the milk of these cows enjoys 
a great local reputation and much of it is sold in the nearby markets. 

Mr. Kiger is hospitable at his home and loves to talk of current events, 
on which he keeps well informed. He is also able to impart much informa- 
tion about farming, especially the best methods of breeding and feeding live 
stock. The family are members of the ^Methodist Episcopal church, and much 
esteemed by their neighbors. E. O. Kiger, son of Joseph William Kiger, 
lives nearby with his mother. J. D. Kiger, who lives three and a half miles 
northeast of Charlestown. is a son of James Davis Kiger and grandson of 
Joseph, the first of the family who came from Germany. The connection 
possesses all the characteristics that cause the Germans to be so highly es- 
teemed as citizens in this country. Frugality, intelligence in conducting their 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 669 

business and socialiilit}' with friends and neighb;:)rs are the good quahties 
seldom found lacking in the German-American citizen, whether he be on a 
farm, in a store, a restaurant, hotel-keeper or baker. 



JAMES EDGAR BROWN. 

Jonas Warren Brown, the founder of the family of this name in Clark 
county, was a native of Ohio and came to Indiana during the second quarter 
of the last century. He married Elvira Ann, daughter of James Collins, of 
Charlestown, and to this union we are indebted for the popular citizen whose 
life and career constitute the subject of this sketch. James Edward Brown 
was born near Charlestov.n, Clark county, Indiana, July i, 1848. Having 
lost his mother by death when four years old, he was taken in charge by Mrs. 
Sarah J. W. Sullivan, a maternal aunt, who reared him with tenderness and 
affection until he reached manhood's estate. This aunt was originally MisS 
Collins, who married Daniel McDonald, and after his death became the wife 
of a minister named Sullivan. James Edgar Brown was reared on the farm 
where he now lives and which he owns by inheritance and in youth went 
through the usual educational experiences of the district schools. Later he 
entered as a pupil in old Asbury, now DePauw University, at Greencastle, 
and remained there long enough to acquire a fair college education. After 
leaving college he engaged in farming and has devoted his whole life to agri- 
cultural pursuits. He is a Methodist and a member of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. 

On March 3, 1870, Mr. Brown was married to Clara M. Bennett, a 
descendant of one of the old and highly respected pioneer families. Her father, 
Joshua Selvey Bennett, was born in Clark county, Indiana, of North Carolina 
parentage, married Indiana Davis, and was the chief factor in building the 
village of Prather, which was named after its first postmaster. To. Mr. and 
Mrs. Brown four children have been born, two sons and two daughters, all of 
whom are living, and well settled in life. Emmons Warren Brown, the eldest, 
removed to Boise, Idaho, w^here he married Edith Ellis, daughter of a promi- 
nent banker of that place. Four children have been born to them : George, 
Olive, Arnett, and Jonas, the latter deceased. Daisy W., the eldest daughter 
of James Edgar Brown, is the wife of W^innie C. Lewman, a contractor, whose 
sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Samuel Edward Brown, the third 
child, still makes his home with his parents. Bessie Ann Brown, the young- 
est, was married August 5, 1903, to S. J. Swartz, who was for many years in 
the undertaking business at Jef^ersonville. The latter first married a Miss 
Conway, who died November 24, 1901, leaving two children, Bessie Alberta 



670 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

and Ralph C. The founders of this family were John and Elizaheth (Old- 
weiler) Swartz, who were horn in Germany before tlie American Revolution, 
and after coming to this country first settled in Pennsylvania, whence they 
removed to Indiana about the beginning of the nineteenth century. They lo- 
cated in Clark cnunty on a farm situated in Utica township and became leaders 
in founding the Xew Chapel Methodist Episcopal church, which is now the 
oldest existing congregation in Indiana Methodism. Jacob Swartz, son of 
this pioneer couple, was the father of Thomas J. and A. A. Swartz, the latter 
a well known banker of Jeffersonville. Thomas J. married Eleanor Lentz 
and their son became the husband of Bessie Brown, as recorded above. S. J. 
Swartz, like his ancestors before him for several generations, is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church and also holds membership in the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. Masons. Knights of Pvthias and ^Modern \\'oodmen. 



EMERY SYLVESTER. 



Indiana was still a territory covered all over with virgin forest when 
Purdue Sylvester left Wilmington, Delaware, to seek a new home in the 
western wildemess. Following the usual route across the mountains and 
down the Ohio river, he eventually landed in Clark county, which at that time 
]M-esented few attractions for the agriculturist. He entered a large tract of 
land in Jefifersonville township on what subsequently became known as the 
Hamburg Pike, and here he went through all the rugged experiences incident 
to pioneer life in that early day. He married Rachael Scott, whose parents 
moved in among the first settlers, and owned land on the Middle Road in 
Utica township. Emery Sylvester, a child by this union, was born on the 
paternal farm, about four miles north of Jeffersonville, January it, 18 16, 
which was the year of the state's admission into the Union. He worked on 
the farm as he grew up but had poor opportunities for education, as schools 
at that time were few and far between. However, he learned all about farm- 
ine, as it was carried on in those davs, acciuired industrious habits, and came 
to know the value of work as an element of success in life. He remained with 
his parents until the eighteenth year of his age when in language of the 
country, he "struck out for himself." Going up to Jeffersonville he learned 
the plasterer's trade and followed it for a livelihood for a few years, after 
which he returned to the farm and continued in agricultural pursuits during 
the rest of his life. Though he never sought office, his neighbors insisted on 
electing hnu a justice of the Peace and he discharged his official duties so 
well that he was kept in the same position for twent)- years. He was a good 
citizen who led a quiet, unobtrusive life, [laid his debts and enjoyed general 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 67 1 

esteem in the C( immunity where he resided. He died March 3. 1885. without 
an eneni}" in the world, anrl with a consciousness in his last hours that he had 
done his duty in all the relations of lite. In 1839 when twenty-three vears 
old, ^Ir. Sylvester married Caroline INIcClintock, member of one of the old, 
esteemed pioneer families of the county. Her grandfather, John McClintock, 
came fnim Ireland, when twelve years of age accompanied by two brothers, 
one of whom, named Samuel, settled near the Charlestown Pike, north of 
JetTersonville. John prospered after reaching manhood, and when he died 
was the owner of se\-eral hundred acres of farm land in Jeffersonville town- 
ship. He left a son. known as John McClintock. Jr., who in 1809 married 
I\Iary Provine, a nati\-e of Tennessee, and became one of the county's sub- 
stantial citizens. He owned a large farm, five miles north of Jefferson\-ille. 
on the road that runs from Utica township west to Blackstone's mill, near 
Cementville. It was his daughter who became the wife of Emery Sylvester 
and shared his joys as well as his sorrows, for nearly fifty years. She sur- 
vived him about four years and passed away March 8. i88g. Six children 
were born of this union : Mary. Charlotte, Caroline. Emery. John and Com- 
modore C. The last named died in childhood, and both of the other sons 
passed away in their twentieth years. The three daughters own the home 
place, consisting of two hundred and fifteen acres of land and have made their 
residence there since the death of their mother. The Sylvesters and McClin- 
tocks being among the earliest settlers, have been known in Clark county for 
over a hundred years, and no families have enjoyed greater esteem. One of 
the proud recollections cherished by the latest generation of Sylvesters is that 
the grandfather, John McClintock, Jr.. was a soldier with Gen. \\'il]iam 
Heniy Harrison at the celebrated battle of Tippecanoe. 



WILLIAM W. SMITH. 



This family is of English origin and has had representatives in the United 
States for fully seventy years. Edward Smith came from England in 1840 
and settled near INIemphis. \\"ith him was a son named Christopher, who on 
reaching maturity married Sarah, daughter of John Dietz, a soldier in the 
\\'ar of 1812. William W. Smith was a child by this union, and was born 
near Sellersburg, Clark county, in 1844. He remained on his father's farm 
until 1862, when he enlisted in Company .\. Eighty-fourth Regiment. Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, which afterwards became a part of the Armv of the Cum- 
berland. With his command he participated in the battle of Stone River, 
Chickamauga, Franklin, Xashville. Dallas, Georgia, and Resaca. besides 
many minor engagements. After his muster out, June 15. 1865. he returned 



672 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

to Sellersburg and engaged in farming, which he lias followed continuously 
until the present day. He has owned three farms, but disposed of all except 
one in Charleston township, and the one on which he resides in Utica township. 
His house deserves especial mention as one of the historic relics of the county 
and a curious reminder of pioneer days. It is a two-story brick, looking rather 
modern to the casual passer, but dating from 181 5, when it was erected by a 
man named Bowen. The rooms are imusually large and the wide fireplace 
with a crane is surmounted by a mantel nearly ten feet long. An old "Dutch 
oven" of ancient pattern, recalls the cooking devices of our great-grand- 
mothers. About a mile north of Mr. Smith's place stood an old cabin, which 
was for a long time known as the last house from the river until the traveler 
reached Vincennes. 

In 1867 Mr. Smith married Nancy Ann Bottorfif. whose genealogy^ is pre- 
sented in the biography of her brother, Moses E. Bottorff, in this volume. 
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, seven in number, are thus recorded 
in the family archives: Elmer D., a baker, at Riverside, California, is married 
and has four children; Lewis C. is a resident of New Albany; Christopher C. 
is a dentist at Riverside, California; Katie is the wife of Wallace Jacobs, has 
four children and resides on the Utica and Salem road; Jason C, next to the 
youngest, is unmarried; Nellie R., wife of Howard Fry, has one child, and 
resides at Port Fulton. One of the seven children of ^Ir. Smith died at an 
early age. The mother dying in 1901 Mr. Smith was married in 1904 to 
Julia A., daughter of Samuel and Susan (Beadels) Bottorfif. She is a grand- 
daughter of Henry Bottorfif, a native of Germany, who founded the family 
of that name in Clark county. Mr. Smith is a member of the Grand Army 
of the Republic and of the Methodist church, to which his wife also belongs. 



MOSES E. BOTTORFF. 



The family of this name is one of the oldest and most respected in Clark 
county, with which its members have been connected during the vicissitudes 
of a century. Henry Bottorfif, the founder, born in Germany, December 3, 
1780, came to the United States before 1810. He owned a grist mill on Muddy 
Fork, where the Speed's Cement mill now stands, and which after his death 
in 1859, was continued by his sons, Samuel and Lewis. The latter was born 
in 1810 and became a w-ell known figure during his long and active life, which 
came to a close October 19, 1896. For some years he was engaged in the mill- 
ing business, but afterwards ran flatboats down to New Orleans, selling cider 
and other farm products. Subsequently he abandoned this for farming and 
to this substantial occupation he devoted all of his later years. On July 16, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 6/3 

1842, he married Mary C. Congleton. by wliom he had six children : iNIarietta, 
Nancy Ann, wife of \\'ilhani Smith ; Peter, who died October 17, 1885 ; Irene 
R., wife of James W'ier, justice of the Peace at Sellersburg for thirty-five 
years; Lewis, who married Emma Kramer, resides at Speed. Moses E. Bot- 
torff, the youngest child, was born on his father's farm in Charlestown town- 
ship, Clark county, Indiana, in 1856, and remained under the parental roof 
until about twenty-two years old. On October 24, 1878, he married Amanda, 
daughter of John and Erthusa (Carr) Hill. The latter was a niece of Col. 
Joseph Carr, who was a colonel under General Harrison at the battle of Tippe- 
canoe. Mr. and Mrs. BottorfT have five children : Elbert, v.dio married Clara 
Pass, lives on his father's farm in Charlestown township ; Lulu ; Myrtle Irene, 
who married Charles M. Sage, son of County Assessor, Erasmus T. Sage ; and 
James L., an unusually promising young man. He was appointed by Governor 
Hanly, Justice of the Peace, when only a little over twenty-one years old, and 
is entering on the practice nf law and holds the position of telegraph operator 
on the Louisville branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway, at 
Watson. Clarence C, the youngest son, is still at home with his parents. By 
a previous marriage of his father Mr. Bottorff has several half brothers and 
sisters. These were James, George, and Sarah Catherine, wife of Dr. Joseph 
ilcCormick. James was a soldier under Grant and present when the terms 
for surrendering Vicksburg were being arranged by the two commanding 
generals. Among the interesting landmarks in this. neighborhood is a stone 
house now owned by Calvin Bottorff, built in 1817, out of material of a still 
earlier structure, on a site about a quarter of a mile away. A short distance 
west is another stone house, said to have been built in 1800 by Ephraim Arnold, 
and sold by him later to a Scotchman named Purdy. There is a tradition 
that it was erected as a refuge from the Indians and wild beasts in the pioneer 
period and that at one time it sheltered sixteen families. Mrs. Rachael Bowen, 
of Charlestown, who is authority on things relating to the old days, talks inter- 
estingly concerning old houses and the people who occupied them in the distant 
past. 



THOMAS DOUDEX JACOBS. 

The reader of Clark county history will often find the names of Prather, 
Lentz and Jacobs and closer inspection in the biographical branch will dis- 
close the fact that these families, by intermarriages for several generations, 
have left descendants that constitute some of the best citizenship of the various 
townships. Thus we find that Eliphalet Douden Jacobs married Catherine, 
daughter of Thomas W. and Elizabeth ( Lentz) Prather and all these recall 
names familiar in the pioneer period. Thomas Douden Jacobs, a son by this 

43 



674 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

union, was born at Jeffersonville. Clark county. Indiana, March 29, 1857. 
\\ hen he was three years old his parents removed to their farm three miles 
from Jeftersonville on the Plank Road. After a residence there of eleven 
years, they changed locations by moving to the old Thomas W. Prather fanu, 
between \\'atsiin and Utica. which was the homestead of Air. Jacobs' mother. 
He remained there until Alarch 10, 1880, when he married Belle, daughter of 
Til ford Prather. The latter was a son of Samuel and grandson of Basil 
Prather, founder of the family in Clark county. Clarence Newton Jacobs, 
the only fruit of this union, married Bertha, daughter of Edwin LaDuke. of 
Utica township, and is a resident of Port Fulton. His mother died October 
9, 1889. After his marriage in 1880, JNIr. Jacobs moved to the farm in 
Utica township now occupied by Isaac Jacobs. In December, 1890, he mar- 
ried Sallie, daughter of A. J. Crum. who lives in Utica township on the 
Charlestown Pike. Of the three children by this second marriage only 
one is living, her name being Minnie Olixe. The mother died April 10, 
1897, and after this bereavement, Mr. Jacobs sold his farm above mentioned 
and built a residence on the other place at the crossing of the Plank and 
Sellersburg, Utica roads. This farm consists of one hundred and sixty -one 
acres of good soil which Mr. Jacobs has cultivated carefully and kept in ex- 
cellent condition in e\"ery respect. The house is large and home-like, well fur- 
nished and possessing all the modern conveniences for comfort. 

On September 20, 1898, Mr. Jacobs married Ethel, daughter of Abram 
Fry, of Utica township, a sketch of whose family appears elsewhere in this 
volume. Of their four children, one named Alary died in infancy, the others 
being Margaret, Elizabeth and Virginia. Air. and Mrs. Jacobs are members 
of the New Chapel Methodist church, and also belong to Farmers' Institute 
No. I, in Utica township. Mr. Jacobs is regarded as one of the county's pro- 
gressive farmers and his heme is the abode of hospitality and cheerful greeting 
to friends. 



JEFFERSON AND DAVID L. PRATHER. 

The family of this name has been identified with Clark county for more 
than a hundred years and borne a conspicuous part in its development. De- 
voted chiefly to farming, its members have found time for other activities and 
the countv histor)' will show them always ready to bear their full share of 
responsibilities in the civil, religious and political activities of their respective 
communities. Basiljr'ratjier, the founder of the family, came to the county 
about the beginning of the last century and was one of the sturdy old pioneers 
who left their impress upon this section of Southern Indiana during the forma- 
ti\-e period of the state. He was one of the founders of New Chapel church. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 675 

the second ]\Iethodist meeting house estabhshed in Indiana and the oldest exist- 
ing reHg'icus society in the state. He left a son who became well known in 
after life as Judge SaiBuelJ^rather, in his time one of the county's most substan- 
tial citizens. He married a Miss Holman, by whom he had a son named Sion, 
the latter married Catherine, daughter of David Lutz, who came from North 
Carolina before the year 1800. His father, Henry Lutz, a native of Ger- 
many, found his way north to the then Indiana Territory and established a 
home in the wild woods of Clark county, subsequently known as Charlestown 
township. A fuller sketch of this early pioneer appears on another page of 
this volume. Sion and Catherine (Lutz) Prather were the parents of four 
children: Jefferson, David. Alvin and Tilford. Alvin joined the Union army 
in the Civil war and was killed at the battle of Stone River. Tilford reached 
maturity, married Indiana Bennett and died in 1907. leaving one child. 

Jefferson Prather, the third in order of birth of these four children, was 
born on the paternal farm in L'tica township, Clark county. Indiana, in 1840. 
In 1865 he married Annie, daughter of William and Mary (Hikes) Gibson, 
who came from Kentucky to Clark county in what the historians call an "early 
da}'." Mrs. Prather died September 26. 1906. after becoming the mother of 
two sons. Rolla and Morris : Rolla removed to California some years ago and 
settled in Fresno county, where he has a family consisting of a wife and four 
children. Morris was married in the fall of 1908 to a Missouri lady and 
makes his home with his parents. Mr. Prather's farm consists of one hundred 
and eighteen acres, a part of the old homestead which fell to him after his 
father's death. David L. Prather. his younger brother, was born in 1844, 
and remained on the home place until his marriage to Rebecca, daughter of 
John Glossbrenner, one of the early pioneers of L^tica township, now a resident 
of Jeffersonville. By this union there were seven children. Jesse R. married 
Hattie Pass, and lives with his uncle Jefferson. Elmer, Durward and Her- 
bert still remain with their parents. Royd Alvin died December 17, 1908. 

Mr. Prather was elected County Commissioner on the Democratic ticket 
in 1892. and made an excellent official during his term of service. At his 
father's death the north part of the old homestead, consisting of seventy-four 
acres, and the residence fell to his share and here he has since lived the simple 
and wholesome life that comes from agricultural pursuits. He and his brother 
Jefferson are members of the Cement Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. Aside from its value as farmland, the old Prather homestead, now 
occupied by these worthy brothers, is of interest to archjeologists. The ground 
is thickly strewn with Indian arrowheads and other relics of the red men, 
skeletons having been found which are known to have belonged to the original 
occupants of this part of Indiana. Still earlier and more interesting relics are 
remains of the Mound builders, going back to pre-historic times. Three 
mounds, with indications of a fourth have been found on the Prather place. 



676 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

They are arranged in a semi-circle, connected by a strip of black earth over- 
lying the natural soil. Two burial mounds yielded potsherds, stone-pipes, bone- 
needles, pestles, axes, a color cup and stone from which red color was made, 
spear and arrow heads in great variety, besides skeletons of this vanished race, 
lying on a quantity of charcoal. 



\villia:m h. deibel. 



The family of this name in Clark county is of German origin. Peter 
Deibel, a native of Germany, emigrated from that country in the early forties, 
and, after spending a few years in Kentucky, crossed the Ohio river into In- 
diana. Early in the fifties he bought the first farm west of New Chapel 
church. He married IMagdalene Foreman, also a native of Germany, who 
came to this county about the time of his own arrival. Eight children were 
bom to them, of whom the five living are Henry, William H., Mary, wife 
of George Edward Crum, of Jeft'ersonville ; Katie, wife of George Sweeney, 
of the same city; Christina, wife of G. N. Prather, a resident of Johnson 
county, Indiana; John, died aged six years; ^linnie. wife of William Miller, 
died in Oldham county. Kentucky, leaving three children ; Peter died in Jef- 
fersonville. leaving three children, Rudolph, Peter and Isabelle. . William 
H. Deibel, the fifth child of his parents, was born on his father's farm in 
Clark county, Indiana, December 24, 1862. He attended the public schools 
in his neighborhood and after reaching manhood became a farmer. He owns 
a place of fifty-one acres of the good farming land of Utica township, wdiere 
the soil is underlaid with limestone. He is enterprising as a manager, up-to- 
date in his methods and aims to keep well informed in matters pertaining to 
agriculture. His home is the abode of hospitality and all who call either on 
business or pleasure are given a cheerful greeting. He joined the Masonic 
Order in 1896, and is also a member of the Odd Fellows and Modem Wood- 
men. On April 21, 1897, Mr. Deibel married Paulena, daughter of Charles 
and Mary (Fichter) Holzbog, of DuBois county, Indiana. They have three 
children : Marie Paulena, Lulu Loretta and Charles William. The family 
are members of the New Chapel Methodist Episcopal church and enjoy ex- 
cellent standing in the community. 

Henry Deibel, eldest son of Peter and Magdalena (Foreman) Deibel, 
was born on his father's farm in Clark county, Indiana, in 1854. As he grew 
up he attended the schools of his neighborhood and also those of Jei^erson- 
ville. While a young man he spent a couple of years in Illinois, and then re- 
turned to Jeffersonville to take a job at the car works, where he remained 
about one year. On December 25, 1885, i\Ir. Deibel was married to Mary, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. f]J 

daughter nf Michael and Alary ( Kansinger) Dietrich, the former one of the 
pioneers of tlie county and a resident of the community about four miles 
north oi Jeffersonville. Mr. and Mrs. Deibel are the parents of the following 
children : Otis married and settled at Franklin. Indiana, and has two chil- 
dren ; Ida ]May, wife of James Stanforth, resides in Jeffersonville: ^^latilda 
married Rufus Rogers, of Jeffersonville, and has one daughter: Lora, also 
lives at the county seat, while \\'illiam, Magdalene, Eva Lee, Henrietta, Bu- 
ford. Bertha and Louisa, are all at home with their parents. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Deibel lived two years on the old Falker farm, but in the fall of 
1887 purchased thirty-three acres of land on the Plank Road, about five 
miles out from Jeffersonville, where he has since made his residence. Re- 
cently he bought the old \\'ormald tract of fifty-seven acres, adjoining his 
home place, and is comfortably fixed for farming on a large scale. Mr. and 
]\Irs. Deibel are members of the Lutheran church at Jeffersonville, and he be- 
longs to the Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen. 



THE DUxNBAR FAMILY. 

Though Scotland has contributed much valuable material to the citizen- 
ship of America, she has sent o\er few worthier families than the Dunbars. 
The "Head of the House," as the term is used in old Scotia, was William 
Dunbar, who was born in 1806 and reared a family of lusty sons, destined 
at a later day to make their marks in the LInited States. John was born in 
Scotland in 1830, James in 1846 and William in 1848. John reached the 
United States in 1852, and five years later was joined by the family. Coming 
to New Albany, Indiana, about 1854, John Dunbar became .superintendent of 
the gas works, which position he held until his death, in 1870. In 1854 he 
returned to Scotland and married Margaret Whitson, liringing his bride to 
New Albany, where they made their home. Of their nine children five died 
in early childhood, the four still living being James W., Mrs. George \\'. 
Robb, Alexander and Lundy. James \\'. is superintendent of the gas depart- 
ment of the LTnited Gas and Electric Company of New Albany and Jeft'er- 
sonville. He married Nannie, daughter of Morris McDonald, and is a resi- 
dent of New Albany. Mrs. Robb was formerly the wife of Professor Borden, 
whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Alexander and Lundy are 
both citizens of Indianapolis. William Dunbar, uncle of these children and 
one of the three brothers who came to this countn,' in the fifties, now a resi- 
dent of California, was the father of Horace Dunbar, well known as a lawyer 
in Jeffersonville and now mining editor of the Salt Lake Tribune. James 
Dunbar, the second of the emigrant brothers, died without marrving. Though 



678 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

the Dunbars are rather of Floyd than Clark county, their business connections 
and social relations have brought them in touch with the affairs of both 
counties and made them well known throughout Southern Indiana. All of 
them developed an aptitude for business in the prosecution of which they dis- 
played the Scotch skill, application and industry which are the chief factors 
in gaining success in any calling. 



FLOYD T. REDDING. 



The family of this name is of Kentucky origin and its members have 
long' been identified with the farming interests of Clark county, though not 
figuring in public life, but pursuing the even tenor of their way, they have 
borne their full share of the burdens and responsibilities of developing the 
county and giving it its high standing in the state. John Redding, founder 
of the family in Clark county, was a native of Oldham county, Kentucky, but 
crossed the river in early manhood in search of an opportunity to better his 
fortunes. Securing employment with Abram Fry, he worked for him several 
years as a farm hand and during that time a romance such as we read about 
in the stoiy books, developed and had an important influence over his sub- 
sequent life. The yellow fever plague which devastated New Orleans shortly 
after the Civil war was of widespread damage to thousands of families and 
many persons came north to escape its fatal effects. Among those stricken 
was a family named McDonald, and as a result of the death of her parents, 
little Mary was left an orphan of tender years. Abram Fry knew them, and 
out of sympathy adopted this child, who in time became a permanent member 
of his household. As she grew up she became a good friend of John Red- 
ding; this friendship ripened into love and in due time they were married. 
Of the four children resulting from this union three are living: Emma is 
the wife of J. Ellis Potter, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume ; 
Ella L., another daughter, makes her home with her brother, who is the sub- 
ject of this sketch. The father died in January, 1877, and the mother in 
Februar\% 1900. 

Floyd J. Redding, the only surviving son, was born on his father's farm 
on the Plank Road, three miles from Jefifersonville, Indiana, July 22, 1874. 
He was but a little over two years old when he lost his father, but enjoyed 
the care of an affectionate mother until he reached manhood's estate. On 
March 11, 1903, he was married to Nellie, daughter of Edwin and Lauara 
(Swartz) Dunn, of Utica. Mrs. Redding's mother was a daughter of Frank- 
lin Swartz, whose father was the John Swartz that became so well known as 
a leader in the establishing of the New Chapel Methodist church in pioneer 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 679 

days. The Dunns have been well known residents of Utica tcnvnship for 
many years. Air. and Airs. Redding have two children, Ruth Alene and John 
Edwin. The family, like their ancestors before them for many decades, are 
members of the New Chapel church, which since the early settlement of the 
county has been one of the bulwarks of Alelhodism. Air. Redding is a quiet, 
unassuming man of frugal and industrious habits who enjoys the esteem of 
all his neighbors. 



JACOB H. GIBSON. 



It was while Kentucky was earning its name as the "Dark and Bloody 
Ground," that William Alac Gibson came in from Winchester, Virginia, and 
cast his lot with the western wilderness. He located in Nelson county, some 
thirty-five miles south of Louisville, in 1792, and there reared his family. 
His son, who was given the same name as himself, was b<irn at Bardstown, 
in 1810, and when seventeen years old he began teaching school on the pike 
about five miles from Louisville. In that neighborhood was a family whose 
members figured conspicuously in the early history of the locality. George 
Hikes, its founder, came from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1790, and settled 
at Gilman's Point, two miles from Louisville, wdien the latter was a village 
of log" cabins, and he became the owner of twelve hundred acres of land. He' 
had six children and left each of them two hundred acres, which eventually 
increased into landed estates of great extent and value. Jacob Hikes, one of 
the sons, was a child wdien his father moved in and after growing up, in con- 
nection with his brother, established large nurseries near Louisville. He 
owned hundreds of acres of land and many slaves, wdiich he freed and sent 
to Liberia, paying all their expenses and enough besides to support them for a 
year. Five hundred acres of his land was located near Charlestown, in Clark 
county, Indiana, and another tract of two hundred and fifty acres was situated 
near Alitchell. He also owned a fuller mill, a distillery on the Bear Grass 
creek and held ten thousand dollars" worth of stock in the Bardstown Pike 
Company. He made the first writing paper that was made in Louisville and 
altog'ether was one of the most important men in Northern Kentucky during 
the days of his activity. He married a daughter of Frederick Geiger, who 
was with General Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe and received a slug 
bullet in his body which he carried to his dying day. John, a brother of 
Jacob Hikes, v.as also in this battle though he seems to have escaped without 
injury. While William AL Gibson was teaching in the neighborhood, he be- 
came accjuainted with Alary L. Hikes, a daughter of Jacob, to whom he was 
subsequently married, and to this union we are indebted for the subject of 
our sketch. 



68o BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Jacob H. Gibson was born in 1841. on his father's farm four miles south 
of Charlestown, Indiana. His rearing and schooHng did not differ materially 
from the average country boy of that day. his training being such as to fit 
him for agricultural pursuits. The Civil war broke out when he was about 
twenty years old and being patriotic in impulse and filled with youth's nat- 
ural ardor he was anxious to become a soldier in the army that was to fight 
for the restoration of the Union. With this end in view he enlisted in Com- 
pany D, Fourth Regiment. Indiana Cavalry, and with his command became a 
part of the forces engaged in the great task of re-opening the Mississippi. 
The Fourth Regiment sen'ed under Wilson, Rosecrans and Thomas, took part 
in the campaigning from Chattanooga to Atlanta and later joined the great 
march to the sea under Sherman, winding up at jMacon, Georgia. Being dis- 
charged in July, 1865, Mr. Gibson returned to the old homestead to receive the 
plaudits of his friends and relatives. He engaged in farming, has met with 
success and at present owns one hundred acres of land, on which is located 
a comfortable farm home, surrounded by all that a reasonable man can 
desire. 

In December, 1869, Mr. Gibson married Sallie, daughter of Adam and 
Mary (Lutz) Howard, representatives of old pioneer families. Her grand- 
father, George Howard, came to Kentucky in the latter part of the eighteenth 
century and as early as 1800 owned a flouring and saw mill at Fisherville. 
About the year 1832 he located in Charlestown township. Clark county, In- 
diana, where he owned a square mile of land. The Lutz family, from which 
Mrs. Gibson was descended on her mother's side, came from North Carolina 
about 1801 and were people of cnnse(|uence in their day. Mr. and Mrs. Gib- 
son have two children, Mrs. Stella Dettmer and Mrs. Carrie Lawrence, the 
latter a resident of Utica township, south of Watson. 



JOHN HENRY GOEDEKER. 

This representati\-e farmer lives in section 19, within a distance of six 
miles of Borden, Clark county. He has already reached his sixty-third year 
and his life ston,' tells of a career unremittingly spent in r.n effort to bring 
about the success which justly rewards his later years. His married life has 
brought him a large family, the greater portion of whom he has the pleasure 
of seeing prosperously settled in good circumstances. An early life not 
without its quota of vicissitudes and set-backs of a minor nature, from the ex- 
perience of which he profited, enables him to appreciate the present years of 
tranquillity. 

John H. Goedeker was born on the 13th of Feliruary, 1846, in Wood 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 68l 

township, being- the son of John H. and IMary K. ( Richter) Goedeker. Both 
parents were natives of Hanover, Germany. John H. Goedeker, senior, came 
to America in the early thirties of the previous century He sojourned in 
Baltimore, Maryland : Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky. His mar- 
riage is supposed to have taken place in Cincinnati, and he ultimately settled 
in \^'ood township, Clark county, in the early days of that locality. The elder 
Goedeker settled down as a farmer at the time of his settling' in W'ood town- 
ship, and his death, after an industrious life, occurred at the age of sixty-frve : 
his wife, our subject's mother, died about twenty years ago. Our subject is 
the second eldest of ten children, of whom he was the eldest boy. He became 
a shoemaker in his youth, learning the trade in Louisville about the time of 
the war. Sometime afterwards owing to ill health he quit his shoemaker's 
bench and embarked in general farming, which he has followed ever since. 
Li the year 1S70 his marriage with Mary J. Huber. the eldest daughter of 
Ignatius and ]Mary Huber, took place. Mrs. Goedeker wr..'^ born in \\'ood 
township and had two brothers and five sisters. Her father was an old resi- 
dent of the township, and her grandfather Huber was one of its earliest 
settlers. 

}klrs. Goedeker has borne her husband eleven children. In regular order 
they were : Ignatius, born April 9, 1871 : Francis, born May 27. 1873 : Kath- 
erine. born March 11. 1875: John H,, born August 18, 1877: Charles J., 
born October 26, 1879, died in infancy: Joseph H.. born Januan,' 20. 1881, 
died July 10. 1882; Hannah M., born April 13. 1883; Henry Ludwig, born 
February 13, 1885: Edward H., born November 14, 1S87: Florentine, born 
27th of October, 1889, deceased: and Anna J., bom December 12. 1891, 
Ignatius married Gertrude Schaffer, has five children, and lives in Charles- 
town. Frances married William Shalk. has one child, and lives at Otisco. 
Katherine is the wife of Peter Missie, has two children, and lives at Otisco. 
John H. married Frances Tomling, deceased. His second wife, Frances Mis- 
sie, has borne him two children : they live at Charlestown. Hannah M. mar- 
ried Theodore Trindeitmer; they live in Carr township and have two chil- 
dren. Henry Ludwig lives in Charlestown and both Edward H. and Anna 
Josephine are still at home. 

John H. Goedeker and his family belong to the Catholic faith and are 
members of St. John's church, in Wood township. In politics he is an un- 
swerving Democrat and a man who has never aspired for political office: he 
was once elected Justice of the Peace for his district, but did not serve. Part 
of the land he now owns is part of the old Goedeker homestead. In his boy- 
hood days the place was mostly timber land and he took a prominent part in 
improving the place. He has a substantial and cheerful home and enjoys the 
friendship and good will of his neighbors. 



682 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

HARRY DODSWORTH FEET. 

Among the emigrants who came over from England in the early forties 
was a yonng girl named Elizabeth Dodsworth. Her parents located at Cin- 
cinnati and there she subseqnently met her "fate" in the person of a young 
countryman who reached America from his native England about 1845 and 
took up his abode in Louisville. In due time they became ac(|uainted, learned 
to love each other and finally became man and wife. In 1853, "o'^ ^ great 
while after their union, John Peet, and wife crossed the river into Clark 
county, secured land in Silver Creek township, and in time had a good farm 
home, where they lived in comfort and reared their children in the paths of 
rectitude. They had five children in all, four of whom survive. One of them, 
Harry D., subject of this sketch, was born at Louisville, January 29, 1852, 
and he was still an infant when his parents decided to become residents of 
Indiana. He grew up on the farm in Silver Creek township and was taught 
by his father the value of industry as well as principles of morality, from which 
he has never departed during all the years of his subsequent life. After finish- 
ing in the local schools Mr. Peet became a pupil in the male school at Bards- 
town, Kentucky, where he spent two years in accjuiring the ground work of 
an academical education. From this seminary he went to the Indiana State 
University at Bloomington, where he spent two more years in earnest appli- 
cation to the higher branches taught at that famous seat of learning. Not as 
yet satisfied he took a finishing course of a more practical nature in a com- 
mercial college at Cincinnati. After completing his studies 'Sir. Peet returned 
to his Clark county home and entered upon the serious affairs of life. One 
year was spent on a farm in Wabash county, but soon deciding that the old 
place was the best he came back to Clark county and located on a tract of 
land half a mile north of New Chapel. During the next twenty years Mr. 
Peet met with the usual ups and downs of a farmer's life, but on the whole 
has prospered and has considerable to show as the result of his toil and good 
management. He now owns three tracts of land, one of ninety-two acres and 
others of fifty-two and twenty-six acres, all of which is the fine agricultural 
soil for which Clark county is noted. In the early part of 1907 Mr. Peet 
built a new residence, half a mile west of New Chapel, and here he has since 
made his home. It is situated in the border of a natural grove near Watson, 
and is one of the cosiest country homes imaginable. Everything indicates 
taste and love of the beautiful as well as the ornamental and an old hospitality 
and cordiality of greeting to friends are characteristic of tliis pleasant abode. 

On September 26, 1876, ]Mr. Peet married Ella, daughter of William 
Lentz, and they have three children. Mary Edith, the eldest, married Herbert 
Fry and has four children ; she resides on a farm near New Chapel. John L., 
the eldest son, who recently married Mamie Childers, of \^'est Virginia, is 
a civil and mining engineer employed by the government in the Phillipines. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 683 

Hany D.. Jr.. the youngest son, is at home with his parents. Mr. Peet is a 
member of the New Chapel Methodist Episcopal church and holds the posi- 
tion of secretary of the board of trustees, which makes him custodian of the 
old records that date back to early pioneer days. He has been a lifelong ab- 
stainer and earnest advocate of temperance, which convictions naturally made 
him a member of the Prohibition party, to whose cause he has devoted his best 
energies for years, without hope of other reward than the plaudits of a good 
conscience. 



CHARLES EDWIN McKINLEY. 

Charles Edwin ^IcKinley is a well known member of the Indiana branch 
of the illustrious AIcKinley family, and a relation of our martyred President 
of that name. In common with the other members of his family he boasts 
a Scotch-Irish line of ancestry, in which the Scotch strain predominated. The 
family was of Scotch Covenanter origin and as the descendants of sturdy and 
religious men the family history in this country has upheld its ancient tradi- 
tions. He is a business man of acknowledged ability and as a citizen he has not 
gone without recognition. 

Charles Edwin McKinley was born at Pleasant Ridge. Wood township, 
four and a half miles south of Borden, in the vicinitv of the old burial ground, 
on Alay 7, 1862. He was the son of William McKinley, and his wife, whose 
maiden name was Nancy Bell. Our subject's grandfather, Th(imas ^IcKin- 
ley, was a son of the head of the Indiana branch of the McKinley family. 

Charles Edwin was educated in the public schools of Wood township 
and on arrival at the proper age began life as a farmer. For eighteen years 
he farmed and marketed farm and dairy produce and had a large array of 
private customers in New Albany. In this line he was very successful and he 
still retains his farm at Pleasant Ridge. In October, 1906, he established 
himself as head of the well known ^McKinley Hotel, at Borden, which was 
started some years before by Edwin McKinley. He also opened an adjoining 
store and carried on -a general mercantile business. At the present time he 
conducts the McKinley Hotel, a livery stable, and a general store, on an ex- 
tensive scale and in a first class manner. In addition he has been since 1907 
president of the Borden State Bank. 

Mr. ]\IcKinley married on the 17th of September, 1885. Jemima E. Bell, 
the daughter of well known townsfolk. Their marriage proved very happy 
and they have reared a family of four sons and four daughters, namely : 
Francis IM., Sarah F. (known to her friends as Fannie) : Jessie E., John H., 
Clarence D., Georgia E.. Harry Goebel, and Iva ^lildred McKinley. All 
are well educated and accomplished. 



684 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Our subject was a member of a family composed of one girl and ten 
bovs. In politics he is a Democrat. He is reckoned as one of the leading men 
of his party in Clark county. He was Trustee of \\'ood township from 1895 
to 1900. 



EDGAR I. COOMBS. 



As a successful agriculturist and trusted official Mr. Coombs has dis- 
charged ablv and conscientiously the duties devolving upon him, and his aim 
has ever been to measure up to the highest standard of excellence. 

Edgar I. Coombs was born near his present place of residence on the ist 
day of January. 1852, and his entire life has been spent with.in the township 
over which he now exercises official jurisdiction. His childhood and youth 
were spent amid the peaceful rural scenes of his native place and as a farmer's 
boy he learned the lesson of industry and the respect for moral worth which 
had such jxitent influence in forming his character, and directing his life into 
proper channels. At the proper age he entered the public schools and after 
acquiring a knowledge of the branches taught therein, later he turned his at- 
tention to agricultural pursuits and in due time engaged in gardening, which 
he followed for several successive years. By industry, consecutive eff^ort and 
excellent management he early laid a solid foundation for the future and so 
conducted his affairs as to accumulate a handsome property, owning at this 
time considerable valuable real estate in Utica township, and occupying a 
conspicuous place among the well-to-do men of his own community. After 
acquiring a sufficiency of this world's goods to place him in independent cir- 
cumstances, he discontinued active pursuits and for some time past has been 
living practically a retired life, although still interested in agriculture and 
keeping in touch with the affairs of the times. 

Mr. Coombs is a Democrat in politics and one of the leaders of his party 
in Utica township, being an able and judicious adviser in its councils and an 
earnest and influential worker in the ranks. He has always taken a keen in- 
terest in public questions and the great issues on which men and parties divide, 
and his opinions concerning the same, which are intelligent and well founded, 
carry weight and command respect. As a reward for valuable services ren- 
dered his party as well as by reason of his fitness for the place, he was elected 
in 1904, Trustee of Utica township, the duties of which office he has since 
discharged in an able and business like manner, creditable to himself and 
satisfactory to the people of his jurisdiction. An indication of his popularity 
is afforded by the fact of his having carried the election in the above year by 
the largest majority ever given a candidate in the township of Utica. 

]\Ir. Coombs is a believer in revealed religion and for a period of twenty- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 685 

five years has been a devoted member of the Christian chnrch and an active 
worker in the congregation at Utica. in which for some years he has held the 
office of trustee. In his fraternal relations he is an Odd Fellow. 

The domestic life of Mr. Coombs dates from December 7, 1S80, when he 
was united in marriage with Catherine Oglesby, daughter of Thomas B. 
Oglesby, late of Jeffersonville township, the union being blessed with one child, 
a son by the name of Carl C. Coombs, a young man of high intellectual at- 
tainments. After completing the puljlic school course young Coombs entered 
the Kentucky University at Lexington, where he made an enviable record as a 
student. On leaving that institution he took up the legal profession, and after 
a course in the law school of Louisvile was admitted, in igo6, to the Clark 
Countv Bar. 



DANIEL jVIILBURN DOW. 

It has been almost a century since the first member of the Dow family 
placed a foot upon the prolific soil of Wood township, Clark county. Daniel 
]\I. Dow now lives within a half mile from the spot where his eyes first opened 
upon the world. He is justly proud of his ancestors, who had no little part 
in the making of the history of this Republic, and than whom none were 
more closely identified with that of Southern Indiana. The blood of one who 
helped wrest his native land from the grasp of an oppresser surges through 
the veins of our subject. 

Air. Dow was born in Wood township, in 1854, his parents being Henry 
D. and Elizabeth (Beggerly) Dow. The former was born within the pre- 
cincts of the same township in 1824, being the son of Henry and Mercy (Kin- 
ney) Dow, who came to Wood township in 18 18. The former was born in 
Connecticut, May 13, 1794, his wife in the same state June 24, 1791. The 
grandfather of the subject died November 3, 1873, and the grandmother July 
22, 1874. The death of his father occurred October 27, 1898, while his 
mother passed away May 25, 1902, having been born in Kentucky, September 
26, 1823. 

The children born to Henry and Mercy (Kinney) Dow were as follows: 
Hannah, born in Plainfield, Connecticut; Martha, born February 5, 1817, also 
in that city; Lucy, born July 30, 1818, on the way to Clark county, Indiana: 
Sallie, born September 20, 1820, in Clark county; Henry D., born April 19, 
1824, Clark county; Rhoda, born September 13, 1826, Clark county; Lydia, 
born July 14, 1829, Clark county; Rebecca, born May 24, 1832, Clark county. 

The following children were those of H. D. and Elizabeth (Beggerly) 
Dow: Sallie Ann, born August 11, 1845, died May 30, 1849; Lydia A., bom 
January 10, 1848, died in infancy; Laura A., born January 22, 1850, mar- 



686 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

ried to Jolin B. Goss, living in the state of Washington, has five cliildren ; Henry 
E., born June 2, 1852, died JNIarch 29, 1853 ; Daniel M. (subject), born March 
I, 1854; George W.. born Jul}^ 17. 1856, married Anna Hurst, and lives in 
Da\-is county, has five children: Alice J., born Septanber 28, 1858, married 
James Pearce, and lives in Clark county; Mary A., born May 5, 1862, married 
to Willard Todd, and lives in W'ood township, has two children; Elizabeth 
C, born February 11, 1864, married N. S. Martin, of Washington county, 
and has five children. 

H. D. Dow, father of these children, was a farmer and breeder of stock. 
He took an active part in politics and was a hard worker on election day, but 
never held or sought public office. He was an adherent of the Republican 
party, and he belonged to the Christian church, of which he was an elder for 
many years. 

Daniel M. Dow was married to Philena B. Walker, of Washington 
county, November 9, 1876, the parents of the bride being James H and Phcebe 
Ann Walker. The following children were born to them : Stella B., born 
June 25, 1878. at home; Linna M., born April 30, 1881, and married James 
E. Cooley, had five children, and died in 1908: Mrs. Alice G. (Dow) Miller, 
living in Wood township; Mary B., born August 21, 1892. living at home. 

Mr. Dow was educated in the common schools of Wood township. He 
is a Republican and a member of the Christian church. He spends very little 
time in politics, devoting his entire attention to farming and stock raising. 
He lives in the house that his grandfather built in 1838, and v>'hich was rebuilt 
by his father in 1S78. The grandfather manufactured the brick with which 
he built the structure, and at that time it was considered one of the finest dwell- 
ings in the county. Mr. Dow has cleared a great deal of land himself, and 
made many improvements on his farm, which is in section 12. 

Elizabeth Beggerly was the daughter of Jonathan B. and Casender 
Bailey. The former was born in Kentucky, August 2, 1802. The same state 
was the birthplace of his wife, the date thereof being April 3, 1804. Her 
parents emigrated to Clark county when she was but two years old. They 
were the parents of the following children : Elizabeth Ann, born September 
26, 1823; Susan and Nancy (twins), born July 10, 1825: William P., born 
August 9, 1827; Eliza, born October 25, 1829; James O., born May 12, 1832; 
Isaac J., born December 29, 1833; Lewis and Melvina (twins), born August 
20, 1836; Clinton, born November 29, 1839; Benona G., born April 6, 1842. 

In the parlor door of the Dow home there is a notch where grandfather 
Dow was hanged by the neck until nearly dead by four highwaymen to make 
him divulge the hiding place of his money. As it was they secured from him 
the sum of sixteen hundred dollars and four horses. This was during the 
days of the Civil war, and the robbers, supposed to be part of Morgan's band, 
were captured later, and five hundred dollars of the stolen money and the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 687 

horses returned to the owner. The Dows had the first grist mill in that part 
of Indiana, and one of the first steam mills. In the early days all of the flour 
was bolted by hand. An uncle of the subject was the owner of one of the first 
saw mills in the state. 



JOHN MILTON HALLET. 

The subject of this sketch lives upon the soil upon which he was born 
three quarters of a century ago. and in the house that his father built when 
John Milton Hallet was in the first year of his age. His parents penetrated 
the wilderness of Indiana when its trackless forests were filled with hostile 
Indians and when ferocious animals menaced them every step of the way, but 
with that dauntless courage which characterized the early settler, they had 
no thought of turning back, but pushed on to their journey's end. 

John Milton Hallet, one of the oldest and most prosperous citizens of 
Wood township, Clark county, was born in Wood township. May 6, 1833, the 
son of Samuel and Cynthia (Geer) Hallet. His father was born August 6, 
1790, in New London, Connecticut, and moved to Wood township in 1819, 
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was known as "Squire" Hallet, 
having served as Justice of the Peace for many years, and was very active in 
politics. He was the second postmaster of the little town of Borden, then 
known as New Providence. Like his father, who had fought in the \\'ar of 
the Revolution, he was a soldier, serving his country well throughout the War 
of 1812. He was a most pronounced Whig, and died in W^ood township in 
1852. The mother of the suljject. like her husband, was a native of Connecti- 
cut, being the daughter of Israel and Mary (Newton) Geer. The year of her 
birth was 1794, and she was married in 18 14. The following children were 
born to the parents of the suljject: William S. B., boi^n in Connecticut, April 
4, 1815, died in Borden, July 31, i860; Margaret Wood, his wife, died March 
16, 1841 : George \\'., born in Connecticut, April 4, 18.1.0, died at Borden, 
September 25, 1841 ; Thomas B., born in Clark county. May 28, 1821, died 
in Morrilton, Arkansas, 1868; Rhoda M., his wife, died January 24, 1848; 
Emeline, who was born in Clark county, August 20, 1823. died in New 
Albany in 1885; Henry, born in Clark county, January 21, 1826, died in 
November, 1853; Mary Ann, born July 13, 1828, died April 28, 1855: Eliza- 
beth, born in Clark county, is still living near Borden, and is the wife of 
Robert Huston; John Milton, born May 6, 1833, still living in Wood town- 
ship; Norman, born May 9, 1837, died October 28, 1841. The parents on 
both sides of the house had members of their families in the War of the Revo- 
lution and the War of 1S12. 

The father of the subject, in connection with his agricultural pursuits, 
engaged in the nurserv business and set out one of the first orchards in the 



688 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

county, two or three of the old trees still standing upon the land upon which 
the subject lives. He was always foremost in school and church work; being 
a public-spirited man, and naturally very popular. As stated in the introduc- 
tory of this sketch, the house where his son, John IMilton Hallet, now resides, 
was built by him in 1834. He purchased the land in that year, cleared and 
improved it until it was considered one of the best pieces of farm land in the 
county. Mr. Hallet burned the brick to build his dwelling upon land close 
to where his son now lives. 

John ]\Iilton Hallet was married to Cynthia Kelly June 14. 1855, and 
she died ]\Iarch 29, 1856, a little less than (nie year after she had become a 
bride. The result of this union was one child, who was born in 1856, and 
died in her infancy. On October 2, 1861, the'widower contracted a second 
alliance, marrying Louisa Martin. Their children were Edwin Stanton, born 
September 4, 1862, who married Emma K. Pierce and now lives in St Louis, 
where he is chief engineer in the government service; Linnie E., born October 
19, 1864, is living at home; Thomas B., born September 2'y. 1866, who is also 
at home, is a school teacher at Henryville, ha\ing graduated from the Mich- 
igan University, and has taught school for thirteen years: John M., Jr., born 
June 22, 1874, lives at home. The mother of these children died March 16, 
1904. 

'Sir. Hallet started in life with a very scant education, but despite that 
handicap has been very successful. Besides being a farmer he is a breeder 
of fine Jersey cattle. He has a fine place, three miles and a half from Borden, 
and owns land in sections 5 and 7, living in the last named section. He is a 
member of the Christian church, and a Republican. 



CAPTAIN JAiMES T. DUFFY. 

The career of the well remembered gentleman whose name forms the 
caption of this biographical memoir, was a strenuous and varied one, the dis- 
tinction which he attained in different spheres of activity entitling him to hon-. 
orable mention among the leading men and representative citizens of his day 
and generation in the county with which his life was so closely identified, and 
to him is due the credit of giving prestige to the family name, an old and 
honored one in the Emerald Isle, and adding to the brightness of an escutcheon 
which shines with peculiar luster in communities long noted for the high stand- 
ing and distinguished achievements of its business and public men, and al- 
though his life record has been brought to a close by the inevitable fate that 
awaits all mankind, his influence still pervades the lives of a wide circle of 
friends and acquaintances who reverence his memory. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.j IND. 689 

Capt. James T. Duffy was born in Cootehill, County Cavan. Ireland, 
in 1844, the son of Thomas and Ellen (Clark) Duffy, both natives of Ireland, 
where they were reared and married, and in which country the latter died 
about 1846, after becoming the mother of five children, four boys and one 
girl, of whom James T. was the youngest. Thomas Duffy was a druggist in 
the northern part of Ireland, maintaining in connection with his brother, a 
drug store in Cootehill, County Cavan. The latter came to New York about 
1845, and a year later, after the death of his wife, Thomas Duffy came to the 
United States bringing his children to join their relative in the new world. 
They landed in New Orleans and ascended the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, 
intending to go to New York, but Thomas Duffy was stricken with typhoid 
fever and died in Cincinnati, leaving five orphan children, practically penni- 
less and among strangers. The oldest child, Michael, who was then nineteen 
years of age, finally located in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he secured 
work and became a very successful business man, eventually carrying on an 
extensive coal business. James T., the youngest of the children, lived in Cin- 
cinnati and later in Pittsburg with his brother, until he reached the age of 
sixteen years, having worked in the coal mines. When the war between the 
states came on he espoused the Union cause and showed his patriotism for 
his adopted country by enlisting in a Pennsylvania regiment, in which he 
faithfully served until the close of the war, proving himself a soldier of in- 
trepid courage and gallantry although a mere youth. He was a bugler, but 
was found in the thickest of many sanguinary engagements, always ready to 
obey the orders of his commanding officer. He saved all his wages during 
these years, and appropriated the same to the laudable undertaking of securing 
an education to which he directed his attention after being mustered out of 
the army. That he possessed a great amount of fortitude and a spirit which 
no obstacle could daunt, is shown in his efforts to obtain a mental training 
that would guide him to subsequent success in later years. Devoting ten 
hours a day to the arduous duties that befall the lot of a miner, he gave but 
five hours to sleep, spending the remainder of the twenty-four in study. This 
careful application to miscellaneous subjects, coupled with an innate capacity 
for obersvation and assimilation, rendered him a well educated man. and his 
conversation was at once learned and interesting. 

Having made trips to Jeffersonville on tow boats in connectioii with the 
movement of coal he observed the splendid advantages here of future business 
possibilities, and in 1866 in partnership with Patrick Bonner, he established 
a coal business in Jeffersonville. They engaged in shipping coal and holding 
quantities on the river for the local market. Being far-sighted, able to see 
with remarkable accuracy the outcome of commercial transactions, Mr. Duffy 
saw the advantages of obtaining possession of landings along the river and as 
soon as practicable bought different ones. The business of this firm grew to 

44 



690 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., INI). 

extensive proportions, owing principally to the careful management and wise 
discretion exercised bj- Mr. Duffy, this firm handling practically all the coal 
that came down the Ohio river for distribution in this locality. They also en- 
gaged in towing on the river, which necessitated the ownership of many boats, 
some of which they purchased, but constructed the major part themselves and 
became very wealthy in due course of time. In 1881 Mr. Duff}- purchased the 
landing knnwn as the "F'umi)kin Patch," which e.xtends quite a distance along 
the water front, about two miles above Port Fulton. At that time Mr Duffy 
also purchased about one hundred acres of land at this point, on which he 
made his home, later buying more land, developing a very fine farm of over 
two hundred acres. Everything about the place showed thrift and prosperity, 
being highly improved and under an excellent state of cultivation. Much 
stock of fine quality and variet)- was to be found here, and a magnificent dwell- 
ing was erected in the midst of attractive surroundings, one of the most at- 
tractive country homes in the state. It is modern in every detail, commo- 
dious, commanding a beautiful y'\e\\- of the Ohio vWev and it has always ijeen 
a place where the numerous friends of the family delighted to gather, where 
free hospitality and good cheer ever prevailed and culture and refinement ever 
centered. 

Besides his extensive farming and coal interests Captain Duffy also man- 
aged other large enterprises with that soundness of judgment and wise fore- 
sight tliat stam])ed him as no mediocre man of affairs, but truly a wizard of 
finance, with remarkalile ability as an organizer and pronn.ter. In the year 
190T he established the sand business at Louisville, now carried on by his sons 
in a manner which stamps them as worthy descendants of their father and 
men to whom the future augurs many nutable achievements in the world of 
business. This industry grew to extensive proportions, and Captain Duffy 
acquired considerable property in Louisville, owning a number of business 
blocks in connection with other property and becoming well known to busi- 
ness circles on both sides of the river, by whom he was regarded as a most ex- 
traordinary business man. very frugal, but generous toward his fellows. He 
extended a helping hand to many and had never a word of criticism for an}'- 
one, in fact, he often did favors for those who had shown him no quarter in 
his earlier years of business struggles. He was a great home man. During 
business hours the captain was deeply absorbed in whatever he had in hand, 
but he left his business cares and worries behind when he closed his office and 
after reaching his cozy home enjoyed to the utmost the seclusion and quiet of 
his family and home en^•ironment. which was always harmonious and con- 
genial. 

In later years Captain Duft'y became a large stockholder in the Louisville 
Ice Company and he established the ice plant in Jeff'ersonville. He at one time 
owned large interests in French Lick Springs. Indiana, but sold out to Thomas 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 69I 

Taggart. of Indianajxilis. He was regarded as one of the leading and best 
known river men in the country, at one time having control of the coal harbor 
business at this point and at the time of his death he had numerous interests, 
including the Cincinnati Packet Company, the Louisville & Evansville Packet 
Company, and the Louis\'ille & Jeffersonville Ferry Compan)-. He was also 
interested in the Jefifersonville City Railway. 

Captain James T. Duffy was always a man of fine personal appearance, 
enjoying good health, principally due. no doubt, to his temperate habits, never 
using tobacco or liquors in any form, and his lamented death was untimely, 
having been sick but a short time. He was taken to the hospital at Rochester, 
Minnesota, where he died from the effects of an operation, November 24, 
1905, his demise being a matter of keen regret thrnughout the countrv, news- 
papers all over the United States giving eulogistic and extended notices of his 
death. His funeral was from the St. Augustine church in Jeffersonville. 

An interesting chapter in die history of Captain Duffy is that bearing on 
his happy domestic life, which began September 21, 1871, when he was united 
in the bonds of wedlock with Miss Nora V. Robinson, of Jeffersonville. the 
ceremony ha\-ing been performed in the rectory of the cathedral in Louisville, 
the Rev. Father Bouchet, subsequently vicar-general, officiating. Mrs. Duffy 
was the daughter of Hamiltf)n Robinson, a sketch of which well known pio- 
neer appears in another part of this \< ilume. Eight children blessed the union 
of Mr. and Mrs. James T. Duft'y, two of whom are deceased, Sarah and Mary; 
John Thomas and James Thomas are still members of the family circle; Nora 
is the wife of Dr. C. F. C. Hancock, of Jeffersonville, and Marguerite Fay 
is the wife of O. H. Wathen, of Louisville; James Hamilton married Miss 
Emma Howard: Leta married Dr. C. ^^^ Shropshire, of Birmingham. Ala- 
bama. Mrs. Duffy is a woman of gracious personalitv and has long been a 
leader in social circles in Jeffersonville. where she is held in high esteem as are 
also her children, whose daily lives reflect the wholesome home environment 
and uplifting influeuce in which they were reared. She always took a great 
interest in the affairs of her husband and much of his business prosperity was 
no doubt due to her encouragement and counsel. She took an especial interest 
in the development of their fine farm and presides with rare dignity over the 
attractive Duffy residence. 

James T. Duff)- was a devout Catholic all his life, and in his political re- 
lations he supported the Democratic party, although he never sought public 
office, preferring to devote his entire attention to his private business affairs 
and to his home. Ho\\e\-er. his interest in the welfare of Jefferson\-ille and com- 
munity was deep seated and abiding and he gave liberally toward the support 
of all movements calculated to improve the material, social and moral interests 
of the same. 

By reference to the foregoing review the life of Captain Duft'y appears 



692 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., INU. 

to have been a very strenuous one. filled to repletion with duty ably and faith- 
fully performed and characterized throughout by a devotion to principle, above 
reproach and a sense of honor defying adverse criticism. He has a capacity 
for large undertakings and his eminently interesting career not only com- 
mended him to the people of his own county and state, but gave him a reputa- 
tion much more than state wide and an honorable name among the leading 
men of his day. He was a man of fine sensibilities and a high sense of justice 
and honor, it being his aim to be on the right side of every question with 
which he had anything to do and to lose sight of self or selfish interests in 
the noble endeavor of striving for the greater good of the greater number. 
Broad-minded, public-spirited, fer\'idly patriotic and taking liberal views of 
men and afiFairs he impressed his individuality upon the community and coun- 
ty as an enterprising, large-hearted, progressive American citizen of the best 
type, while among his immediate friends he will always be remembered as a 
man without pretense and a courteous gentleman whose integrity and loyalty 
would bear the closest scrutiny. 



COLUMBUS J. BOTTORFF. 

That he has attained a competency through his individual efforts is nat- 
urally a matter of pride with Mr. Bottorff. His opportunities to store his mind 
with knowledge were limited, but he procured a fair education in the township 
schools, and early in life began to perform the arduous duties that devolve 
upon the boy who is reared on a farm. Mr. Bottorff has been very successful 
in agricultural pursuits, his crops, as a rule, being abundant He is a native 
of Jackson county, where he was born February 13, 185 1, coming to Jef- 
fersonville with his parents when but an infant. He was married long after 
he reached manhood's estate, taking unto himself a wife in May, 1893. 

The father of the subject, William Jackson Bottorff, was born in Clark 
county, near Charlestown, while his mother was a native of Kentucky. There 
were four children besides himself, William E., Ida, who married David Hos- 
tetter, and is now dead; Samantha, wife of Wallace James, and Lily, wife of 
John Collins. 

The land owned by C. J. Bottorff consists of one hundred and fifty acres, 
and he engages in general farming. He is a Seventh Day Adventist, and po- 
litically a Democrat. He never held office, and is not a member of any 
fraternal order. 

Mr. Bottorff is a very genial man of sterling honesty, and in his dealings 
with his neighbors observes the golden rule. He is thoroughly practical and 
has broad views upon all subjects in which the people of today are interested. 



BAIRD's HISTORV of CLARK CO., IXD. 693 

WILLIA^I ADAAIS. 

Owing to the great number of changes that take place in tlie population 
of our counties it is now only occasionally that we come upon a person of 
advanced age that has been born upon native soil. One, however, is to be 
found in William Adams, who was born in Clark county, this state, on May 
16. 1S36. Hisancestr}- includes in its roll some of the sturdy settlers of Ken- 
tucky, where were born his parents, Martin and Jane (Davis) Adams, who 
were among the earliest pioneers of Clark county. They were staunch Presby- 
terians and each lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. Of this family 
there are still surviving besides William two brothers and one sister, the broth- 
ers living at this time in Indiana and the sister in Denver, Colorado. 

The domestic life of Mr. Adams has not been one of the uninterrupted 
smoothness inasmuch as his home has been repeatedly invaded by visits from 
the death angel. His first wife, Charlotte Kisler, was not permitted to live 
to see her children grow to maturity, but five of these are still living. The 
three children of the second wife. Sarah S. Swartz. have also joined their 
mother in the great beyond. Following this Mr. Adams was married to a 
sister of his second wife, Eliza Swartz, after whose death he was joined in 
marriage to Sarah Heuser. The children now living refered to above are 
Anna Belle Scott. Jennie Gilmore. Elizabeth Ogg. Martin A. and Minnie 
Smith. 

Mr. Adams is well known as a splendid business man and an aggressive, 
public-spirited citizen. He has been called upon by his fellow citizens to serve 
them in many public capacities. In 1880 he served as Township Assessor and 
filled the office in a praiseworthy manner. In 1895 he demonstrated his ability 
as a party figure, assisting to bring atout a complete change in the political 
complexion of county afifairs, the usual Democratic majorities being wiped 
out and the county offices placed into the hands of the Republicans. In wag- 
ing this fight Mr. Adams used as his instrument the columns of the New 
Albany Tribune. 

Mr. Adams is a loyal Methodist in his religious affiliations, as were also 
his wives. He has for a long term of years been a most faithful and helpful 
worker in promoting the growth and progress of church life in the community. 
He has been a member of the board of trustees of the New Chapel Methodist 
church since 1883, and served as president of the same for twenty years. He 
was also president of the building committee, which constructed one of the 
finest church edifices in Clark county in 1883. every dollar for the same passing 
through his hands, for which a strict and satisfactory account was given. 

The farm now occupied by ^Ir. Adams consists of one hundred and 
thirty-one acres, and has been his home since 1857. Two of his children, Mrs. 
Gilmore and ]\Irs. Scott, occupy nearby farms to that of their father. In addi- 



694 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

tion to this farm Air. Adams owns tracts of land in Utica and Washington 
townships. He is a man well preserved, is keenly alert t(} the questions of 
the day. He has lived to see many changes in the community where he has 
maintained his residence for over fifty years. There are only two heads of 
families now occupying the same houses they did in 1857 in his neighborhood. 
He recalls the days before the use of coal for fuel on the river. Andrew Van 
Dike, a pioneer wood hauler, furnished the ferry with its fuel in those days, 
and in after years assisted Mr. Adams in threshing grain. 



AMOS B. STACY 



Among the well-to-do and progressive farmers of Clark county, Indiana, 
must be mentioned Amos B. Stacy, who operates a farm of two hundred and 
forty-two acres in Jeffersonville township. He was born in the city of 
JefTersonville in 1844, and received his early education in the public schools 
of that town. He is the son of Amos B. and Elizabeth N. Stacy, both born 
"on the banks." as they say, of Southern Indiana. The family consisted of 
thirteen children, a number which, whether "lucky" or not, is one that is rarely 
equalled by the families of the present day. .\mos B. was the second in the 
order of birth, and nine of the number are still living. The names of the chil- 
dren are herewith appended: Hulda, wife of John W. Crandall; Margaret, 
wife of David R. House; Jonas D., unmarried and now in Colorado; \\'illiam 
O. and John H.. the latter in Cripple Creek, Colorado; Edward D., living at 
Upper Sandusky, Ohio; Katie A., wife of James H. Walker, and both now 
deceased; Anna D., deceased, wife of John C. Enteman ; Emma R., deceased; 
Howard N., living in Albuquerque, Xew Alexico ; Augusta, deceased ; Gauda- 
loupe v., in Los Angeles, California. 

Mr. Stacy after finishing his schooling in the Jeffersonville schools, de- 
cided to leave the city for life on the farm and brought with him the experience 
and training obtained through close contact witli business afifairs in the town. 
He made use of his training in broadening his outlook on life, and in fully 
preparing himself for the task of operating a farm in such a way as to bring 
about profitable results. In this he has demonstrated his ability to measure 
up to the requirements, for he has been eminently successful as a farmer. He 
has made a close study of the problems of the soil and understands fully how 
to manage the rotation of crops so that the best results may be obtained with 
the least exhaustion of the soil. In conjunction with this he has developed 
good judgment in the selection of seeds and their varieties, demonstrating that 
this is a very important factor in achieving successful production. 

Mr. Stacv is a member of the Alethodist denomination and contributes 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IX». 695 

willingly to its support, maintaining at all times a <juiet and unassuming atti- 
tude. Prilitically he adheres to the tenets of the Democratic party, but does 
not place party above principle. From 1886 to 1888 he served as .Supervisor, 
but beyond this has not consented to run for public ol^ce of any kind, prefer- 
ring rather to act his part as a citizen by ruling his life in harnmnv with the 
requirements of unimpeachable patriotism. 



FRAXK REISER. 



]\Ir. Keiser is now reaping the reward of a career of industry. ha\ing 
enibarked upon the battle of life with little or no capital, and now being the 
owner of one of the most productive truck farms in Clark county. Landing 
on the shores of America from a foreign country, without even a smattering 
of the English language lie was confronted with many difticulties. but he had 
come to the new world filled with a determination to better his condnion. and 
persevered until he had realized his ambition to become a land owner. 

Frank Keiser was torn August 31. 1855, at Frankfort-on-the-]\Iain, 
Germany, and came to this country when in the twenty-fourth year of his age, 
after having served three years in the army of the Fatherland. He was the 
son of W'ilhelm and ]\Iarie (Hoch) Keiser. The former was also a native of 
Frankfort-on-the-Main. while the mother of the latter was born at Xaples- 
town, Germany Frank Keiser attended the schools of his native country for 
several years, and then learned the butcher's trade, at which he worked in 
Baltimore shortly after his arrival in the United States. He did not remain 
in the East long, however, but started lait in the direction of the setting sun, 
having been informed that there were great opportunities for energetic voung 
men in the Middle West, l-'or twemy years he lived in Louisville, being en- 
gaged in the meat business, but he never lost his desire to become a cultivator 
of the soil, and nine years ago he purchased his present place, which is located 
on the middle roafl. near Jeffersonville. and which consists of one hundred 
acres, and is very productive. 

Frank Keiser was married in 1886, in Louisville, to Emma Foreman, of 
Jasper, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Keiser are the parents of six children. Charles, 
William, Maggie, Lily, Rose and Frank. The first named is a resident of 
Kansas, while the others make their home with their parents. The subject is 
a member of the German Lutheran church, and he is very faithful in his atten- 
ance upon religious services, as are also the members of his family. Politically 
he is a Democrat, but does not actively participate in politics, nor lias he ever 
filled any public office. Mr. Keiser and his wife are highly esteemed b_\' their 
neighlxirs. 



696 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 

HARVEY JOINER. 

Lovers of art and readers of pages devoted to this subject in the press will 
readilv recognize in this name one of the best known painters of the INIiddle 
West. From earliest boyhood Harvey Joiner developed a taste for art and a 
most commendable ambition to succeed as a painter which no discipline could 
repress and no misfortune entirely check. By persistence and the exercise of 
his natural talent he not only achieved a fair measure of fame but success in a 
financial wav. though as usual with artists perhaps not equal to his deserts. 
He is a son of Oscar and Elizabeth (Tophouse) Joiner, the former of whom 
located in Charlestown in 1840 and engaged in the cooperage business. Harvey 
Joiner was born in Charlestown, Clark county. Indiana. April 8. 1852. and in 
due time beame a pupil at 'Possum Trot school near his native place. Even at 
this early period the innate inclination manifested itself in pictures drawn on 
the blackboard or any other receptive surface, the teacher being unable to curb 
the irrepressible instinct or interest the embryonic artist in routine studies. 

As a boy he made his own colors from poke-bern,- juice, milkweed, wash 
bluing, pot-black and pounded grass, which combination he used like water 
colors. His first effort in oil was made at Artie Springs, of the Louisville 
water works, painted on a piece of pine board. This crude sketch he gave 
awav and lost track of, but he afterward regretted its loss, and would now 
prize it highly as a souvenir of his early days. About this time he held out 
between two opinions, being undecided between a theatrical and artistic career, 
though he had some ability in both lines. The love of drawing finally pre- 
vailed and he abandoned all ambition to shine in the Court of Thespis. His 
first serious efforts consisted in drawing sketches of negro characters dancing 
Jim Crow on the plantations of the South. Here he spent three years sketch- 
ing and steamboating, the beautiful surroundings giving many ideas for the 
accumulations of material for subsequent landscape and woodland scenes. In 
1873 'Sir. Joiner made his first serious sketch in oil and located the next year 
in St. Louis, where he began painting portraits with Hoffman, the noted Ger- 
man artist. Later he established a studio in the Courier-Journal building at 
Louisville, Kentucky, which, for twenty-seven years was a mecca for the art 
loving world. Visitors came for miles to attend his annual exhibitions which 
did much to cultivate a taste for art in the South. His methods are peculiar 
to himself. He paints most of his woodland scenes at a single sitting, first 
making a sketch in brown and laying all color upon another until the entire 
picture is completed. He has made a special study of sunlight effect and his 
beautiful beechwoods scenes give a distinction to ISIr. Joiner's work that is 
not equalled by the work of any other artist. The daily press of Louisville 
has teemed with praise of his contributions to the world of art and his worth 
as a leader in educating the public taste. His first figure picture, six by ten 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 697 

feet, was completed in 1877, the same being a life-size painting in oil and now 
hangs in the Christian church at Utica. Indiana, the subject presenting "Ruth 
Gleaning in the Field of Boaz." It was a very creditable effort though done in 
his early career. Since 1896, when he exhibited at the Nashville Centennial 
Exposition. Mr. Joiner has held annual exhibitions of his landscape paintings 
and of late has confined his attention exclusively to painting beechwood scenes 
in Kentucky and Indiana. After having resided in Jeffersonville since 1864, 
]\Ir- Joiner located in Louisville in 1902. On August 29. 1907. his studio was 
entirely destroyed by fire and ninety-eight pictures were consumed in the 
flames, which, in part, consisted of an accumulation of thirty years. Prac- 
tically all the sketches he had done from his boyhood, including newspaper 
and magazine notices, and a mailing list of five thousand names including pa- 
trons from San Francisco to Xew York, were irreparably lost. Among the 
paintings lost was a marine scene of compelling interest, showing a limp and 
lifeless figure of a beautiful girl in the semi-nude left bv the receding tide on 
the barren rocks. I\Ir. Joiner's studio is at present located in the Equitable 
Building. Louisville, Kentucky. 

In 1878 j\Ir. Joiner married Nettie Kane, daughter of Capt. John W. 
Kane, both now deceased. Two children were born to this union. Mrs. Earl 
Lewman, a resident of Charlestown township. Clark county, and Harvev, an 
only son, being employed at Denver, with the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, 
also the Rocky Mountain Timber Company. He inherited his father's artistic 
temperament but has made no serious effort to develop his talents along that 
line. In the last fifteen years Mr. Joiner's paintings have become widely 
known and are owned by art patrons in all the principal cities of the L'nited 
States. 



JOHN TALLEY 



John Talley was born in Columbia. South Carolina, February 14. 1833. 
His father, Stephen Talley, was bom in England, and came to America when 
still a young man. After arriving here he married Eliza Brown, who was 
boni in South Carolina, and was of German extraction. 

Stephen Talley desenes mention as one of our countn,-'s patriotic sons, 
who, although English born, nevertheless took up arms in the American cause 
during the \\'ar of 1812, and fought nobly and well in behalf of the land of 
his adoption. He was a member of Company C. of the Second South Carolina 
Infantry, under the command of Captain Hancock. 

\Mien John Talley was seven years old his parents removed to Georgia 
and there he grew to manhood. He received such education as the community 
afforded, being reared in Gordon countv. near the citv of Rome. After reach- 



698 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ing maturity he learned the blacksmith's trade, and c::)ntinued to make his 
home in the vicinity of Rome until after the close of the war. 

]Mr. Talley participated in the Civil war, and, being a resident of the 
South, his views were in harmony with the cause of the Confederacy. He be- 
came a member of the Sixty-fifth Georgia Infantry under the command of 
that intrepid and invincible hero of Southern soil, Stonewall Jackson. For 
some time also Mr. Talley was employed at Bragg's Arsenal No. 2, and gave 
to the cause he espoused the best service that he could command. 

The war being concluded Mr. Talley removed from his Southern home 
and took up his quarters at Jeffersonville, Indiana. In 1858 he was joined 
in marriage to Emily Jane Conoly, who was a most estimalile companion and 
mother. She departed this life in April, igo8. To this union were born eight 
children, four of whom still sur\-ive. They are : John, who was married to 
Maggie Houston ; Eugene, being still at home : Dennis, who became the hus- 
band of a Miss Smith ; and Efifie, who is also at home. 

Mr. Talley holds liberal views on all religi(_ius questions and believes in a 
large charity for all mankind. Politically his inclinations favor the Demo- 
cratic cause, his convictions being at all times his guide. He holds no prejudice 
toward those whose opinions do not coincide with his own, but he adheres 
strictly to what seems to him to be the right attitude to take on all public ques- 
tions. He has had no desire to fill public office of any kind. He is a Mason, 
having his membership in the Clark Lodge, No. 40, at Jeffersonville. 



DANIEL J. BOWER. 

Upon a comfortable and well equipped farm in Jefferson township, Clark 
county, Indiana, lives the interesting character whose name forms the caption 
of this biography. Mr. Bower was born near New Washington on the 3d of 
January, 1830. He was the son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Hostetter) Bower, 
the former having been born in North Carolina, in 1800, and the latter in Ken- 
tucky, in 1802. 

Our subject's father was a man of considerable daring and possessed 
great skill as a rifleman. The' exigencies of the times created a great demand 
for men of that type to oppose the hostilities of the Indians, and Mr. Bower 
took an active part in the Black Hawk war and after his death his widow, who 
sui"vived him. received a pension in recognition of Mr. Bower's services to the 
country. He was long connected with the militia. 

Mr. Bower attended the district schools of the neighborhood and also the 
Charlestown school when conducted by Zebulon Sturgus. In addition to this 
he benefited by the rigid discipline and the stern duties of his daily life, and 
grew to manhood with a good educational equipment. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 699 

On Decenilser 22. 1859. Air." Bower was united in marriage to Elizabeth 
Walford. who was born on the 7th of June, 1834. The hou.se in which she 
was born stood upon the site of the present court-house in Louisville. She 
received a good general education in the district schools of Indiana and Ken- 
tucky and has proved to be a most estimable companion and competent mother. 
Her family of six children are : Minnie Alice, Annie Alene. Virginia EHza- 
beth, George Franklin (deceased), Catherine May and Cora Lee. 

As a memlier of the community Mr. Bower has commanded the confidence 
and trust of his neighbors and friends. For many years he has been Justice 
of the Peace and filled the place with credit and with entire satisfaction to his 
constituents. He also served as Deputy Assessor for two terms. He and his 
family are members of the Christian church and are held in high esteem by the 
membership on account of their Iciyalty to their faith and the sincerity of their 
daily life. In politics Mr. Bower affiliates with the Democratic party. He 
takes great pride in his family and has given his children all the opportunities 
that could be afforded. Three of his daughters, Virginia, Catherine and Cora, 
graduated from the Jeffersonville high school and later taught school. They 
are now married and each is presiding over a comfortable home. 



AARON P. SCOTT. 



A five mile drive to the east from Jeffersonville brings the visitor to the 
well kept and attractive country residence of Aaron P. Scott, whose family is 
one of the best known in this secti<jn of the countv and is one that has been 
connected in a must intimate manner with the advancement and progress of 
the community along all important lines. 

]\Ir. Scott was born in Utica township on the 22d day of Alarch, 1856, 
the son of William W'ascomb and Mary ( Seamster) Scott, tb.e former a native 
of Utica township anl the latter of Marion county, Kentucky. They were peo- 
ple whom everybody was glad to have for neighbors, being at once obliging 
and free, lending a helping hand without question or hesitancy whenever oppor- 
tunity afforded. 

Mr. Scott recei\'ed such education as the schools (^f the neighborhood 
afforded, but, not stopping with this, he has broadaied his outlook on the 
affairs of life until he is a recognized authority on all such topics as are of 
general interest to the citizens of any community. He has long been officially 
connected with the township schools, having at all times taken a deep interest 
in its educational affairs, and he has always stood for progress. At the present 
time he is a member of the County Council, and is regarded as an in\'aluable 
counsellor in the disposition of the perplexing problems which so often con- 
front that bodv. 



700 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

Mr. Scott was married to Anna Belle Adams, daughter of William and 
Charlotte Adams, sketch of whom will be found on another page of this 
work. ]\Irs. Scott's paternal grandfather. Col. Martin Adams, was a man 
of considerable note in the early days of the ^Middle ^^'est. \Mien sixteen years 
of age he was sent to the frontier as a scout and guardsman against the Indian 
foes. Many tribes were hostile and treacherous and a high degree of skill and 
courage were necessan." to successfully combat the foe on their own ground. 
According to the customs of the times, made necessary by circumstances, he 
dressed in buckskin trousers which, when once put on, were worn for some- 
thing like six months. In the case of Col. Martin Adams, he wore his buck- 
skin trousers as long as his growth would permit, hence when longer wear 
became impossible, on account of size, he submitted to the odd operation of 
having his trousers cut from his body. 

Mr. and Mrs. Scott have become the parents of three children : Addie, 
born on the 25th day of August, 1880, became the wife of Carl C. Canter, 
who is connected with the management of the Jeffersonville Reformatory. 
She died December 3, 1908, leaving two children, Frances ]\Iarie and Ruth 
Estella ; Lottie May was born on the 2d day of January, 1888, and William 
Martin first saw the light on January 3, 1898. 

Mr. Scott affiliates with the Democratic party, but takes his stand on 
the principles of justice and fairness, believing with Rutherford B. Hayes that 
"He serves his party best who sen-es his country best." He and his wife are 
loyal supporters of the Methodist church, and are well known for their chari- 
table spirit. 



HENRY HANKA. 



Mr. Hanka is entitled to rank among the successful self-made men of 
\^'ood township, Clark county, who, by energy and enterprise, have wrought 
wiselv and well not only to make a comfortable home and surroundings for 
themselves but also to make this one of the leading localities in the state. 

Henry Hanka was born in Floyd county, Indiana. ]May 5, 1869, the 
son of Benjamin and Caroline (Stumbler) Hanka. The former was born in 
FrankJin county. Indiana, and he came to Floyd county when about sixteen 
years old, where he has since resided. He has been a cooper by trade, but he 
has followed farming for many years and is still living on a farm in Floyd 
county, being known as one of the pioneer berry growers of Floyd county, 
in fact, he was one of the first growers of small fruit in this part of 
the state. Caroline Stumbler was born about 1838. in Floyd county, the 
daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (^Martin) Stumbler. She died about 1880. 
Henry Hanka had eight brothers and one sister, only five of whom are living. 



13AIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. -QI 

The subject received his education in the common schools of Floyd county. 
He has been a farmer and fruit grower all his life, having started life for him- 
self when he was married. ^lay 17. 1904. to Elnora Martel. of New Albany, 
daughter of Conrad, and Alary (Steller) Martel. Her parent? live in New Al- 
bany, their family consisting of seven children, five girls and two boys. Mr. 
Martel is a shoemaker by trade. 

Mr. Hanka devotes considerable time and attention to the growing of 
vegetables and all kinds of garden truck, besides fruit growing and general 
farming, and he makes a great success of all these lines, always finding a ready 
market for what he produces. He has a beautiful home five miles from Bor- 
den. He has been living in Clark county for several years. He is a bright 
young German, well known in this community, known as one of the extensive 
truck and berry growers. He has always been a Democrat and is a Catholic 
in his religious belief, belonging to St. John's church, in Wood township. 

Benjamin Hanka, father of the subject, was born April 15, 1842, in 
Franklin county, Indiana, the son of Joseph Hanka, who was born in Germany, 
and who came to the United States when a young man. He married Eliza- 
beth Burman, who was also a native of Germany. Joseph Hanka was about 
forty years old when he died, in Franklin county. His wife died in Louis- 
ville, Kentucky, at the age of fifty-seven years. The following children 
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hanka: Joseph, who died at the age 
of two years; John, Henry, of this review; Jacob, Elizabeth died when twelve 
years old, Benjamin, Jr., Antone, Frank was five years old at his death, Adam 
and Lara. 

Benjamin Hanka was the originator of strawberry culture in this sec- 
tion of the country. He started in the strawberry business here about twenty- 
six or twenty-seven years ago. He came to Floyd count}' about forty-one 
years ago and has resided in this locality ever since. He is a Demorat, a Cath- 
olic and a well known and highly respected man in the county as are all the 
Hankas. 



MATTHIAS FISCHER. 



Among the highly honored veterans of the war between the states and the 
prosperous farmers of Wood township, Clark county, the subject of this sketch 
deserves to be enrolled. 

Matthias Fischer was born October 28, 1837, at Oberstedten, by Frank- 
fort-on-the-Main, near Homburstch, Forderha, Germany, the son of Matthias 
F. and Elizabeth (Rocke) Fischer, the former having been bom in 1800 in 
the same place as the subject. He was a miller in the Fatherland before com- 
ing to the United States in 1853, having brought his family with him by way 



702 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

of New York, direct to Clark county, Indiana. He bought land in Wood 
township, where he farmed until his death, October 5, 1871. He went back 
to Germany twice on business after coming to the United States. He often 
told of his first trip to this country, which was made in an old-fashioned sail- 
ing vessel, which took sixty-four days to make the trip. He was a hard work- 
ing man and made all the improvements on the two hundred acres of land 
which he secured in this township. He devoted his life in this country to 
farming and stock raising, exclusively. He was the only member of his fam- 
ily wdio e\^er came to America. He was a well known man in Clark county 
and had a good business. He transported most of his farm products to Louis- 
ville where he found a ready market. He was a well educated man. a Demo- 
crat and a member of the Reformed Lutheran church. His parents died when 
he was very young. 

Matthias Fischer went to Louisville, Kentucky, soon after he arrived in 
America and learned the cooper's trade, at which he worked until 1862. He 
had received a fairly good education in Germany, but never attended school 
in this country. He espoused the cause of the National government during 
the dark days of the Civil war and enlisted in 1862. in the Twelfth Iiidiana 
Battery, Heavy Artillery, and served faithfully until the close cf the war. He 
was in the 1)attles of Huntsville, Alabama, and was at Fort Negley for about 
nine months. His next engagement was at Chickamauga, then Missionary 
Ridge and later tlie battle of Nashville. He lost his hearing in one ear from 
the concussion of the heavy guns and he gets a pension from the g-overnment 
which he so ably served. 

Mr. Fischer was married after his return from the army, in 1863, on 
November 23d, to Helen Hooilman, who was born June 3, 1843, the daughter 
of Jacob and Margaret (Dietz) Hooffman. Mrs. Fischer was born in Nieder- 
dorfelten, Germany, and she came to the United States in 1865. Her parents 
died when she was young. 

Following are the names of the brothers and sisters of the subject: Chris- 
tian, born October 10. 1825, died February 5. 1894; Elizabeth, born November 
29, 1827; Louis, born February 22. 1832, died August 24 1905', John E., 
born December 22, 1834, died February 12, 1900: Frederick, born October 4, 
1835, (lied August 2^, 1863: Henry lives in Wood township; Phillip is de- 
ceased; ]\Iarv, born in 1839, li\-es in Ohio; Eliza, born in 1838. lives in Shelby 
county, Kentucky. 

lo.ur children have been burn to Mr. and Mrs. Matthias l^"ischer. as fol- 
lows: Elizabeth, liorn August 14, 1866, married Lemuel Fordyce. who is de- 
ceased ; she is living in Wood township. Her children are George and Augusta. 
Augusta, the second child, was born Januaiy 18, 1869, married Christopher 
Miller, and they have two sons, Edwin and Lawrence, and they are living in 
Harrison covmty, Indiana. George M.. who was born January 14, 1873, is 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 703 

married and has these chilch"en. Nehie, Jacolj, Glen. Bertha and Leno. Emma, 
born January 7. 1879, married Nicolas Miller; they also live in Harrison 
county and are the parents of one child, named Lillian. George M, married 
Jennie Fordyce. They live in Wood township. 

iMr. Fischer went to farming after his marriage on sixty-five acres of 
land, in Wood township, section 8, and he developed a good farm, being a 
diligent worker and a careful manager. He has made a success of his agri- 
cultural and stock raising pursuits and is now living retired in Borden, having 
ceased active business operations five years ago. In his political relations he 
supports the principles of the Republican party. He is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. He belongs to IMitchell Post, No. 424, Grand Army 
of the Ixepulilic, of Borden. His is a fine nld German familv. 



ABRAHAM FRY. 



]\Ir. Fry has Imig Ijeen considered one of the leading pioneer agriculturists 
of Clark county, his farm being a model in every respect and under his man- 
agement it has been developed from the rudely improved virgin ground to a 
most highly pr('ducti\e place, wliich has from year' to year yielded a splendid 
income, so that our subject has laid up a competency for his old age. 

Abraham Fry was born in Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, in 1833, 
the date of his birth falling on Septem]>er 17th. ha\'ing" been reared near where 
he now resides, for, unlike many of his early contemporaries who left their 
parental roof-tree early in life to seek precarious fortunes in other states, Mr. 
Fr}' decided to remain at h<ime. His father, John Fry, a native of Kentucky, 
was a man of influence and high integrity. The mother of the subject, known 
as Sarah Swartz in her maidenhood, was reared in Utica township, where she 
attended school and where she married John Fry in about 1822, and became 
the mother of twelve children, fi\'e sons and seven daughters, of whom Abra- 
ham is the third living child. 

Aliraham Fry spent his boyhood days working on his father's farm and 
attending the public schools, where he applied himself in such a manner as to 
gain a good education, which has later in life Ijeen suj^plemented by home 
reading. Not being in position to leave his home and business to take part 
in the great Civil war, but feelins: that it was necessary to do what he could 



& 



in assisting to suppress the rebellion, Mr. Fry hired a substitute who went to 
the front in his stead. He began farming on his father's place, having pur- 
chased his present farm about 1856, therefore it has received his care and 
attention for over a half century, during which time it has been carefully man- 
aged so that the soil is as productive today as when he first assumed control of 



704 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

it, and as the years passed by the place assumed a more pleasing aspect as to 
improvements in a general way. It consists of one hundred and ninety-eight 
acres, worth two hundred dollars per acre. On it stand many substantial and 
convenient buildings, including a very fine and nicely furnished residence, 
which ranks well with the best of farm houses in the county. 

Air. Fry has been twice married, his first marriage having been solemnized 
with Sarah E. Parks, and to this union two children were born, one of whom, 
Floyd J., is now living in 1908. His second marriage was with Margaret A. 
Mann, in i860, to whom the following children have been born: Horace, de- 
ceased; Mrs. Emma P. Johnson, Frank A., Mrs. Cora B. Graham, ]Mrs. Ethel 
M. Jacobs, Walter T., Mrs. A. Redding, Harry J. and Mrs. Grace M. Rich- 
ardson. 

Mr. Fry is a Democrat in his political beliefs, being well grounded in the 
principles of his party, and while he has never sought the emoluments of 
public office he has ever been ready to assist in placing the ablest men possible 
in the local offices where the public weal is to be considered. In his religious 
relations he is a faithful member of the Methodist church, having long taken a 
delight in this denomination. Fraternally Mr. Fry is a Mason, being a mem- 
ber of the Knights Templar, and judging from his daily walk one would con- 
clude very readily that he believes in carrying out the sublime doctrines of this 
worthy order and the creed of his church as well, for, being a representative 
of one of the oldest and best families of Clark county he has ever sought to be 
worthy to bear their honored name. 



JAMES K. GIBSON. 



One of the well known farmers of Wood township, Clark county, In- 
diana, is James K. Gibson, who was born here November 15, 1846, and it has 
been Mr. Gibson's good fortune to be able to spend his life on the old home- 
stead where he still resides. He is the son of James and Hannah (Peck) Gib- 
son, the former having been born in Carr township, this county, in 1817. 
The parents of the subject's father came from North Carolina. They were 
living in Clark county at the time of the Pigeon Roost massacre, when the 
whole settlement went to Fort Clark, in this county, for protection. Grand- 
father Gibson was an Indian fighter himself. He often repaired to an old 
blockhouse not far from where the subject now lives. James K. Gibson's 
grandparents were of Scotch-Irish descent. Grandfather Bnrrell Gibson and 
one brother, William, came to America together, the former coming to Clark 
county, Indiana, being among the first white settlers. 

James Gibson died in 1889. He was a farmer and stock raiser and a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 705 

man of influence in his communit}-, many <it his sterling quahties having been 
inherited from his father and transmitted in turn to the subject of this sketch. 
James Gibson took a prominent part in pohtical affairs and held several town- 
ship offices, and he was Constable for se\'eral years. He had no chance to get 
an education in those early days, but he was a strong man mentally as well as 
physically. Both the subject's father and grandfather entered land in Clark 
C(junty, and the land where James K. now lives was entered bv his uncle, the 
government giving him the deed for land signed by President John Ouincy 
Adams. James K. Cibson has the deed to his father's land, which is signed 
by President Franklin Pierce. James Gibson was one of eleven children. His 
wife. Hannah Peck, was born in \\^ood township, this county, in 1822, the 
daughter of Rufus and Naomia (Alexander) Peck, the former a native of 
Rhode Island, and the latter of Connecticut. She was one of a family of four 
children. Her parents died when they were young. 

James K. Gibson received what education he could in the old log sub- 
scription schools, the school-room being equipped with log benches, hewn from 
trees from the surrounding forests. Mr. Gibson has been a farmer all his life, 
having assisted his father in his youth to improve the farm and clear the land, 
and he has continued to make improvements on the same until his place now 
ranks with any in the township. It is located in section i, southwest quarter, 
two miles from the village of Borden. He is a hard working man and his 
labors have been amply repaid by Mother Nature for he is in easy circum- 
stances and has a good home and pleasant surroundings. 

Mr. Gibson was united in marriage in 1885 to Indiana Goss, daughter of 
John Goss. She was born in Wood township, this county, June 4, 1852. One 
child has blessed this union, John L. Gibson, whose date of birth is April 23, 
1886. He married Myrnie Rose, of Wood township. He is a school teacher 
of more than ordinai^y ability and he and his wife are highly respected people. 

In his political relations Mr. Gibson is a supporter of the Democratic 
party. He was at one time Supervisor of Wood township and made a most 
excellent official, according to his neighbors. He is at this writing a member 
of the Advisory Board of the township. Mr. Gibson belongs to the Christian 
church. 



GEORGE JACKSON, Sr. 

There is little doubt that a life of activity, especially if lived near the 
great heart of Mothern Nature in the woods and fields is conducive of long- 
evity. In his own person the subject of this sketch, who has now passed into 
the silent land exemplified it. From youth his life was one of great activity 
as a huntsman and pioneer farmer in Clark county and he was a vigorous and 

45 



7o6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

very active man even clown to his last years, and his father reached nearh- the 
centurA' milestone. There can be no donbt that it is the sluggard, not the toiler, 
who dies early in life. 

George Jackson, Sr., was born in Clark county, Indiana, May 4. 1828, 
the son of Zephaniah and Fannie Jackson. The subject's parents were among- 
the very first pioneers of Clark county. Their children were as follows : Katie, 
Mary Ann, William, Thomas. John, Henry, Harrison, Zephaniah, Jeremiah and 
George, the subject of this biographical memoir. 

George Jackson was a woodsman, as already intimated, a great hunter of 
deer, wild turkey and all kinds of wild game. He was also a tan-bark maker. 
During his youth in this county the land was all timbered, and all the heavy 
work was then done with ox teams. He was educated in the subscription 
schools, which he attended for a few months during the winter, but never had 
an opportunity to attend free scliools. He was a member of the ^lethodist 
church and was a Republican, but never sought political preferment. He mar- 
ried Matilda Starr, in Clark ciamty. but the date is not known, George and 
two brothers having married three Starr sisters. Seven children were born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Gefirge Jackson, namely: William Riley, who li\-es in Wood 
township, married Anna Spurgeon and they are the parents of eleven children; 
John T., who is now deceased, married Liza Jane Goss, who lives in \^'ood 
township, the mother of eight children: Caroline, who married Perry Spur- 
geon, is the mother of seven children and lives in Clark county ; Lewis A. is 
living at home ; Emeline, who married Samuel Pixley, is the mother of five 
children and is living in Jeffersonville: George W. : Amanda, who married 
John Ross, lives in Clark coimty, became the mother of four children, all now 
deceased. Matilda Starr, wife of the subject, is the daughter of John and 
Nancy (Bailey) Starr, natives of Kentucky, and early pioneers of Clark 
county. The wife of the subject was one year old when she was brought to 
Clark county by her parents. She remembers the early condition of the coun- 
try in his girlhood days, how wild it was, and also tells of the exciting life of 
her father, who was among other things, an Indian fighter. She is still living 
in 1909, aged seventy-six years. George Jackson died April 11. 1903. He 
was a man of many sterling ciualities and was widely and fa\-orab!y known in 
this locality. 

George W. Jackson. Jr.. was born ]\Iarch 4. 1863. in Wood township, 
Clark county, and he was educated in the common schools of this district, as- 
sisting with the work on the place in the meantime until he reached maturity, 
when he was married to Linnie Spurgeon, who was born in ^^'ashington coun- 
ty, Indiana, August 4, 1870. Five children have been born to this union, 
namelv: Grace, born June 30, 1891. died when fourteen months old: Everett, 
born November 24, 1892: Ethel, born June 6. T894: Marshall, born July 29, 
1896, died I\Iay 16, 1899: Goldie, born May 18, 1905. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 707 

George \\'. Jackson. Jr., has l:)een in poor health for several years and 
although he is a skilled carpenter and plasterer by trade, he is at present unable 
to work on account of ill health. He has been engaged for some time in the 
growing of small fruits and the mercantile business. He has a nice little gen- 
eral store and has a fair trade, the store being located on his place on the 
Salem road, about five miles from Borden. He keeps a good stock of care- 
fully selected goods and he is known to be honest in all his dealings with his 
fellow men. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he sup- 
ports the Republican party. He has a nice family and he is ver\- proud of his 
father's record as a hunter, and he seems in every way to be a worthy descend- 
ant of such a man of mettle. 

\\'illiam R. Jackson, who married Anna Spurgeon, is a farmer of \\'ood 
township. His wife is the daughter of Archie and ^lary Spurgeon. who were 
among the pioneers of Clark ccimty. and both deceased. W. R. Jackson and 
wife are the parents of eight children, who grew to maturity Ferris. Icy. wife 
of Andrew Taylor ; Calvin, deceased ; Martie. Cephus. Archie. Raj-mond and 
Eleanor. Mr. Jackson is a Republican in politics and he and h.is wife are 
members of the !\Iethr:dist church. 



DAVID O. BLANKENBAKER. 

Thus far the career of David O. Blankenljaker has been one of great act- 
ivity and signal usefulness and he bears an unsullied reputation in both busi- 
ness and social circles. He was born in ^^'ashington county, Indiana, January 
ID, 1862. the son of Samuel Blankenbaker. His mother was known in her 
maidenhood as Xancy Jane Terrell. Samuel Blankenbaker was boni in 1840 
and died January 20. 1904. Nancy Jane Terrell was born in 1835 and died at 
an advanced age. The subject's grandparents were among the first white set- 
tlers in ^^'ashington county, having settled in Harrison townsliip in that county 
upon their arrival from Kentucky, Samuel Blankenbaker was a farmer in 
\\"ashington county, having been born and reared there. He died in Clark 
county about thirty years ago. He was a Republican but took no part in 
politics. He was a member of the Methodist church. His people came from 
Kentucky as far back as known. The subject's mother was the daughter of 
Thaddeus Terrell, who was one of the early pioneers of Clark county, where 
he was well known as a dealer in horses, being regarded as a ver\- shrewd 
man. He was also an extensive tobacco raiser. 

David O. Blankenbaker is one of seven children, four boys and three girls. 
He married Emma E. Thompson, who was born August 18. 1863. the daugh- 
ter of Solomon and Esther (Want) Thompson, a well known family in their 
community. Solomon Thompson was born in 1827 and died January 5. 1905. 



/OS BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Esther Want died Xovember 24, 1873. She was born in 1829. Her maternal 
grandparents were from Germany while her father's people were Hoosiers as 
far as known. Seven children have been born to the subject and wife, as fol- 
lows: Newton Samuel, born December 10, 1885, died June 7, 1906; Alfonso 
Solomon, born January i. 1887, married Dora Lee Masters, and they live in 
Illinois; George E. was born January 10, 1889, and is living at home; Benja- 
min F., born November i, 1895, is living at home; John B., born November i, 
1897, is also living at home; Herman C., born August 17, 1899, is living at 
home; Iva E., born December 14, 1903; Lilly B., born July 7, 1904. 

David O. Blankenbaker has lived in Clark county for the past thirty years, 
during whicli time he has been a very active man, engaged principally in agri- 
cultural pursuits. He was a farmer and fruit grower up to eight years ago, 
when he went into the mercantile business on the Blue River road, about three 
and one-half miles from Borden. He has a neat little store well stocked with 
a good quality of goods and he has built up an extensive trade with the sur- 
rounding community. He is regarded by all who know his as industrious and 
honest in his dealings with his fellow men. In politics he is a Republican and 
he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, where he is a familiar figure in 
the gatherings of that congregation. He is a well informed man, havnig been 
educated in the common schools of Clark county and he has since read a great 
deal at home. He has a host of friends in this community and no enemies, for 
his life has been led along safe and honorable lines. 



HENRY PACKWOOD. 



Henry Packwood is one of the old and representative farmers of Clark 
county. He has persevered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and gained 
a satisfactory reward. He was born in Clark county, Indiana, February 26, 
1836, the son of Samuel and Phoebe (Heaton) Packwood, the former born 
March 5, 1808, in Patrick county, Virginia, who came to Clark county, Indi- 
ana, with his father, William Packwood. Samuel Packwood was a farmer, 
a Democrat, and he died in Wood township in 1896. The Packwoods were 
among the first settlers in this part of the county. Samuel Packwood entered 
land in sections 32 and 33, which was wild and heavily timbered at that time, 
but he cleared the land and made extensive improvements on it. The village 
of Salem at that time was larger than New Albany and most of the trading 
in this locality was done there. Phoebe Heaton was born in Pennsylvania in 
1812 and died in 1904. She first came to Washington county, Indiana, and 
then to Clark county when quite young. She and Samuel Packwood were 
married in Clark county June 14, 1832. Ten children were bom to them, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 709 

namely: John, born December i, 1834, died about 1886. in Texas; Henry, of 
this review; Emily and Ellen (twins), were born October 11, 1838, and Emily 
died when ten years old; William, who was born in 1840, died at the age of 
twenty-one years; Samuel, born in 1844, lives in Lawrence county, Indiana; 
Thomas was born March 10, 1846, and died when forty-two years of age; 
Jesse, bom in 1849, ^^ves at Borden; Elizabeth, born in 1851, lives in Wood 
township; James, born in 1857, lives in Wood township. 

Henry Packwood received only a limited education in the subscription 
schools of the early days. He can remember when there was plenty of game 
and wild animals in this township, the country being very wild when he was a 
boy. He has no military' record, but three of his brothers were soldiers in the 
Civil war. He built the first frame school-house in Wood township. He 
started in life for himself when he was married to Katherine Warman, when 
he was about twenty-three years old. She was the daughter of Abraham and 
Mary Warman. Her people were among the early settlers in this part of the 
county, having come from Kentucky. Two children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Henry Packwood, namely: Laura, born October 19, 1863, lives at 
home: Ellen, born May 26, 1867. died in 1888. Mr. Packwood's second wife 
was Rebecca Nicholson, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Nicholson. Rebecca 
was born in 1839 and she passed to her rest in W'ood township in 1900. Two 
children were born to the subject by his second marriage, Joseph E.. bom 
September 4, 1875, married Bertha Gorman; they live in Wood township and 
are the parents of one child. Charles H., the second child, was born Septem- 
ber 8, 1877, lives with the subject. 

Henry Packwood has been a farmer and a small fruit grower most all 
his life. He has lived to see the township cleared of its wilderness and he is 
a well preserved old man, although he has been a hard worker all his life. He 
has made all the improvements on the place where he now lives, in Wood town- 
ship, section 27. He has developed a valuable farm. Mr. Packwood served 
eighteen years as Trustee of his township in a most praiseworthy manner. He 
also served six years as County Commissioner. He is a Democrat. He and 
his family are members of the Church of Christ, and no family in the township 
bear a better reputation for honor, industry and hospitality than his. 



GEORGE W. BELL. 



The gentleman whose name appears above is one of the honored resi- 
dents of Wood township, Clark county, being a native born of Clark county, 
where he was elected to spend his entire life, believing that greater advantages 
were to be had here than elsewhere, and the success he has achieved through 



/lO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

his persistent labors in farming would lead one to believe that he made a wise 
decision. 

George W. Bell was born in Wood township April 20, 1838, the son of 
Elias and Jemina (McKinley) Bell, the former having been born in 1808. in 
Pennsylvania, who came to Clark county in 1812, settling in Wood township. 
Elias Bell was the son of Thomas and Rachael (Dunbar) Bell. Grandfather 
Bell entered part of the land where George W. now lives and where Elias 
Bell lived until his death, in i860. He was an extensive stock raiser and 
dealer. He was a very religious man and was a deacon in Pleasant Ridge 
church, which he helped establish, which is located about one mile from where 
George W. Bell lives. This church was established in about 1847 or 1848. 
It was first an old log house. Hiram Green was among the first men to preach 
there. Elias Bell, Joe Nicholson and Jerry ^McKinley were the first trustees of 
this church. Elias Bell was one of the best known and most influential men of 
this community in his day. Jemina McKinley was born about 1810 in Ken- 
tucky and she died in Wood township, Clark county, in 1888. Nine children 
were born to them, our subject being the only survivor. 

George W. Bell helped to clear off a great deal of the land on his father's 
farm when he was young, the country being heavily timbered. He received 
a limited education in the subscription schools, having never attended the free 
schools. 

Air. Bell was married to Fanny McCutchen January 5, 1864. She was born 
December 11, 1842, in Floyd county, to which county her people came from 
Kentucky in the early days, having the Indians for neighbors. She was the 
mother of five children, namely: Charles H., born October 3, 1866, lives in 
Wood township; William J., born January 21, 1868, married Lulu Brown; 
they live in Wood township and are the parents of three children ; Elias J., 
the third child, was born December i, 1871, married Lilly Morris: they have 
three children and make their home with the subject. Ida, the fourth child, 
who was born January 13, 1873, married Gilbert Gillispie, lives in Indianapolis, 
and is the mother of three children; George T., who was born June 10, 1879, 
married Carrie Scott, and they are living in Floyd county. 

]\Ir. Bell has been a farmer all his life on the same place, which he has 
greatly improved and made it yield abundant crops. He has a pleasant and 
comfortable home, four miles south of Borden, on the Greenville road, his land 
being located in section 22. 

Mrs. Bell passed to her rest October 21, 1894. The subject has been As- 
sessor of Wood township for five years, giving entire satisfaction to his con- 
stituents in this capacity. He has also held some other minor offices in the 
township. He is a Democrat and a member of the Christian church at Pleasant 
Ridge. He is known as a man of honesty, industry and force of character, 
and he has many friends in this county. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 7II 

JOSEPH XICHOLSOX, Sr. 

One of the progressive and well known agriculturists of Wood township, 
Clark county, is the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, who has 
spent more than a half centur\% his entire life, in fact, in this locality, conse- 
quently everybody here not only knows but respects him, for his life has been 
one of integrity as well as of industry. 

Joseph Nicholson was born in Wood township, March 14, 1S41, on the 
same place where he now lives, the son of Joseph M. and ]\Iary (Graves) Nich- 
olson, the former a native of Randolph county, North Carolina, where he was 
born in 1795, from which state he came to Crawford county, Indiana, in 1816, 
settling among the pioneers in October of that year. He lived in Orange 
county for a while and then came to Clark county, in 1832, settling on the 
place where the subject now lives, in section 21, being a prominent farmer and 
tobacco raiser for those early days, and later launched in tlie dairy business. 
He was a Democrat and was Trustee of the township for one term. He was 
reared a Quaker, but he became a member of the Christian church. He mar- 
keted all his tobacco in Louisville. He also found a market in New Albany, 
where he sold his dairy products. He died in ]\Iarch, 1876. He made several 
trips to New Orleans to sell stock. He was the son of Zachariah and Mary 
( Har\'ey) Nicholson, who settled in Crawford county, Indiana, in 1816. ^lary 
Graves was the daughter of Benjamin and ^lary ( Fincher) Graves. ^lary 
Graves was born in 1800, in Randolph county. North Carolina. The subject 
is the youngest of thirteen children. He assisted with the farm work when a 
boy and attended the subscription schools of sixty day terms, receiving only 
a limited education. 

yir. Nicholson likes to tell of the days of his boyhood and recount the 
stories told by his father of the first settlers, there being many deer and bear 
when he first came here. 

When about twenty-three years old Joseph Nicholson was united in mar- 
riage with Mary Goss. who was born in Clark county, her parents being pio- 
neers of Wood township. Mary was born in November, 1841, the daughter 
of John and Mary ( McKinley) Goss. John Goss was born in 1816 in Clark 
county. Nancy McKinley was born about 1820. 

Mr. Nicholson was a hard worker in his vouth, the country being wild 
and covered with brush he did much in assisting to clear the land. When 
five years old he made a trip to North Carolina and back with his parents in 
a wagon. It took fifteen days each way to make the trip. 

Mr. Nicholson lives five and one-half miles from Borden, in section 21. 
He has an excellent farm which he has spent his life in improving until it is 
today quite productive and well kept. He has a comfortable home with beau- 
tiful surroundings, which stands back from the road for some distance. He 
is a good manager and his fields vield bounteouslv under his skillful care. 



712 BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Nicholson, namely : 
John W. is single and living at home; Leanora is single and living at home; 
Charles A., bom April 3, 1876, died in 1900. 

Mr. Nicholson has been a farmer all his life and has devoted much atten- 
tion to stock raising, always keeping a good variety of excellent stock, mostly 
hogs and Jersey cattle. This family has borne an excellent reputation since 
the first members settled here upwards of a hundred years ago. 



JOHN BERNARD KOETTER. 

Among the sterling Germans who have done so much for the upbuilding 
of Clark county, establishing good homes and taking an interest in public 
affairs, lending what assistance they could in the promotion of movements 
looking to the general good, the subject of this sketch, who is now deceased, 
must be mentioned for he was long an honored resident of this locality, 

John Bernard Koetter was born in Prussia, January 16, 1826, about 
twenty miles from the Rhine river. He came to the United States in 1845, 
locating in Cincinnati, where he remained seven years and where he married, 
in 1852. to Bernadina Bergman. She was born June 5. 1827, in Oldenberg, 
Germany, and she came to the United States in 1850. locating in Cincinnati. 
He followed cabinet-making while he lived in Cincinnati. He left that city 
and came to Clark county to engage in farming in Wood township, in section 
22. The land was pretty well settled up when he came here. He hauled all 
his produce to New Albany and Louisville, where he found a market. He was 
one of Wood township's best known men. but he was not a public man. He 
stayed close at home and was a money maker. He was a Democrat, but never 
an office seeker. It was 1852 when he came to this county. He died in Sep- 
tember, 1894, while living in Wood township. He was a strict Catholic. His 
wife makes her home with William F., her son. She is a fine old lady, and 
in comparatively good health for one of her advanced years. She has an ex- 
cellent memoiy. The wife of the subject was the daughter of John and Eliza- 
beth ( Rosemeier) Bergman. Her father died in Germany when about sixty 
years old. and her mother died in Cincinnati when seventy-six years old. 

Seven children have been born to the subject and wife, as follows: Hen- 
rietta, age fifty-five, married Bernard Schmidt ; Anna, age fifty-three, married 
Herman Voor. and they have six children, three living and three dead ; they 
live in Louisville; John Bernard. Jr.. died at the age of twenty-three years, in 
1881 ; Joseph L. who married Ida Vanolman. died in 1900, at the age of thirt)'- 
eight vears; John H.. who is forty-fdur years old. married Barbara Engel. lives 
in Wood township and they have five children living and three dead ; William 



BAIRD'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 713 

F., who is forty-one years old, married Katie Verst, daughter of Henrv Yerst, 
who h'ves in Floyd county. Her mother was Caroline (Tennis) Verst, who 
has been deceased for twenty-five years, ^^'illiam F. and wife have four chil- 
dren, namely: ]\Iary B., born May i6, 1900; Joseph B., born May 21. 1903; 
Edward John, born May 29, 1905 ; Anna Roseline, born July 26, 1908. 

William F. Koetter has a well improved farm in ^^'ood township and one 
of the finest homes in the township, much of which he has made himself, being 
a man of thrift and good judgment. His farm is located in section 14, four 
and one-half miles from Borden. He is like his father in a business way. He 
keeps good stock. He is well known in this locality and is a man of excellent 
business principles and is honest and straightforward in his dealings. 



BENJAMIN SCH^HDT. 



Among the sterling class of German citizens who have done so much 
toward the upbuilding of the great Hoosier state, none in Clark county deserve 
special mention more than Benjamin Schmidt, who is one of her best agricul- 
turists and honored citizens, having been born in Prussia, April 4, 1845, the 
son of Harmon and IMary (Krier) Schmidt, his father having been a farmer 
in the old country. The subject's grandfather and grandmother on his father's 
side of the house lived to advanced ages, reaching nearly ninety years. Har- 
mon Schmidt lived to be between seventy and eighty years of age and his 
mother died at the age of seventy-three. They were Cathohcs. They never 
came to America. However, two brothers and one sister of Benjamin came to 
this countn,-. One of them, Henry Schmidt, lives in Covington, Kentucky ; the 
subject's sister, Theresa, who married Frank Vinker, lives in Covington, Ken- 
tucky. Benjamin is the third of five children. His brothers and sisters that 
came to this country are all li\'ing. They represent a typical and substantial 
old German family. 

Benjamin Schmidt came to the United States in 1865. first locating in 
Covington, Kentucky, later coming to Clark county. Indiana. He has been 
living on his present place for a period of thirty-one years. He is a carpenter 
by trade, but he quit carpentering about fifteen years ago and has since de- 
voted his attention almost exclusively to his farm, which is located four miles 
south of Borden, in section 11. He has a good farm, which he has made 
equal to any in the community through hard work and careful management 
until it produces excellent crops and yields a good income. He has cleared a 
great deal of the land and his fields show that a man of industry and sound 
judgment has had their management in hand. He has a substantial dwelling 
and a convenient barn. He keeps stock and poultry of various kinds. 



& 



714 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

r^Ir. Sclimitit was married in 1873 to Henrietta Koetter, daughter of 
Barney and Dina Koetter. Her father was Ixjrn in Germany in the Rhine 
river country. Her parents were among the first settlers of Clark county. She 
was born in Cincinnati, August 15, 1853, and came to Clark county, Indiana, 
when four years old. Being the oldest of the family she had to stay at home 
and assist with the household duties and therefore did not receive much edu- 
cation. The subject was educated principally in Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Benjamin Schmidt the following children have been bom: Benjamin. Jr.. horn 
on July 6, 1875, married Lizzie Lightheart; they are the parents of three chil- 
dren and are living in Floyd county. Joseph, the second child, was born Au- 
gust 4, 1878, married Agnes Gill; they have two children ;md are living in 
Floyd county, this state. Henry, the third child of the subject, was born Janu- 
ary 17, 1881, and died at the age of seventeen years ; Dina and Frances (twins), 
were born June 30, 1883. The former married Jacob Engel ; they live in Kan- 
sas City and are the parents of two children. Frances, who married Theodore 
Verst, lives in Floyd county, and they are the parents of two children. Her- 
man, who was born December 14, 1886, is single; John, who was born March 
2j, 1888, is also single; Phillip, who was born January 4, 1890, is single: Rosa, 
who was born July 17, 1892, is living at home. The subject's wife has two 
brothers and one sister. 

In his political relations Mr. Schmidt supports the Democratic ticket, hav- 
ing always been affiliated with this party, but he has never s;_xight public office. 
He and his family are faithful Catholics and belong to St. John's church of 
Wood township They all bear good reputations. 



TOXATHAN WADE. 



This venerable agriculturist is one of the sterling characters of Clark 
county who have come down to the present from the pioneer era, and no man 
has done more in his community for the upbuilding of the same than has Mr. 
Wade. 

Jonathan Wade was born in Wood township, Clark county, December 
18, 1832, on the place where he now lives, the son of Lindsey and Margaret 
(Carlisle) Wade, the former a native of Randolph county. North Carolina, 
where he was born in November, about 1812. He was brought to Clark 
county, Indiana, by his mother when about three years old, settling in the 
wilds, with Indians and wild beasts as neighbors. Lindsey Wade was the 
son of James and Belle Wade. He w'as a farmer and stock dealer until his 
death, in 1887. He was a well known man in this county. He was a Demo- 
crat, but never would accept public office. The country was very wild in 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 715 

Lindsey Wade's time. Land liere was taken up about 1819. It was all tim- 
ber. The land where Lindsey Wade lived when the subject was born was 
first settled by a family named Clark. The father of the subject dealt exten- 
sively in horses. The subject's mother was brought to this county by an 
uncle. James Jc3hnson, from Pennsyh'ania. Her parents died when she was 
an infant. The mother and father of Jonathan Wade were born in the same 
month and the same year, only (.)ne day's difference. The mother died in 1S95. 
To Mr. and AL's. Linsey Wade six children were born, only three of whom 
are living; besides Jonathan his brother, Heury, is living in Floyd county, and 
his sister. Elizabeth, who married a Ah'. Stolzer, is living in Xew Alljany. 

Jonathan's education was limited, but he attended the old time subscrip- 
tion schools, taught in log houses, and he educated himself, after he was mar- 
ried, by night study. He started in life for himself when he married, ^lay 9, 
1854, Elizabeth Nicholson, who was born June 6, 1832, in Wood township, 
Clark county, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Graves) Nicholson. Mary 
Graves was born December 29, 1799, in Randolph county, North Carolina. 
Joseph Nicholson was born January 30, 1794, in North Carolina. Their par- 
ents were from England. Joseph and Mary Nicholson came to Clark county, 
Indiana, about 1817. Joseph Nicholson died in March, 1876, and his wife 
passed away in April, 1888. Mrs. Joseph Nicholson brought cotton seed from 
North Carolina, which she planted here and used the cotton she grew from it 
to spin a bed cover that the subject's wife still owns. The cotton was picked 
by Mrs. Nicholson and carded by hand. 

The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan \\'ade : 
Lindsey, born ^lay 31, 1855, married Rebecca Clark, who lives in Wood 
township, and they are the parents of four children ; Mary, born February 28, 
1857, married James Keas, and her second marriage was with J. B. LaDue. 
Alary had one child by her first husband and two by her second. She lives in 
Kansas. Richard H., the subject's third child, was born July 15, 1859, and 
married Nora Schreiber. They live in Michigan and are the parents of five 
children living and two deceased. Margaret R., the subject's fourth child, 
was bom January 19, 186 1, and died when two years and eight months old; 
Carrie, born November 28, 1864, married Frank Rush, living in California, 
and they are the parents of one child ; Henrietta, born in April in 1866 or 1867, 
is married and is living in Peru, Indiana; Eliza, born February 5, 1869, mar- 
ried W'ill Schleicher, living in Wood township, this county, and they are the 
parents of one child living and three died in infancy; Omega, born March 26, 
1 87 1, married Jacob Smith, living in New Albany, and they are the parents of 
four children; Sarah, born August 30, 1873, married Robert H. Clark, living 
in Louisville, Kentucky, and they are the parents of two children ; Byron J., 
born July 5. 1877, married Alinnie Hunt. They live with the subject of this 
sketch and are the parents of three children. 



7l6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Jonathan ^^'ade has spent his hfe in Wood township farming and stock 
raising which he has made a success. He has ahvays been a great lover of 
horses and some good ones are to be found on his place at all times. He is 
regarded as a good farmer in ever)- sense of the word. He is a loyal Demo- 
crat, and has been Trustee and has held several other township offices. He 
and his wife are members of the Christian church. The subject has been an 
elder and a deacon in the same for many years. He has a beautiful and com- 
fortable home in section 23. six miles from Borden. They are fine people of 
the old-fashioned type. They still use the old-time fire-place and burn wood 
in it. 



JOHX W. HUNT. 



The Hunt family has been known in this section of Indiana from early 
pioneer days and it has always borne an excellent reputation and its members 
have done their full share in the development of Clark and the adjoining 
county of Floyd, and John \\'. Hunt is a worthy descendant of his well known 
ancestors. He was born May 30, 1865, in Floyd county, Indiana, the son of 
William and Sarah (Smith) Hunt. They are still living in Floyd county, 
their ages in 1909 being about seventy-one and sixtv'-eight, respectively. Wil- 
liam Hunt has been a farmer all his life. He was born June 26, 1836, in Floyd 
county, the son of James Hunt, who was born March 3. 1791. He w'as a 
farmer and blacksmith by trade. He married Massa Fitzpatrick. They were 
both natives of Virginia. The latter was born June 11, 1800, and died in 
1881. James Hunt died March 7, 1853. The father of William Hunt came to 
Clark county in 1836. He was one of the early settlers of Floyd county. The 
subject's father entered government land in Floyd county. William Hunt 
married Sarah Smith in i860. She was born June 23, 1842. the daughter of 
Reuben and Elizabeth (Shaver) Smith. She was born in Floyd county, but 
her people were natives of Kentucky, being early settlers in Floyd county. 
William Hunt had three brothers and four sisters. In politics he was a Demo- 
crat. He received his education in the old log school-houses, having never at- 
tended the free schools. 

The following are the names of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wil- 
liam Hunt : Elizabeth, who married Robert ^Nleeks, is the mother of one child 
and lives in New Albany; John W., of this review; Norris, who married Katie 
Cochran, is the mother of three children and lives in Floyd county : Jacob C. 
is a school teacher and makes his home with the father of the subject, in Floyd 
county; Ella married John Stone and she is the mother of one child, making 
her home in New Albany : Minnie, who married Byron \\'ade, is the mother 
of three children and is living in Clark county; Charles is living with the par- 
ents of these children, in Flovd countv. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CC^ IXD. JIJ 

John W. Hunt started in life for himself when about sixteen years old, hav- 
ing attended the Floyd county public schools for a few years prior to that time. 
He has always been a farmer. He has become a fruit grower on quite a large 
scale. He has an excellent farm, which is kept well improved and everything 
shows careful management. He has made most of the improvements on his 
place. He has a comfortable and nicely kept house upon one of the highest 
knobs in this locality. He deseiwes a great deal of credit for what he has 
accomplished for he has done it all unaided, having started life in a small 
way when merelv a boy, but he has the qualities that always make for success 
when rightly applied. 

;Mr. Hunt was united in marriage with Emma E. Fenwick, daughter of 
Thomas and Margaret (Jenkins) Fenwick, well known people of Floyd county. 
Mrs. Hunt is one of six children. Her father is still living, but her mother 
has joined the great majority in the silent land. 

John W. Hunt lived all his life in Floyd county up to about eighteen 
vears ago, when he came to Clark county, locating in section 13, where his 
present splendid home is located. He and his wife are the parents of three chil- 
dren, namely: William T., born December 26, 1891 ; John Albert, born March 
10, 1894: Clara, born February 12. 1897. 

Mr. Hunt has always been a Democrat, and he is prominent in politics in 
this part of the county. He is at this writing ably serving his community as 
Township Trustee, the first office he has ever tried to secure. He is regarded 
by all who know him as a man of honest principles. 



JOSEPH ROSENBERGER. 

Joseph Rosenberger is of the second generation of Germans in this coun- 
trv, having been born in Harrison county, Indiana, January 20, 1849, the son 
of John Adam and Anna M. Rosenberger, the former having been born Novem- 
ber 30, 1800, in Germany, who came to the United States when thirty-seven 
years old, he and his bride having come here to get married and they imme- 
diately settled in Harrison county, Indiana. He was a blacksmith by trade but 
always followed farming in this country. They were Catholics in their reli- 
gious life. Joseph, who is the seventh of ten children, was three years old when 
his parents came to Wood township, Clark county. They settled on the place 
where the subject now lives. John Adam Rosenberger died on this place Oc- 
tober 5, 1890. The country roundabout was very wild when they came here, 
mostly all in timber, which necessitated the clearing off of all their land. There 
was much wild game and animals here then. The farm of the subject once 
lay in the great peach belt, but principally small fruits are raised on it now. 



7l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

John Adam Rosenberger was a Democrat but not a pubHc man, bav'mg spent 
all his time at home looking after his farm. 

The mother of our subject was born in the same part of Germany that 
her husband came from, her birth having occurred in i8i i. She came to Amer- 
ica with her husband, as already indicated, and she passed to her rest Maixh 
30, 1 89 1. 

Joseph Rosenberger's education was obtained principally in the subscrip- 
tion schools, taught in log houses of the early days. He has been a hard work-, 
ing farmer all his life and he has prospered by reason of his close application 
to his work and his careful management, having always worked on the old 
home place, where his father settled. His farm is under a high state of culti- 
vation, well fenced and carefully kept in every respect and it yields abundant 
crops. He is quite a grower of small fruits on the "knobs." He has a very 
comfortable home in section 14, four miles from Borden. 

Mr. Rosenberger was united in marriage in 1873, to Frances Huber, who 
was born November i, 1852, in \\'ood township, the daughter of Ignatius 
Huber, who was born in 1824, in Baden, Germany. He was three years old 
when he came to the United States, and he devoted his life to farming. Mrs. 
Rosenberarer's mother's name in her maidenhood was Anna Marv Ast, who 
was born in Bairn, Germany, about 1824, and died in 1894. Her father died 
in 1885. The subject's wife is the second child of a family of seven children. 
The following children have been born to Mr. and ]\Irs. Joseph Rosenberger: 
John \\'illiam, the oldest child, married Rosa Youcom. and they are the 
parents of three children and live in \^'ood township ; Anna Mary, born Sep- 
tember 9, 1877, is single; Mary Elizabeth, born September 5. 1879, married 
Herman Faska, to whom three children have been born, and they are living 
in Floyd county; Phillomina, born September 15, 1881, died in infancy, Sep- 
tember 3, 1882; Mary Katherine, born July 17. 1885, died October 4. 1886; 
Clara F., born October 22, 1887, is still a member of the home circle; Mary 
Rosina, born September 24, 1890, lives at home; John Edward, born June 9, 
1894. 

Mr. Rosenberger and family are people of excellent standmg in Wood 
township, where they have many loyal friends. 



CLAUDE BURTON McBRIDE. 

Persistance and courage in the face of difficulties are necessary factors to 
success, and energy and determination must lend their aid if one would suc- 
ceed in the face of competition and gain prosperity in this age of feverish 
activitv, when all are striving for the same goal. Realizing this fact our sub- 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. Jig 

ject early in life determined upon a career which has brought ultimate success 
early and won for him the esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances in Clark 
county. 

Claude Burton McBride first saw the light of day March 19, 1883, three 
miles north of Jeffersonville. He is the son of Isaac and Emma (Hale) Mc- 
Bride, the former the son of John McBride, also natives of Clark county, in 
fact, this county has been the home of the INIcBrides for manv generations and 
few families have been more closely identified with its growth than this one, 
for we find that one, Isaac ]\IcBride, the subject's great-grandfather, came to 
this county in the early pioneer days from Pennsylvania, locating near Henrv- 
ville. He was a very active Presbyterian and did a most commendable work 
religiously in the early settlement here. He had a brother who distinguished 
himself as a scout in Gen. George Rogers Clark's expedition against Fort Vin- 
cennes. John ■\IcBride, grandfather of our subject, was one of the few men 
of that day who was interested in a county public school system and rode to 
Charlestown on horseback to cast his vote in favor of the project at the time 
the election for Clark county was held at that place for the establishment of 
free public schools in Indiana. 

Emma Hale was the daughter of Isaac Hale, who came to Clark county 
from the New England states and worked on the Ohio river as a deck hand 
for some time, later turning his attention to farming and was cjuite successful, 
developing an excellent farm by hard work and good management for he was 
poor when a boy and was compelled to help support a widowed mother. 

Claude Burton McBride grew up on the old Hale homestead, where he 
was born, assisting with the work about the place, attending the McBride 
school in the meantime, later taking a course in Borden College, where he 
made a very commendable record, fitting himself for a teacher, which line of 
work he had long desired to follow, consequently soon after completing his 
education in the local schools he began teaching, and so constant was his prog- 
ress that in September, 1908, he was appointed to the responsible position of 
principal of the Ohio Falls school, which place he filled with much credit to 
himself, and the entire satisfaction to both pupil and patron, giving every evi- 
dence of a well educated instructor and possessing the many other pre-requis- 
ites for this line of work, and showing that a future in the same awaited him 
with signal results. 

Mr. ]\IcBride in his fraternal relations is a member of Tabor Lodge. Xo. 
92, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, also Hope Lodge, Knights of Pyth- 
ias : and Jefterson Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, in all of which he takes 
an abiding interest. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, having adhered 
to the faith of a long line of ancestors. Politically he is a Democrat and takes 
an active part in local affairs. He is a prepossessing, gentlemanlv young man 
and is popular in his community. 



720 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

O. ROBERT HAUSS. A. M., M. D. 

Clark cuunty, Indiana, has been and is signally favijred in the class of the 
professional men that have added to its prestige in all lines and in this connec- 
tion Dr. O. Robert Hauss demands representation, and stands admittedly in 
the front rank of her medical practitioners, being known also as a public-spirit- 
eil man of high ideals and unswerving integrity, so that he naturally has won 
the confidence and esteem of all who know him. 

Doctor Hauss was born September 22, 1864, in Liberty, Union county, 
Indiana, the son of Carl Frederick and Anna Marie Hauss, who emigrated to 
America from Germany in 1852. They were people of honor and sterling 
worth, and reared their children in a wholesome atmosphere, there being nine 
in number, of whom our subject was the youngest in order of birth. He re- 
ceived his early education in the public schools of Brownsville and Liberty, 
and selecting medicine as his life work matriculated in the Eclectic Medical 
Institute in 1885, and graduated with honors three years later. In addition 
to this he took a two years" clinical course of instructions in the Cincinnati 
Hospital, and a special private course under the late Professor jMcDemiott, 
an eminent oculist and aurist, at that time a member of the faculty of the 
Pulte-Homeopathic ^Medical College. Thus being so well prepared for his 
chosen field of endeavor it is no wonder that eminent success should attend his 
efforts, and that he has taken first rank amon.g the medical men in the southern 
part of Indiana, a locality long noted for the high order of its medical talent. 
The doctor located in Sellersburg immediately after graduation, succeeding 
his brother, Dr. A. P. Hauss, who removed to New Albany. His success was 
instantaneous and his practice soon extended over a wide range of country. 
To meet the demands of his surgical work the doctor established a private 
hospital in 1898. Although a building of nine rooms and well euipped, it is 
inadequate and a much larger building is under consideration. 

An interesting chapter in the life record of Doctor Hauss is that bearing 
on his domestic relations, which dates from October 10, 1888, when he was 
united in the bonds of wedlock with Frances E. Hall, a representative of a 
well known family at Brownsville, Indiana. This imion has resulted in the 
birth of five children, four of whom sur^-ive, namely : Robert, who is at pres- 
ent fourteen years of age; Frances, twelve; Mildred, ten, and Russell, eight. 

Doctor Hauss has for many years been prominently connected with the 
Indiana Eclectic Medical Association and was president of this organization 
in 1905. He is also a member of the National Eclectic Medical Association, 
and is a special contributor to some of the leading publications of the Eclectic 
School of Medicine. 

During 1898 he was made a member of the board of trustees of Moore's 
Hill College and has served in this capacity to the present time. He receiv»d 




O. ROBERT HAUSS. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. y 2 i 

the degree of Master of Arts from this institution in 1901. He is an official 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, a Mason, and a member of the 
Eastern Star and a state director of the Indiana Children's Society. He is 
justly proud of being an honorary member of Jeffersonville Post. No. 86, De- 
partment of Indiana Grand Army of the Republic. In all of the above organi- 
zations and associations. Doctor Hauss takes an abiding and active interest and 
he makes his influence felt in all of them. In temperament the doctor is ar- 
tistic and appreciates the beautiful in music, nature and art. He is proficient 
ill music and devotes as much attention to it as his many exacting duties will 
permit. He is congenial, affable and public spirited, and his attractive home 
is always a place of hospitality and good cheer, where numerous friends of 
the doctor and his estimable wife frequently gather. 



PETER P. RENN. 



Among the stury German element who have done so much toward the 
development of Clark county, none deserve more credit than the Renn family 
for members of the same have labored here since the days of the wilderness, 
the first member of the family to migrate hither being Peter Renn, Sr., who 
was one of the first settlers of this part of the county, in the vicinity of Sellers- 
burg, there being only three or four settlers in Carr township when he located 
here in the midst of the heavily timbered land, which he set about at once to 
clear and make a home. Indians still roamed the forest depths and much wild 
game could be found. New Albany and Louisville were the only trading" points 
then, and oxen were used principally in farm work. His son, Peter Renn, 
father of our subject, assisted in clearing the land, engaging in general farm- 
ing. He was also one of the first store keepers in St. Joe, becoming known as 
one of the leading Germans in the county. He was born in Germany and 
came to the United States in about 1838, having hailed from the famous Rhine 
country. The voyage to America consumed thirty-seven days. He was mar- 
ried in the Fatherland before coming to the United States. He was educated 
in that country. He was a devout Cathc^lic and one of the men who started 
the movement to build the St. Joseph Hill Catholic church ; although interested 
in worthy movements for the general good, he was not a public man. His 
death occurred in Clark county, in 1893. 

The mother of our subject was known in her maidenhood as Mary Smith, 
also a native of Germany, where she was birn in 181 1, and she passed away 
at the age of fifty-six years. Two children were born to the parents of the 
subject while living in Germany and three while they were residents of the 
United States, Peter P., of this review, having been born in McKeesport, 

46 



722 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. I.\"D. 

Pennsylvania. December 17. 1840, and he came to Clark county with his par- 
ents when one year old. It fell to his lot to assist in improving the farm here, 
consequently he had little chance to attend school, however, he got what edu- 
cation he could in the common schools. He began life for himself in 1S62, 
when he began farming of his own accord, and he has devoted his attention 
since that time exclusively to agricultural pursuits, now owning the old Prather 
farm, in section 128. Although this is one of the oldest famis in this localitv, 
it is still a ver}- valuable one, owing to the systematic management of the sub- 
ject, and it produces excellent crops from year to year. Mr. Renn has a 
beautiful home surrounded by attractive lawns, trees, etc., at St. Joe. 

The married life of Mr. Renn dates from February 2, 1862, when he was 
united in the bonds of wedlock with Barbara Schafer, daughter of Jacob and 
Magdalene Schafer. She was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1842. Her 
people were also early pioneers in Clark county, Indiana. Mrs. Renn passed 
to her rest in 1899, after becoming the mother of the following children : Peter, 
deceased; Matthew M., who is chief engineer at the Louisville & Nashville 
shops in Louisville, Kentucky ; Joseph, who is a member of the priesthood ; 
Jacob, Benjamin, George, Annie, John F. and Francis X. 

Peter P. Renn is a member of the Catholic church at St. Jce. His life is 
exemplary in ever}- respect and he has ever supp irted those measures which 
are calculated to uplift and benefit humanity, and his life work has been a suc- 
cess, owing to hard work and good haljits. In politics he is a Democrat. 



DAVID S. COOK. 



There are few industries more important, especially in connection with 
the building trades than the manufacture of cement, whose expansion in this 
country is of recent origin and has been on a gigantic scale. The men who 
have developed it deserve especial credit as part of the force behind the won- 
derful growth of the United States, as the work requires expert knowledge and 
all the qualities which make men valuable in the mechanical arts. In this line 
it is no more than his just due to say that David S. Cook has made a record 
that is creditable to himself and achieved results of great value to his employers 
as well as the community where he has lived so long and to which he has 
devoted his energies and best abilities. He is of Scotch origin, his parents, 
\\'illiam and ^Margaret Cook, having been natives of the land made famous 
by Burns and Scott. They married in Scotland, emigrated to America in 1852 
and after spending a few years in New York removed to Chillicothe, Ohio. They 
made their home in this historic city until some time after the Civil war. when 
thev located in Louisville. Kentucky, for permanent abode. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 723 

David S. Cook, son of this worthy couple, was bom during their residence 
at ChilHcothe, Febniary 9, 1857, and received his education in the 'public 
schools of Louisville. \\"hen fourteen years old he secured employment with 
the Louisville Cement Compan}' and here he obtained his first experience in 
the line of business which was destined to prove his life work. During the ten 
or twelve years following his apprenticeship, he was connected with various 
plants and by taking advantage of his opportunities to learn, advanced rapidly 
in knowledge concerning every feature of cement manufacture. In the fall of 
1883 he temporarily abandoned his chosen calling and spent two years as a 
locomotive engineer on the Texas & St. Louis Railroad. He soon longed 
for his old occupation, however, and in the fall of 1885 returned to Indiana 
to accept a position as superintendent of the Speed Cement jNIill located ten 
miles north of Louisville, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, at Speed Station. 
\Mien Mr. Cook took charge of this mill the capacity was about three hundred 
barrels of natural hydraulic cement per day, but largely through his instrumen- 
tality and energetic supervision, this plant has been made the largest of its 
kind in the United States, ^^'hen it was found that Portland cement could be 
manufactured in this country, he immediately began experimenting on the new 
material and in 1905 entered upon the erection of the Speed Portland cement 
plant at Speeds. This mill, strictly modern and up-to-date, is at the present 
time manufacturing two thousand barrels per flay and this product has gained 
wide notoriety throughout the central states as the celebrated Speed brand of 
Portland cement. Air. Cook is a fine sample of the American mechanic, to 
whom the great Republic owes so much of its rapid progress and prosperity. 
He is entirely self-educated, owing little or nothing to schools, but much to 
home study, systematically and wisely directed. Beginning in poverty, at the 
very bottom of the ladder, with no reliance but his own brains, hands and 
character, he has gained all his promotions by merit and ability. L'nassuming 
in manner, quiet and courteous in demeanor, he has the facility of making 
friends and thus enjoys the loyal co-operation of the large force of men who 
work under his direction. 

In 1879 Mr. Cook was married to Ruth, daughter of Samuel Hinton, a 
native of Indiana, and from this union resulted four children : Hany W., 
David, Jesse and Scott, The eldest, who gave promise of future usefulness, 
died in 1902 while in his senior year at Purdue University. David L. and 
Jesse C. are both students at Purdue L'niversity and by their application to 
their tasks and their general bearing give assurance of eventually becoming 
useful men. Mr. Cook is domestic in his tastes, proud of his boys and fond 
of his family, to which he devotes most of his leisure and in whose company 
he finds his chief enjoyment. As a citizen he is interested in progress and 
entertains high ideals concerning those things which most benefit a community. 
His hig-hest ambition is to aid in elevating the moral tone and advancing 



724 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

ecUicatiDiial movements of all kinds. As a result cif this his name is always men- 
tioned in connection with all kinds of gatherings of social importance in Silver 
Creek tuwnship, where he has made his residence for many years. 



JOHN MORTON MELOY, M. D. 

About the year 1838 the Tattle family left their home at Rochester, New 
York, and came to Clark county, settling in the vicinity of Memphis. About 
the same time the Meloys came in from the northwestern part of Pennsylvania 
and found a location near Charlestown. ^\'illiam H. ]\Ieloy and Emily C. 
Tuttle, children of these respective families, were each about two years old 
when their parents remo\-ed to this section, grew up as neighbors and on reach- 
ing maturity were married. Shortly afterward they went to Marshall county, 
Indiana, and established a home near Plymouth, but in January. 1870, re- 
turned to the neighborhood of Memphis and spent the next four years in that 
part of Clark county. In 1874 they removed to Lexington, the old county seat 
of Scott county, and remained in that section until 1884. 

John Morton Meloy, son of this couple, was born near Plymouth, Indiana, 
August 30, 1862, and was a little over seven years old when his parents re- 
turned to Clark county. His primary education was obtained during the resi- 
dence in Scott county, where there were good public schools and a normal in 
summer. In the spring of 1884 he went to Illinois and worked on a farm 
until October, when he entered the Central Normal School at Danville, In- 
diana, and spent a year and a half in that institution. He then taught a few 
years in the Clark county schools and in January, 1889, became a student in 
the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, from which he was graduated 
with the class of June, 1890. The following fall he took a course of instruc- 
tion at the Louisville University and on January 6, 1891, began the practice 
at Sellersburg. With the exception of about four months. Doctor Meloy has 
been secretary of the Sellersburg Board of Health ever since the town govern- 
ment was organized over eighteen years ago. During President's McKinley's 
administration he was appointed a member of the Pension Board of Examining 
Surgeons, and has held this position continuously for twelve years. During 
this period he has held membership of the Sellersburg School Board and been 
one of the active spirits in forwarding the cause of education. He is medical 
examiner for a large number of life insurance companies and local surgeon 
for the Louisville & Northern Railway and Lighting Company. He is a mem- 
ber of Buckner Lodge, No. 631, Free and Accepted ^lasons, Sellersburg 
Lodge, No. 702, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Knights of Pythias 
and Camp No. 3269, Modern Woodmen. Doctor Meloy is popular, both as a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 725 

man and physician. He has made his own way in the world and done well 
whatever duty fell to him for performance. 

In October, 1889. Doctor JNIeloy was united in marriage with Ella O., 
daughter of Jacob C. Nichols, former citizen of Charlestown and brother of 
the late Doctor Nichols, of Sellersburg. Their children are as follows : Helen 
J., Hazel F., Mollis A.. Hnrtense E., Lorene M. and Hugh O., all born in 
Sellersburg except Helen J., whose place of birth was on a farm in Union 
township. 



HON. JAMES MADISON REYNOLDS, M. D. 

Proximity and easy access caused the Indiana Territory to gain many 
recruits in pioneer times from the older state of Kentucky. Men by thousands 
crossed the river to enter the new and fertile lands lying north and thus it 
came about that Southern Indiana was extensively settled by families which 
had tarried awhile in "the daughter of Virginia," but became restless and event- 
ually pressed their fortunes across the border. It was in an early day in the 
history of Clark county when the Reynolds family found a location in Union 
township and joined their confreres in helping to subdue the wilderness. At 
that time all was wild, the primeval forests covering all the land that stretched 
from the Ohio river hundreds of miles toward the Great Lakes. The story 
of the conquest of this region has often been told and the stirring incidents 
formed the most fascinating features of the historj' of Indiana. Every new- 
comer added his mite to the general movement and shares the glory which 
prosperity has been willing to accord to that great army of conquest known as 
"early pioneers." The original Reynolds family left a son by the name of 
James Madison Reynolds, who married Catherine Smith, who came with her 
parents from England when she was a small child. To their union we are in- 
debted for the popular physician and politician who constitutes the subject of 
this sketch. 

James Madison Reynolds, Jr., was born on his father's homestead, in 
Union township, Clark county, Indiana, February 22, 1855. His early expe- 
riences were those of a farm boy, with its hardships, its struggles and endless 
work which, though trying at the time was always afterwards recognized as 
an excellent training for life. He learnetl the valuable lesson of self-discipline, 
learned also that work was honorable as well as beneficial and laid the founda- 
tions which enabled him to become a useful man in after life. The common 
schools of those days were not all that might be desired, but such as they were 
}'oung Reynolds availed himself of them andobtaineda fair education in the fun- 
damental "three R"s." He was an ambitious boy, however, and by no means con- 
tent to stop with the acc|uisitions of the district schools. By graduation from the 



7-26 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

high schools at Salem he was qualified to enter the profession of teaching and 
spent in this occupation several years, which proved valuable as an educator, 
besides giving him funds for future expenses. His ambition, formed at an 
early age, was to become a physician, and even while teaching he was prepar- 
ing himself for this noble calling. In 1874 he entered the Louisville Univer- 
sity, and two years later was the proud possessor of a degree, granted by the 
Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati. Locating at Memphis he entered im- 
mediately into practice, but in 1884 attended the Bellevue Hospital Medical 
College of New York, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1885. 
Returning to Memphis he resumed practice and has continued the same up to 
the present time. He has been successful and is recognized as one of the lead- 
ing physicians of his part of the county. Li 1890 Doctor Reynolds was ap- 
pointed a member of the Board of Pension Exanimers, at Charlestown, and 
sers'ed in this capacity for four years. Meantime he had been elected Town- 
ship Trustee and devoted four years of his time to the duties of that office. In 
1894 Doctor Reynolds was nominated as a candidate for Joint Representa- 
tive from the counties of Clark, Scott and Jennings, on the Republican ticket. 
This district had usually been overwhelmingly Democratic, but it was a year 
of Republican tidal waves all over the country and Doctor Reynolds got the 
benefit of being sent to Legislature by a substantial majority. In 1900 he was 
again elected Trustee of Union township, and, owing to Legislative extension 
of the term served five years. In this important office he gave satisfaction, 
transacting its duties in such a way as to disarm criticism. 

In 1874 Doctor Reynolds married Matilda A., daughter of Eden Coombs, 
Sr. He has long been a member of the Christian church and for fifteen years 
has served as one of its trustees. As a physician he keeps abreast of the times, 
holding membership in the Clark County Medical Society and the Indiana and 
the American Medical Associations. His fraternal relations are confined to 
membership in the order of the Modern Woodmen of America. 



JOSEPH C. MORGAN. 



The subject of this sketch is deserving of mention in this work, if for 
no other reason, because of the valiant service of three years he rendered 
his country during the internecine strife of the early sixties. Joseph C. Mor- 
gan was born in Laporte county, Indiana, November 20, 1S43, ^^^^ ^O" ^f 
Luther L. and Betsy (Hough) Morgan, the former having been born March 
I. 1809, in the old Nutmeg state (Connecticut), having come to the state 
of Indiana about 1836, following the carpenter's trade here for a period of 
about seven years, when he went to Michigan and engaged in farming, also 



BAIKD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. ■J2'J 

worked at his trade there. dyinsJ- in that state in April. 1862. Betsy Hmigh. 
motlier of tlie subject, was born in 1S06 in Otsego countv. New York. Her 
wedding with Mr. Morgan occurred in ^tlichigan in Alarch, 1835, and to this 
union four children were born, three boys and one girl, all deceased except 
Joseph C, of this review. Mrs. Luther L. Morgan passed awav Septemljer 
16, 1881. 

Joseph C. Alorgan received his early education in the common schools 
of jMichigan, assisting with the work at home in the meantime, never leaving 
his parental roof-tree until the breaking out of the war between the states, 
when his patriotism prompted him to enlist in the Union army, on August 
7, 1862, in Company H, Xineteenth ^Michigan Infantrv, and he was on 
detached service most of his enlistment of three years. He was a clerk in 
the cjuarter-master's department part of the time, and later he was sent to 
Chicago, where he did guard duty. An older brother enlisted in the same 
regiment with Joseph C, and was killed in 1863 at the battle of Spring Hill, 
Tennessee. 

Upon being mustered out at the close of the war Mr. Murgan returned 
to Michigan and engaged in fanning. On May 20. 1873, he was united in 
marriage, in the city of Grand Rapids, to Cornelia Doty, who was bom in 1854, 
in New York. After becoming the mother of one child, Mrs. Bertha McGee, 
now living in Battle Creek, Michigan, the subject's first wife passed to her 
rest in 1876, and Air. Morgan was again married, his last wife being Louisa 
Devoe, whom he married in Nebraska in the year 1883. They li\'ed in Ne- 
braska for about twelve years, this union resulting in the birth of four chil- 
dren, an cfjual number of boys and girls, namely: Adelle, burn January 11, 
1885; Ray, born Aug-ust 22, 1886; Ellis, born in 1888; Beda. b<irn in 1889. 
Air. Morgan's second wife was called to her rest in 1906. 

Mr. Alorgan's life work has been successful for he has always been a 
hard worker. He learned the carpenter's trade when young and worked at 
it most of the time he spent in the W'est. But he has devoted his time to farm- 
ing since coming toi Clark county, this state, some eight years agii. He lives 
on a farm in section 67, located on the interurban line, two miles from Sellers- 
burg. He has built a very comfortable house and made many other substantial 
improvements on the place since coming here until it now ranks with the best 
farms of this township and he is reaping from year to year, excellent results- 
from his toil. 

Air. Alorgan took a great deal of interest in political affairs while living 
in Alichigan, but since his removal to Clark county he has not been active in 
political matters. He is a member of the Alethodist Episcopal church, and he 
has gained the respect of all whom he has met since casting his lot in this 
county. 



728 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

FERDINAND ENDERS, Sr. 

Although a large number of foreign born citizens have located in Clark 
county, no class has done nearly so much in the general development of the 
same as has the Germans, who are among our best residents, being law-abiding. 
loyal and industrious. Belonging to this class is the gentleman whose life 
record is here briefly outlined. 

Ferdinand Enders was born in Bavaria, Germany, in the year 1846, the 
son of August and Marthalene (Hedcer) Enders. spending their lives in the 
Fatherland, in fact, our subject was the only member of this family who ever 
came to the United States, he having made the trip in 1865. after receiving a 
common school training in his home country. He located in the city of Balti- 
more, Maryland, where he remained for a period of two years, then came to 
Clark county, Indiana, believing that greater opportunities were to be found 
in the Middle West than in the more effete East. 

Although a proficient veterinary surgeon, having been trained in this 
work before leaving Germany, he never practiced it here. His father was 
also a veterinary surgeon, having practiced the same in the service of the Ger- 
man go\-ernment. 

Mr. Enders says that Clark county was somewhat wild and undeveloped 
when he came here. He has spent his entire life since his advent in Clark 
county working in the cement mills, the first mill for the manufacture of cement 
having been established here about forty-one j'cars ago. He has thoroughly 
mastered this work and is one of the best authorities in this line that could be 
found in this country, and he has been eminently successful in the same. He 
is very ably serving as assistant superintendent of the Belknaps Cement Mills. 

Ferdinand Enders was united in marriage in the year 1867. to Barbara 
Ehringer, who was born in Sellersburg. Indiana. I^Iarch. 1848. the daughter 
of John and Barbara (Popp) Ehringer. Mrs. Enders' father was an early 
pioneer in Clark county, having served for a period of three years in the Ger- 
man navy before coming to the Uuited States, having during that time visited 
the major portion of the civilized world and much wild country. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Enders the following children have been born : 
Mary, who is at this writing forty-one years old, married Christopher L. Apple, 
living at Hamburg. Indiana, and they are the parents of nine children ; Fred, 
thirty-eight years old, married Frances Capps. being the parents of two chil- 
dren and living at Hamburg; Annie, thirty-four years old, married \\'illiam 
Ried; they are the parents of five children and live at Belkrjaps; John, who 
was born in 1876, married Susan Stroble. and they live in Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, and are the parents of one child; Edith, who was born August 7, 1879, 
married James Talkington ; they are the parents of two children and live in 
Vansville, Indiana: Margru-ite, horn in 1882, married Horace Warfort, and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 



729 



they are living- in Cleveland, Ohio; Ferdinand, horn in 1886, married Teresa 
Liefelt; the_v live in Silver Creek township, this count)', and are the parents 
of one child: George, born in i88g, is living at home; one son of the subject is 
deceased, George T., who was born in 1873 and died when fifteen months old. 
Mr. Enders is quite a musician and plays a number of instruments in a 
manner that has delighted hundreds, and his pleasant home is often the gather- 
ing place for the many friends of the family who are entertained by Mr. 
Enders' playing. In politics he is a Democrat and has served his township as 
Trustee, also has held several other township offices, and is one of the most 
influential men in the township. He is a member of the Catholic church at 
St. Toe. 



PORTER C. BUTTORFF. 

Few of the captains of industry have achieved or deserved greater success 
than this energetic and progressive citizen of Jeffersonville. He belongs to 
the class who possess an intuiti\e msight into the problems underlying manu- 
facturing on a large scale, and this, connected with a capacity for organizing, 
initiating new methods and utilizing the latest im]}rovements while applying 
all the economics, ha\'e made Mr. Fkittorff notable among the prosperous busi- 
ness men of the state. He has a natural capacity for large affairs, combined 
with unruft'led ])atience in working out details, which are prime factors in 
achieving results in any line of manufacturing. Porter C. Buttorff was born 
at Xaslnille, Tennessee, April 12, 1866, his parents being Henry \\. and 
IMary E. ( Nokes) Buttorff. Alter the usual course in the public schools of 
Nashville, young Buttorff decided to fit himself for the world of practical busi- 
ness, by obtaming an education tliat would qualify him best for a calling 
where profit is the sure result of skill. With this end in view he became a 
student at the celebrated Technical Institute at Worcester, Massachusetts, 
with a determination to become proficient in mechanical engineering. By close 
application and diligence, he accomplished his object and when he left the 
school walls he knew how to do something and to do it well. He spent two 
years in New York City, and being a close observer, learned much from what 
he saw and heard in that busy mart of finance and commerce. Returning to 
Nashville, he took charge of a blasting furnace and spent two years to great 
advantage in studying the processes of making iron. He next became junior 
member of the Phillips & Buttorff Manufacturing Company, at Nashville. 
makers of stoves, tinware, general wholesale hardware and house furnishings, 
in which lines they were both manufacturers and jobbers. Although his enter- 
prises took him elsewhere Mr. Buttorff still remains a member of this pros- 
perous concern at the Tennessee capital. 



730 EAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.^ IND. 

It was in the spring of 1901 that ^Ir. Buttorff transferred his activities to 
Southern Indiana, which was destined to be the scene of his future operations 
and his permanent home. He had been called to take up the responsible task 
of managing and superintending the complicated work of the Indiana Manu- 
facturing Company and the Indiana Chain Works, in both of which he became 
a heavy stockholder. These establishments employ about five hundred men 
at the Indiana Reformatory, the first making cast-iron, stoves and hollow- 
ware, and the other manufacturing chains of all kinds. November 25, 1899, 
Mr. Buttorff was married to Cornelia Johnson, of Nashville, and they have 
two sons, Henry and Gordon. He holds fraternal relations with Clark Lodge, 
No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons, and the family enjoy an extensive 
acquaintance in the highest social circles of Jeffersonville and Louisville. 
They live in a beautiful home on the banks of the Ohio, enjoying a fine view 
up and down the great river, the residence being roomy, handsomely fur- 
nished and supplied with every modern convenience. ]\Ir. Bottorff's financial 
success has net spoiled him in the least. He is affable and approachable, of 
pleasing personality and popular with all who meet him, either socially or 
in business. 



AIAJ. GEORGE DALLAS HAND. 

Of the many soldiers furnished by the Keystone state to the army of the 
Union during the deadly struggles of the Civil war, none served more gal- 
lantly than the subject of this sketch. He belonged to an old and influential 
family from which he inherited patriotism and all those social courtesies of 
distinguished gentlemen of the old school. Dr. George Chew Hand, who was 
prominent as a physician in Philadelphia, was married in early manhood to 
Susan Taylor, an accomplished lady of the same city, and by this union there 
was a son, christened George Dallas, in honor of one of the country's foremost 
statesmen. George Dallas Hand was born at Allentown, Pennsylvania, and 
received a liberal education as he grew up. Through the influence of political 
friends his father secured him an appointment as cadet at the Annapolis Naval 
Academy, where he graduated with honors previous to the Civil war. He 
entered civil life but was not so engaged very long when the firing on Fort 
Sumpter electrified the country, and started a blaze that was only extinguished 
by the complete submission of the seceding states. Hastening to offer his ser- 
vices he was made captain of a company of the Lochiel Cavalry, recruited in 
Pennsylvania, but later was promoted to the rank of major of artillery in com- 
mand at Fort Delaware, Pennsylvania. 

In 1862 Major Hand married Mildred Cosby Lyon, a scion of one of the 
best known families of Jeffersonville, and a lady of many admirable qualities. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 73I 

Her parents were Sidney S. and Honora Vincent L^-on, widely known in the 
social circles of the Falls Cities. Blanche Vincent Hand, the fruit of this 
union, married A. H. Simmons, of Louisville. ]\Iajor Hand died November 
5, 1892. and since then his widow has resided with her sister in Jeffersonville. 
The latter, formerly Blanche Lyon, was married May 23, 1859, to William 
Wallace Caldwell, who afterwards became prominent both in military and 
civil life. He was born at Portsmouth. Ohio, August 3, 1834. a son of James 
Gordon and Sarah (Leonard) Caldwell, and was brought to Jeffersonville by 
his parents when still a boy. L'nusuallv ]3recoci(jus and ambitious he was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Jeffersonville when twenty-one years of age. At the 
breaking out of the Civil war he raised Company D, of which he was elected 
captain and which became a part of the Twenty-third Indiana Infantry and 
kept them six weeks at his own expense. Later he recruited the Eighty-first 
Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, of wdiich he was appointed colonel by 
Governor Morton and for a time w^as acting brigadier-general. After the war 
he resided for a while at Lafayette, but later returned to Jeffersonville, and 
finally located at Indianapolis, where he was general agent for a number of 
fire insurance companies. After a retention of this place for ten years he re- 
moved to Chicago, and continued in the same line of employment there for 
nearly twenty years. Colonel Caldwell died in Chicago, November 2, 1891. 
By his marriage with Blanche Lyon he had three children, of whom Mildred 
D. died in Chicago at the age of seventeen years. William Lyon Caldwell, the 
only son, is a resident of Indianapolis. Jessie Caldwell, the surviving daugh- 
ter, married M. J. Ries, (jf East London, South Africa, and is now residing 
with her husband in that remote country. 



JOSEPH J. HAWES. 



A strong and courageous character that meets all life's duties and dangers 
with fortitude is Joseph J. Hawes, well known throughout Clark county as a 
popular official and in business circles as a successful manufacturer and mer- 
chant. This section was decidedly wild if not "woolly," when his grandfather, 
old Jason Hawes, left his home in New York and floated down the Ohio in 
1824. Landing at Utica, he moved on to Washington county, but in a few 
years returned south and settled near Memphis. About the same time a family 
by the name of AIcGuire moved in from Alabama, and a friendship sprang up 
between the children of the two households, which resulted in the marriage of 
Isaac Hawes and Elizabeth McGuire. The former was born in New York, in 
1809, was about fifteen years old when his parents reached Clark county. 
After his marriage he operated a saw mill at Memphis for twenty-two years 



73^ BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

incidentally following as a side line. He had eight children, all of whom are 
dead but the subject of this sketch. 

Joseph J. Hawes was born on his father's homestead, near Memphis, In- 
diana, in 1838. When about seventeen years of age he quit school to become 
a brakeman on the old New Albany & Salem Railroad, but after a year and 
a half in this work he went with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Jan- 
uary, 1S59, in a similar capacity. About the beginning of 1861 he was pro- 
moted to the position of conductor on that road and continued in that line 
until 1879. He still has the "tra\-eling letters" used in those days instead of 
passes, as souvenirs of his railroad experience. After leaving the road he 
located on a farm and began manufacturing barrels and lumber at Blue Lick, 
but in 1887 removed his plant to Memphis. Here he branched out with sev- 
eral additions to his original enterprise, consisting of a saw mill, stave factory 
and planing mill, besides a creamery which he erected in 1890. He also con- 
ducted an extensive general merchandise business, employed the best men he 
could get for assistants and keeping his own accounts. He was postmaster at 
Blue Lick until 1887, and held the same office at Memphis until Cleveland's 
second term. Li 1884 he was elected Trustee of Union township on the Re- 
publican ticket and was re-nominated in 1886. Though the Democrats held no 
convention they placed Mr. Hawes" name on their ticket, realizing the useless- 
ness of opposing one who had given such satisfaction in office. In 1880 Mr. 
Hawes made the race for Sheriff and though unsuccessful, ran four hundred 
and eighty-four votes ahead of his ticket in a strongly Democratic county. In 
1894 he was re-nominated and elected and two 3'ears later was re-elected with- 
out canvassing or asking for the office. When his term expired, August 22, 
1899, none of his official acts were questioned nor was the slightest explana- 
tion needed as to his manner of fulfilling the duties imposed upon him by the 
people. About that time he completed the building of his flouring mill at 
Memphis. 

One of Mr. Hawes" playmates in his boyhood days was an attractive little 
girl named Mary B. Dietz, daughter of T. M. and Abigail (Guernsey) 
Dietz. Between them there grew up a friendship which ripened into love, 
which only ended with the death of one of the parties. They were married 
December 31, 1863, at Blue Lick, and lived together in unbroken affection 
until November 18, 1900, when Mrs. Hawes was called to answer the summons 
which none can escape. Their thirty-five years of wedded life were singularly 
happy and as they had no children all their aft'ections were concentrated upon 
each other. Mrs. Hawes was a noble woman, loved and esteemed by all who 
knew her. Exactly four months after her death a large portion of Memphis 
was destroyed by fire and l\Ir. Hawes lost his store buildings and stock, a big 
ware-room, with flour and other goods. Since then he has devoted his atten- 
tion to the flour mill and farming business, being also interested in a co-opera- 



BAIRD .S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 733 

tive creamery company, of which he is president. He is a member of the Jef- 
fersonvilie Lodge of Elks, and Hope Lodge, Knights of Pvthias, at Teffer- 
sonville. 



CLYDE HOWARD. 



Xo name is more famihar in Clark county than that of Howard. It has 
been associated for years with one of the most important industries of the 
Falls Cities, and members of the family h.ave figured conspicuously in the po- 
litical and business history of this section. Some of them have been prominent 
in all the walks of life while others have filled useful situations in the less 
showy occupations. Among the latter is Clyde Howard, secretary and treas- 
urer of the Howard Ship Yards Company, a position he has filled acceptably 
over sixteen years. He was born in Jeffersonville in 1868, and is a son of Capt. 
Edward J. and Laura A. Howard. He received his education in the common 
schools of his native city and went through the high school and also attended 
a private school in Louisville, Kentucky. His life work has been in connection 
with the ship yards, having reached his present position when he was twenty- 
four 3'ears old. 

On January 29, 1896, ^^Ir. Howard was married to Julia Thompson, a 
native of Jeffersonville, and daughter of J. M. Thompson. The}' have three 
daughters. Laura Jean, Frances Rebecca and Ailsie. The family live quietly 
and unobtrusively enjoying their home life and society of friends. 



A. J. CALLOWAY. 

The family of this name is of Irish origin and descended from an emigrant 
who came over during the last half of the eighteenth century. John Calloway, 
a native of Dublin and son of a wealthy merchant of that city, was still young 
when he joined the tide settling in for the American colonies and crossed the 
ocean in time to join the movement for independence. There is a tradition 
that he became a soldier in the patriot army and after the treaty of peace set- 
tled in Virginia, where he died soon afterward. His son, Joseph, when four 
years old, accompanied his widowed mother, who decided to try her fortunes 
north of the Ohio, which held out the inducement of cheap land and easily ac- 
quired homes for the adventurous. Settling in Washington county. Indiana, 
Joseph grew to manhood and there married Polly Sloan, whose parents were 
among the pioneers from North Carolina. A. J. Calloway, one of the chil- 
dren by this union, was born in Washington county, Indiana, March 11, 1844, 



734 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

and remained with his parents until his seventeenth year, which he reached 
about the time the country was convulsed by the firing on Fort Sumpter. The 
excitement, great among all classes, was especially felt by the boys who longed 
to become soldiers and participate in "the pride, pomp and circumstance of 
glorious war." Young Calloway caught the fever, like the rest of them, and 
became a member of Company H, Thirty-eighth Regiment. Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, with which he went to the front and sensed faithfully for three 
years. His command became a part of the great Army of the Cumberland 
and participated in all the long marches and hard-fought battles of that cele- 
brated corps. Returning after the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Calloway went 
to Michigan and found employment at Owasso, where he spent two years and 
then came back to Washington county, and settled near Chestnut Hill Two 
years later he removed to Bartle post-office, but still not being satisfied came in 
1875 to Flower's Gap, between Borden and Henrjwille, in Clark county, where 
he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land. In 1882 he located at Wil- 
son's Switch, conducted a store at that place for a year and then returned to 
the Chestnut Hill locality in Washington county. On May 16, 1892, he 
established himself permanently in business at Sellersburg, where he has a 
repair shop and deals in jewelry and millinery. As a side line, he represents 
two of the large fire insurance companies and altogether makes a good living, 
besides a modest profit from his various employments. For many years he has 
been a member of the Christian church, of the Masons and the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. 

While living in Michigan Mr. Calloway married Margaret Burgess, by 
whom he had six children, all of whom are married and well settled in life. 
One of his daughters, Mrs. Perrin, has a grandson named Maxwell Jones, 
and this puts Mr. Calloway in the great-grandfather class, though he as yet 
not a very old man. In January, 1878, his wife died and on May 31, 1881, 
he married Nancy J., daughter of James \\\ and JMartha J. Stewart, of ^^'ash- 
ington county. By this union there are four daughters : ]\Iartha Jane, Hattie 
Belle. Ella Aretta and Tina Pearl. 



CHARLES ^^^ McCULLOCH. 

When Hugh McCulloch reached Clark county as an emigrant from "Old 
Scotia," there was little in the land that was inviting and little in the prospect 
that was pleasing. Before leaving Scotland he had married an English woman 
named Sarah Guest, and with her made the long voyage which brought them 
to Southern Indiana, in 1820. Settling at New Albany, then a mere hamlet, 
the new arrivals from northern Europe made a living in agricultural pursuits, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 735 

which in those days were attended by great hardships and privations. They 
were unable to accumulate much and when their son. John McCulloch, started 
life it was as a poor boy. with a bitter struggle before him against adversity 
and toil in its worst forms. Cutting cord-wood and pealing tanbark were 
samples of his occupations, but cut of it all with true Scottish thrift, he man- 
aged to save something and with this he bought a small piece of land. Event- 
ually he found himself the proud possessor of a saw mill at New Albany, which 
he ran with considerable success until 1865. when he went into the flour mill- 
ing business, but after a few years his establishment was burned down and 
this caused his temporary retirement. In the seventies he located on a farm 
near Jeffersonville, and lived there until his death, which occurred June 13, 
1895. As he was born near New Albany, January 3, 1821. his age when the 
final summons came was nearly seventy- four years. On April 10, 1856, he 
married Martha Ann Fiy, daughter of an old Kentucky pioneer family. Her 
father, John Fry, who came from the vicinity of Louisville, was the son of 
George Fry, who was born in Virginia, November 13, 1796. John married 
Sarah, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Oldeweiler) Swartz, who came from 
Germany in pioneer times and located in Clark county, at a date that entitled 
them to rank as early settlers. They were religious people and among the 
leaders in establishing the second church in Indiana, the same being subse- 
quently known as the New Chapel of the Methodist Episcopal church, in Utica 
township. John and Martha Ann McCulloch had these children: Charles \\'., 
John, Franklin and James R., deceased in infancy; Sarah F., wife of John R. 
Lancaster, postmaster of Jeffersonville, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this 
volume ; Martha, wife of C. K. Boyer, who resides near the old farm : Edward 
M. and \\'alter. 

Charles \\'. McCulloch, eldest of the children, was born at New Albany, 
Floyd county. Indiana, February i, 1857. He received his early education in 
the public schools of New Albany and also attended the high school there. He 
early decided to devote his life to farming pursuits and at once began this 
line of work with a zeal that has subsequently led to eminent success. 
He is at present the owner of a large and valuable farm near Jeffer- 
sonville. which is highly improved with a fine residence and excellent out- 
buildings, everything indicating progressiveness. thrift and prosperity. 

On April 21, 1880, he was married to Mary E., daughter of Nathaniel 
Strong and Melissa (Smith) Matthews, of Jeffersonville. Their children are. 
Arthur Nathaniel, born February 16. 1881. and died September 23, 1906: 
Charles Ravmond. born September 12. 1883 : Laura Ethel, born September 
12. 1888. 

Mrs. McCulloch was born January 2. 1858. in Illinois. Mr. McCulloch is ■ 
a member of Hojie Lodge. Knights of Pythias. Company 9, of the Uniform 
Rank, and Jeffersonville Lodge, No. ^62, Benevolent and Protective Order of 



736 B.MRd's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 

Elks. In politics he is a Republican. He and family are members of the First 
Presbyterian church at Jefferson\-ille. 



JOHN SCHELLER. 

Southern Indiana obtained its share of the much desired German immigra- 
tion which was at its full tide during the two decades preceding the Civil 
war. Wherever these Germans located they left their impress for good on 
the community and when they were present in numbers, their power for prog- 
ress was marked. About sixty years ago New Albany received one of these 
families consisting of the father and several stalwart sons and a daughter. 
Among the sons was John G. Scheller, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, 
September i, 181 1. His first business venture was as a grocer, but later he 
became a farmer and real estate dealer. He was active in Democratic politics, 
prominent in various local connections, dealt largely in live stock, retired from 
business at the age of sixty and died November 14, 1896. He had learned 
surveying in his native land, where he also obtained a good education and his 
main object in coming to America was to escape army service, it being neces- 
sary to smuggle him out of the country to avoid the sharp-eyed forces look- 
ing for conscripts. In 1845 'i^ married Nancy Ann McCurdy, who w^s born 
at Balle Castle, Ireland, in 1807, and died February 28, 1901. They had four 
children : Anna Jane, now Mrs. Brown ; John, William and James. 

John Scheller. the second child, was born at New Albany, Floyd county, 
Indiana, January 29, 1848. He received but a limited education in the poorly 
ecpiipped schools available during his childhood, became a farmer in early man- 
hood and has spent most of his adult life in agricultural pursuits. He has held 
many offices of trust and profit and discharged all their duties with efficiency 
and integrity. He served as postmaster of Sellersburg for eight years, presi- 
dent of the Town Board, treasurer of the School Board for many years and by 
election and re-election was County Commissioner for three temis. The last 
of his nine years of service in this responsible office expired on the first of 
January, 1909. Though he resides in Sellersburg, his farm, which lies just 
outside of the town limits, occupies the principal part of his attention. His 
life has been one of unusual activity and he is one of the best known men in 
the county. 

On June lo, 1872, Mr. Scheller married Mary Jane, daughter of Alfred 
Farrabee, who came here from North Carolina. Her mother was a daughter 
of Moses Sellers, who gave the town of Sellersburg its name and he built the 
first house in the village, the fact that it was constructed of brick making it 
rather noteworthy for those days. Moses Sellers was a preacher and rail- 



BAIRD S HISTHRY OF CI, ARK CO., IND. J T^y 

splitter, but also engaged in the Imckster business and had a big store at Sellers- 
burg. For years he enjoyed a large trade and by the time of his death had 
accumulated a considerable fortune. To Mr. and Mrs. Scheller five children 
have been born : Harry, deceased in infancy : Anna Belle, Maggie Ellen, 
Daniel and Nora. The family are members of the Christian church. Mr. 
Scheller is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and donated 
the lot on which their local hall stands. Owing to the vigor of its various 
members and their success in various callings to say nothing of their personal 
popularity the Schellers have long been regarded as one of the prominent and 
influential families of the county. 



WILLIAM SA:\IPLE. 



William Sample, ui Henryville, Clark county, is a venerable citizen of 
the township in which he lives. His settlement in his present location dates 
from the close of the Ci\-il war in which he ti:)ok part and sustained a wound. 
Since that time he has become familiar to his neighbors as a man of rig'id 
honesty ; and as one who has ever been interested in the industrial progress 
and moral advancement of the community. 

The subject of this biographical sketch was born on March 12, 1832, in 
Scott county, Indiana, and was the son of Robert and Jane (McClain) Sample. 
Both parents were of Kentuc ky fa milies. Robert Sample was born in 1792, 
in the Blue Grass state and was a gunsmith by trade. He came to Indiana 
about the time of his marriage, located first in Riplc^^ounty, removing to 
Scott county and later to Jackson county, where he died in 1844. He took 
part in the War of 1812. In politics he was a pronounced Whig, but took 
no strenuous part in the politics of his day. His wife died in Scott county, 
having attained to her seventieth year. She and her husband had eleven chil- 
dren, of whom our subject was the eighth in order of birth. 

William Sample liegan his career on his own resources at a very early 
age and from that time has been solely engaged in the farming business. In 
1852 his marriage to Abigail Gray, the daughter of Orin C. Gray, of Scott 
county, took place. The Gray family came from New York to Scott county. 
Mrs. Sample was born on the 3d of February, 1836. She has led a happy 
life and has borne her husband ten children, namely : Alice, born October 24, 
1853, died in infancy; Thomas B., born March 27, 1855, also died in infancy; 
Watson, born May 2, 1857, died June 12th of the same year; Annis, bom 
June 15, 1858, died October i, 1859: Alexander, born August i, i860, mar- 
ried Anna Cramer ; they have one child and live in Indianapolis. Lilly, born 
April II, 1863, married Martin Hosteter and hves in Monroe town.ship; they 

47 



738 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

have seven children. Orin C. was horn April 19, 1866, and was killed while 
coupling cars at Frankfort, Indiana, August 12, 1887. Charlotte R., born 
in May, 1868, married James Shear; they live in Scott county. ]Mary J. was 
born June 25, 1871, married Charles ^^'hittingl^ill : they live in Memphis, In- 
diana, and have seven children. The youngest member of our subject's family, 
Eleanora S.. was born Septeml:)er 29, 1875, married Alexander Carter, and 
lives with our subject. 

In 1862 William Sample enlisted in the Union army at Xew Albany, 
Indiana, August 14th, under command of Captain Howard and Colonel Cald- 
well. Stone River and Chickamauga were the most important fights partici- 
pated in ; and in the latter engagement he recei^•ed a wound which caused him 
to be confined in a hospital for a long period. At Perryville he received his 
baptism of fire and as his place on the field was amongst the scouts he was 
practically fighting all the time in skirmishes with the enemy. In consideration 
of his war services he is in receipt of a pension from the government. 

At the close of the war ]\Ir. Sample engaged in farming and stock raising 
in Clark count)' and in which he has been eminently successful. Educational 
facilities were slight in his youth and he did not have much schooling. In 
politics he is a Republican and a member of the Christian church. He is a 
well preserved man for his age though unable to participate actively in work 
any longer. He lives in comfortable surroundings on his land in section 241. 



JOHX M. KIRK. 



John M. Kirk, df Otisco. Clark county. Indiana, is well known as a pros- 
perous farmer and cooper in his section of the county. He comes from an hon- 
orable line of ancestry; his great-great-grandfather coming to this country in 
the first emigran.t ship that set out from Scotland prior to the Revolutionary 
war and he, together with eight of his sons, fnught in that struggle. Our sub- 
jest is now close to his se\'ent)'-ninth year and has led a life of activity, which 
has ever gained the admiration of his friends and neighbors. 

John iSI. Kirk was born on the i8tli of September, 1830, in \\'ashington 
county. Pennsylvania, and was the son of Jesse and Nancy (]\IcSherry) Kirk. 
Jesse Kirk was born on the ist of October. 1805, in the same county and be- 
came a farmer in the Kirk settlement in \\'estern Pennsylvania. He was the 
son cf a soldier of the Revolution who had served seven years in that historic 
conflict. After the Revolution he was given a section of land — the Kirk set- 
tlement referred to. It was settled by his comrades of the war as was also the 
surrounding territory. Even so far east as Western Pennsylvania the Indians 
caused much trouble in those days. When Jesse Kirk came to Clark county 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 739 

the surrounding country was in its state of primitive wilderness. Settlements 
were few and far between, and deer, wolves, and many kinds of wild animals 
roved at will through the timber. Jesse Kirk bought land in section 208 and 
made all the improvements on same. Though not a pulilic man he was well 
known in his part of the county. He came here fmm Pennsylvania with a 
small colony of pioneers, coming from- Wheeling to Charlestown, Indiana, 
on the river, and rode the rest of the way over the blazed trail. This was in 
the }Tar 1846 and with them was his wife and the subject of our sketch. Jesse 
Kirk became a large farmer and stock raiser in Clark county and died in 1881. 
He was a well known man and a member of the Presbyterian church. His 
peo]ile were famous for their longevity; his mother lived to the age of one 
hundred and three, and his father reached the century mark pre\'ious to his 
death. Xancv (McSherry) Kirk was born in 1803 in the same settlement as 
was her husband, in Pennsylvania. Her parents were natives of Ireland. Her 
marriage took place in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and eight children 
were subseciuently born, of whom John M. and three sisters survive. Presi- 
dent Monroe, whose name is enshrined on the I'oll of those who have held, in 
the early days, office as chief executi\'e of the nation, was a near relation of 
the Kirk family. He was an uncle of Jesse Kirk, our subject's grandmother 
being his sistev- 

John M. Kirk started on his own account in the farming and coopering 
business directly after his marriage to Mary Kemple. This event occurred in 
1853. His wife was born in Ohio and was of Virginian extraction. Her par- 
ents were \\^illiam and Leana (Davis) Kemple. Mrs. Kirk was born on Jan- 
uary 7. 1834, and died several years ago. She bore her husband the follow- 
ing children : Leana, born in 1834, married Francis Prall ; they have nine chil- 
dren and live in Henryville. Addie was born in 1855 and married Philip 
Hartman : they have three children and live in Clark county. Sarah Jane, born 
March 4, 1859, married John ^^^ Huffman: they live in Clark county and have 
two children. Lucretia May was born September i, 1861, and married Jacob 
Kahl : they live in Clark county and have five children. Rebecca, born October 
31. 1863, died when young. Jesse, born May 25, 1865, married Emma Hughes: 
they live in Clark county. Alice E1>bie, bom January 26, 1869, lives at home: 
and Cora, born Januarv 20, 1872, married Alnra B. Barber and lives in Louis- 
ville. 

As previously stated Mr. Kirk is a cooper by trade. He owns land in 
section 226. In politics he is a Republican and voted for the first time for 
Franklin Pierce for the Presidency. In religion he is a member of the Presby- 
terian church. He did not get very much of an education in his youth, attend- 
ing hut four winter terms. This, however, did not hinder his achieving success 
in the school of practical experience. He is a well preserved man for his age 
and lives in security and comfort in the family homestead. Rheumatism in a 



740 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

severe form precluded him from seeing active service in the Civil war much 
to his regret. Had it been otherwise, this relative of the illustrious expounder 
of "The Monroe Doctrine" would assuredly have taken a man's part in the 
service of his countrv. 



EDWARD L. PERRINE. 

Edward L. Perrine, of Henryville, Clark county, is one of the most in- 
telligent and experienced farmers in his section of the county and a man who 
has taken an acute interest in the public affairs of the township. He is now in 
his sixty-second year and during his career fought as a soldier in the Civil 
war, taking part, among other engagements, in Sherman's famous march to 
the sea. Outside of his farming activities he has been active in political circles 
and has a large number of friends in Clark county. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Scott county, Indiana, on the 5th 
of November, 1846, and was the son of D. C. Perrine and his wife, whose 
maiden name was Mahala Finley. D. C. Perrine was born in 1812, in Staten 
Island, New York, and was a cooper by trade. In his twenty-second year he 
came to Scott county, Indiana, where he married a short time after. He was 
in the mercantile business in the cnunty for a number of years. In the political 
arena of his day he became a Whig and took an active part in the public life 
of Scott county. He died in 1879 at New Albany, having retired from busi- 
ness in which he engaged in that city during his later years. Mahala Finley 
was born in 181 7, in Kentucky, and was the daughter of John and Matilda 
Finley. She and her husband had eight children. D. C. Perrine was mar- 
ried twice and our subject was a son by the first marriage. The elder Perrine 
was a great friend of old Major English, although they agreed to differ 
politically. 

When about fourteen years old Edward L. Perrine learned the shoemak- 
ing trade and at the outbreak of the Civil war enlisted in Company D, Fifty- 
third Indiana Infantry, under command of Capt. W^illiam Howard, of Jeffer- 
sonville, and Colonel Gresham. He figured in the Georgia campaign and 
served until the close of the war, at which time he was in a hospital. On re- 
turning home, having obtained his discharge, he went to Hartsville University, 
took a scientific course, and came to jNIonroe township, where he taught school 
for sixteen years at the old Beckett school-house. At the close of his teaching 
career he became a farmer on the place where he now lives, in section 257. He 
married Mary Dieterlen. born on June 15, 1849, in Rochester, New York. 
She was the daughter of Christian and Caroline Dieterlen. Her father died 
when she was an infant, her mother remarried and came to Clark county about 
1857. Edward L. Perrine and his wife have led a happy married life. The 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 74I 

following eleven children were born to them : Victor Hug'o, born October 8, 
1870, who married Nettie Monroe, has six children, and lives at Memphis, In- 
diana : Louisa was born February 18. 1872, and died October 24th of the 
same year; Minnie, born April 7, 1874, who married the Rev. Harvey Park, 
lives in Huntington county and has one child: Alice, born June 11, 1876, mar- 
ried Dr. Bine \\'hitlatch, located in Pierceville, Indiana, and they have one 
child; Rose, who was born April 18, 1878. married Lewis Monroe, living in 
Jeffersonville and they have four children; Ella, born May 6, 1880, who mar- 
ried James Doyle, has one child and they live in Oklahoma ; Edward H. was 
bom May 26, 1883, and resides at home; Millie, born March 14, 1885, also 
resides with her parents; Tomaline, born October 29, 1887. lives in Indian- 
apolis; Charles F., born August 13, 1889, lives at home, and Arthur F., born 
April 3, 1893, died on the 6th of September, 1895. 

Mr. Perrine is a Republican in politics. He was Assessor of the town- 
ship for six years. In 1890 he stood as his party's candidate for Auditor, but 
suffered defeat. He is at present Deputy Sheriff under Oscar Johnson. He 
with the members of his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. He 
belongs to the Masonic Order. Edward L. Perrine owns a very fine family 
residence three miles east of Henry ville. His land was formerly the property 
of a daughter of Gen. W'illiam Preston of the Confederate army. The 
Prestons were cousins of Gen. George Rogers Clark and owned the land which 
was known as Preston tract. No. 2^"]. from the time of the survev here. 



AARON N. WARMAN. 



In the first quarter of the nineteenth century a young Englisman appeared 
among the pioneers of Southern Indiana. He was secretive as to his private 
affairs and no record was left of the time or place of his birth. He entered 
government land and later bought some school land and spent the working 
period of his life in clearing and impro\-ing his possessions. Scott and Clark 
counties, in which Aaron W'arman figured, were at that time a wilderness 
filled with deer and other wild game, while wolves made night hideous by 
their dismal howling. The settlers, however, were of a sturdy race and noth- 
ing daunted them in their eft'orts to make homes and better their conditions. 
So Aan_)n \\'arman, full of English pluck and indomitable w ill, struggled on 
until he had his wild land reduced into respectable shape. He was inclined 
to be reli.gious, was l()ng" an active member of the Methodist church and be- 
came well known in the section where he lived. He married Jane Cox. daugh- 
ter of an old pioneer Kentucky family. Her father, John Cox, left her with 
her grandfather and went over into Indiana at the time of the celebrated 
Pi.geon Roost massacre. He was an Indian fighter of note. ha\-ing g-ained 



742 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

experience in "The Dark and Blcudy Ground." and he helped to drive the red- 
skins out of Southern Indiana after the bloody scenes at Pigeon Roost. His 
father lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and ten years. About one 
year subsequent to the massacre his granddaughter, Jane, then a mere child, 
followed her father to the state north of the Ohio. By their marriage, in 1830, 
Aaron and Jane (Cox) W'arman had sixteen children, consisting of fourteen 
boys and two girls. 

Aaron N. Warman, the only survivor of the above mentioned large family. 
was born December 31, 1830, on the banks of the Ohio river, in Clark county, 
Indiana. There were no public schools in those days and like all other boys he ' 
had to pick up his learning as best he could. He began farming for himself 
at the age of eighteen and soon had a good farm, which he managed success- 
fully. At the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted in Company K, 
Sixty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantrv', which was eventually as- 
signed to the command of Gen. John A. Logan. In the battle of Riihmond 
his regiment suffered severely, the survivors being captured, paroled and sub- 
sequently exchanged. They wei'e sent to Corinth and from there joined Sher- 
man in his campaign from Dalton to Atlanta, thence in the famous march to 
the sea, up the coast and on to Washington for the grand review. Mr. War- 
man was in nearly all the great battles of this campaign and saw much of 
arduous service during his three years as a soldier under the Union flag. After 
the war he served as postinaster at Underwood under Presidents McKinley 
and Roosevelt, meantime conducting a grocery business, but owing to advanc- 
ing years he resigned the office in 1906 to live a retired life. He has always 
been an active politician on the Republican side but never sought office. He 
recalls with pleasure that he helped to build the first school-house in Vienna 
township, Scott county. Religious in his temperament he has long been a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has been an enthusiastic 
worker and class leader for over fifty years and a licensed exhorter for more 
than thirty years. He is highly respected as one of the old-time pioneers of 
the county and one of the few remaining whose recollections reach back in 
the thirties long before the Mexican war. He received a pension as an hon- 
orable recognition of his devoted services during the Civil war and is a mem- 
ber of the Scottsburg Post, Grand Army of the Republic. 

On February 19. 1852, Mr. Wannan was married to Katherine C. daugh- 
ter of William and Cynthia (Collins) Anderson, who was born in Clark coun- 
ty, in 1832. They were the parents of ten children: Lorenzo D., James G., 
Zebulon G. (deceased), Jane Alice (deceased), William N., Mary, Aaron E., 
George Anna. Oliver (deceased), and Milford C. His first wife dying in 
igo2, Mr. Warman married in 1904 to Alary M. Guynn, who was born in Ger- 
many, August 21. 1849, and caine to America when about four years old. Few 
men are better preserved for the evening of life than Mr. Warman. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 743 

JAMES CALVIX GLOSSBREXXER. 

X^ot the least interesting among the many beautiful waterways of the 
Middle \\'est is the Ohio, rushing at times in rapids, or gliding in a calmer 
mood around its many gracefvd windings. The bluffs and hills that grace its 
banks are marks of beauty, the fame of which has become a matter of more 
than Inca! interest. Furthermore, when the season for overflows approaches, 
a new interest in the famous stream is at once awakened, for it is then that its 
turbulent waters become a menace to life and property. 

On a beautiful spot overlooking this stream is the residence of James 
Calvin Glossbrenner, who, fnr the last ten years, has had an. (ippurtunity to 
become familiar with the varying moods of the river, being employed by the 
Jeffersonville & Louisville Ferry Company. Mr. Glossbrenner was born in 
Jeffersonville on the i6th of July, 1880, being the son of Jt.ihn and Rachael 
(Swartz) Glossbrenner. both of whom were natives of Clark county, Indiana. 
Our subject received his education in the city public schools and attended the 
high school until he reached the age of eighteen, at which time he entered the 
employ of the company mentiond above. 

On the loth of April. 1902. Mr. Glossbrenner was united in marriage to 
Shirley Canter, v.dro was born in Utica township on the nth day of April, 1880. 
She is the daughter of L. A. and Jennie ( Brendel) Canter, both born in Clark 
county. 

'Mr. Glossbrenner and wife are members of the Presbyterian church and 
are held in high regard by their fellow workers, on account of their unobtrusive 
yet sincere devotion to the principles for which the denomination stands. In 
their social intercourse with friends and neighbors the same spirit is apparent 
and their beautiful home overlooking the river is often the scene of genial 
hospitality and social freedom. 

Politically Mr. Glossbrenner espouses the Republican cause, but has had 
no aspirations for office or political prominence. 



JOHN ELLIS POTTER. 



John Ellis Potter was born in Jefiferson township, Clark county, Indiana, 
on the 13th of August. 1869. He was the son of John T. and Matilda (Miller) 
Potter, both natives of Kentucky, where they grew to maturity and were mar- 
ried before coming to Indiana. Their family consisted of seven children be- 
sides our subject, viz: Frank, Molly, Clara, Ella, George, Sallie and William. 
Frank became the husband of Mary Dils: Clara and Ella died when young; 
George was married to Emma Smith; Sally became the wife of John Yar- 
brough; William departed this life when eighteen years of age. 



744 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

John Ellis Potter was educated in the public schools of Clark county and 
later took a business course at the New Albany Business College. At the age 
of twenty-one he decided to make farming his occupation in life and accord- 
ingly assumed control of a farm of two hundred and seventy-five acres in Utica 
township which he has managed veiy successfully ever since. 

On the 22d of April, 1891, Mr. Potter was united in marriage to Emma 
Redding, his wife at that time living in the same house in which the groom 
was born. His wife was the daughter of John and Mary Redding. She was 
one of three children, having one brother, Floyd, and one sister, Ella. 

Mr. and Mrs. Potter are the parents of two children, viz : Ivy, born Au- 
gust 28, 1892. and Hallie, born September 5, 1894. Mr. Potter is liberal in 
his religious views and affiliates with the Republican party. 



F AIRES COLWELL. 



The \\'est was decidedly wild when John Colwell left his Maryland home, 
to make the long trip to Kentucky then chiefly famous for Indian affrays and 
the sturdy character of the men who were trying to reclaim the rich lands 
along the Ohio river from the warlike red men. Daniel Boone was still living 
when he reached the "Dark and Bloody Ground," though he had transferred 
his abode to the distant region beyond the Mississippi. Simon Kenton and 
Lewis Wetzel were at the height of their fame as Indian fighters and Henry 
Clav had already entered upon the career which was to make him nationally 
famous. From Kentucky after a residence of some years John Colwell crossed 
the river into the newer and more promising territory of Indiana, taking up his 
residence first in Dearborn county. From there he came to Clark county, 
which was destined to be his permanent residence. He entered land in Mon- 
roe township and became a farmer and stock raiser. He li\-ed to a \-ery ad- 
vanced age, and was nearing the century mark when he passed away at the 
home where he had so long labored. In young manhood he had married Mary 
Burk, a native of Tennessee, where her parents had been early pioneers. She 
too was quite old at the time of her death. This venerable couple had twelve 
children, all of whom are dead but Faires and Rebecca, the latter, who lives 
with her brother, being over ninety-five years old and very feeble at this 
writing. 

Faires Colwell the only surviving son, was born in Dearborn county, In- 
diana, January 11, 1836. He was quite a young child when his parents came 
to Clark countv and grew up amid the wild scenes characteristic of the coun- 
try of that day. Settlements were sparse, neighbors lived far apart, every- 
thing was forest without roads or means of transportation away from the 



'& 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 745 

river. Game abounded and on this the settlers relied almost entirely for their 
meat. Education beyond the most meager attainments was out of the question 
for most of the pioneer boys, as schools were rare and of the rudest kind, kept 
up by spasmodic subscriptions and usually poorly taught by wandering peda- 
gogues. So Faires was able to pick up but little book learning in his youth, 
though in after life he made up for this want by reading, attending public 
speakings and the observation of the world that is natural to the observant 
man. He engaged in farming in early manhood, and has devoted his entire 
life to agricultural pursuits. 

On November i6, 1862, Air. Colwell was married to Lucinda z\llen, who 
was bom in Monroe township in 1846. She was the daughter of James Allen 
and wife, who came to Clark county at an early period in its history. Two 
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Colwell, both of whom are dead. Both 
the Colwells and the Burks were of Irish origin and as is often the case with 
that sturdy race were unusually long lived. Mr. Colwell after a long, laborious 
and blameless life is spending the evening of his life in repose, on the farm 
where he put in so many hard licks, during his working period. He has always 
ranked as a good citizen, doing his duty bv his fellow men and obeying the 
laws of his country. 



JOHX R. LAX'CASTER. 

John Lancaster, father of our sul)ject. was born in Lexingtun, Kentuck}-. 
located with his parents in Indiana at the age of seven years, his father being 
a farmer, also did some lioating on the Ohio ri\er. During the war Mr. Lanca.s- 
ter was intimately associated witli 01i\'er P. Morton. He acted as private de- 
tective al(.)ng the Ohio river, recei\ing his orders direct from Governor Morton. 
He was also captain of the Switzerland County Home Guards, and was promi- 
nent in the ]\Iorgan raid. Following" this he was engaged in river traffic, which 
he followed until about 1873, when he went to Cass county, ^Missouri, and 
engaged in the grocery business, which he followed up to the time of his death. 
The mother of John R. Lancaster, of this re\iew, was a Johnson, her parents 
coming from England. She died at the age of seventy-four years. To them 
eight children were born, four boys and four girls, and all these are living l)ut 
one. 

John R. Lancaster, the only one of the family in Indiana, his brother and 
sisters all being in the \\'est, was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, Janu- 
ary 14, 1853. When his father came to Jeffersonville he went to work in the 
shoe store of S. Goldbach as a salesman and retained this position for about 
six years, then resigning he opened a shoe store for Calvin W. Prather and 
continued in charge of this establishment for two years. Hi? next move was 



746 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXO. 

to enter into partnership with Jacob Loomis, which tirm was later dissolved 
and the business continued for a number of years by Mr. Lancaster alone. He 
erected tl]e building in which the store was conducted and it is still running 
under the ownership of B. A. Coll. In 1906 Mr. Lancaster was appointed post- 
master of Jeffersonville, and a year later sold- his shoe store in order that he 
might devote all of his time to his official duties. 

On October 13, 1880, Mr. Lancaster married Sarah F., daughter of John 
McCulloch, a prominent and wealthy farmer residing northwest of Jefferson- 
ville. Mrs. Lancaster's mother was Martha A. Fry, member of the family of 
that name that is so well known in Utica township. Her father was John 
Fry, a prominent citizen of the county. To Mr. and Mrs Lancaster three 
children have been born, the eldest of whom died in infancy. Ralph J., the 
second child, was a young man of good education and fine promise but while 
attending Purdue University was afflicted with a spinal trouble, which caused 
his death December 22, 1907, in the twentieth year of his age. Edwin R., the 
onlv sun-ivor of Mr. Lancaster's little family, is employed in the plumbing 
business at Louisville. Kentucky. In politics ■Mr. Lancaster is a Republican 
and has always been active in the interest of his party, during campaigns. He 
is regarded as a wise counselor as well as an enthusiastic worker. In 1874 
under the pastorate of Rev. J. M. Hutchinson he joined the congregation of 
the First Presbyterian church and has ever since been an enthusiastic and de- 
voted member. He also takes interest in fraternity aft'airs, being a member 
of Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 340, Free and Accepted Masons, Hope Lodge, 
No. 13, Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 
Mr. Lancaster enjoys local popularity. 



SAAIUEL LOGAN SCOTT. 

The genealogy of the Scotts is traceable through old Southern families 
on both sides of the house, and they were honorably mentioned in connection 
with the pioneer development of Southern Indiana. John Scott, a native of 
Kentucky, came to Clark county, Indiana, at an early day and left his mark 
in the community where his active life was passed. About the time of his 
arrival, James McKinley, a native of Old Virginia, joined the ranks of set- 
tlers in Clark county, and figured conspicuously in subsequent years of growth. 
He was a cousin of the late President McKinley's father, and a man of high 
tanding in all the relations of life. Herbert Scott, a son of John, married 
Nancy, the daughter of James McKinley, and thus brought about a union of 
two old pioneer families. Herbert Scott was born and reared in Clark county, 
became a farmer and spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits in the counties 



s 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXl). 



747 



of Clark and Floyd. He siin-ived until the advanced age of seventy-nine and 
his wife was seventy-four years old at the time of her death. They had fifteen 
children, nine sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to maturitv and are 
still living except one. 

Samuel Logan Scott, eighth in numerical order of this large family, was 
born near Borden, in Floyd county, Indiana, February 27, 1867. He was 
reared on the parental farm, attended the neighborhood schools and later was 
graduated from the high school department of Borden College, which was 
supplemented by a degree obtained by graduation from the college in 1889. 
With a view to preparation for educational work Mr. Scott entered the Ladoga 
Normal in 1890 and after graduating from that instiution practically com- 
pleted the course at the Indiana State Normal. In the meantime he had for 
ten years been engaged in teaching in the schools of Clark county and for 
three years was superintendent of the schools at Clarksville. In 1897 he was 
elected superintendent of schools for Clark county and has been re-elected three 
times without opposition, which is a high tribute to popularitv and efficiency. 
In 1902 he was nominated as a candidate for the office of State Superintendent 
of Public Instruction and although he led his ticket he went down in the gen- 
eral defeat which overtook his party that year. In recognition of his standing 
as an educator, Dr. Robert J. Aley, who was elected State Superintendent, in 
1908, appointed Mr. Scott as first assistant in the office, but he declined the 
same, preferring to remain in his nld position. In 1903 he served as a member 
of the board of inspectors for the Indiana State Normal, and was president of 
the County Superintendents" State Association in 1907. ]Mr. Scott is a mem- 
ber of the ^Masonic fraternity, and the ^lodern Woodmen. 

In April, 1906, Mr. Scott was married to Emma Louise Schimpff, a na- 
tive of Jeffersonville, and meinber of one of the city's prominent families. Her 
father. Charles Schimpff, is a well known business man and now filling the 
office of City Comptroller. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have one child, a daughter, 
and by a former marriage Professor Scott has two children, a son and a 
daughter. He is a member of the Christian church, wln'le hi« wife's religious 
affiliations are with the German Lutheran. 



WILLIAM J. MORRIS. 



The family of this name in Jeffersonville is one of American and Ger- 
man origin, and has been identified with the city from a time shortly succeeding 
the Civil war. Edward E. Morris was born in ^laryland, near Baltimore, in 
1843, but while quite young the family moved to Pennsylvania, and later to 
Pottsville, in that state, where Mr. Morris lived until 187S. In 1878 Edward 



748 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

E. Morris came to Jeffersonville and took employment with the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company, with which he is still identified, at present serving it in the 
capacity of road foreman of engines. In 1862 he was married to Anna Cath- 
erine Marquardt, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1842, and still 
survives. They had six children, of whom two survive. 

Willliam J. Morris was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, July 20, 1868, 
and was ten years old when the family came to Jeffersonville. After complet- 
ing the course in the public schools he secured employment with the Pennsyl- 
vania Company, and remained with the same for fifteen years as its general 
timekeeper. In January, 1901, he embraced an opportunity to go into busi- 
ness for himself, in which he has met with marked success. From the estate 
of George J. Liebel he purchased a jewelry and optical business, which by ex- 
tensive improvement and enlargement has become one of the features of the 
city. The establishment contains the largest and most varied assortment of 
optical supplies in Jeffersonville. There is a complete equipment for the grind- 
ing of lenses, which is a decided innovation, as such features are practically 
unknown outside of the large cities. The department devoted to the optical 
work is equipped with a complete and modern outfit. Especial attention is 
given to instruments for testing the eye, and supplying its needs with the lat- 
est and most scientific improvements. In addition to the optical department, a 
full line of merchandise is carried, and all kinds of repair work is done — a first 
class watchmaker and clerk being employed as assistants. Mr. Morris has 
infused into his business a spirit of energy and up-to-dateness, and as a result 
his establishment is one that not only elicits compliments from all patrons, but 
is a decided credit to the city, and compares very favorably with the best to 
be found in the larger cities. 

In 1888 Mr. Morris was united in marriage to Carrie Dale W'illey, mem- 
ber of an old and highly respected family of this county. Her father, Dennis 

F. Willey, who died recently, served during the Civil war as an enthusiastic 
soldier for the Union, and was a man much esteemed during his later life. 
Mrs. Morris's mother, Mrs. Amanda F. Willey. is a resident of Charlestown, 
in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Morris have five children : Kathryne Dale, Mary- 
Amanda, Anna Ruth, Carrie Willey and E. Elbridge, all of whom still remain 
at home with their parents. 

Mr. Morris is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, being con- 
nected with Clark Lodge, No. 40, Free and Accepted Masons ; Horeb Chapter, 
No. 66, Royal Arch Masons : and Jeffersonville Commandery, No. 27, Knights 
Templar, and is also a member of the Murat Temple, Ancient Arabic Order 
Nobles Mystic Shrine, of Indianapolis, Indiana. His political affiliation is 
with the Republican party. The family are members of the Methodist church, 
and attend services at the Wall Street church, of which Mr. IMorris is chorister. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 749 

OLIVER CROXE. 

Tlie parents on both sides of the house of this worthy representative of 
the Cniiie family, were among the early pioneers of Indiana, Washington 
Crone, the father of 01i\xr, having come from the state of Virginia where he 
was born, to the Hoosier state when he was twelve years old, being accom- 
panied by his parents. The grandfather nf our subject entered land in Har- 
rison county upon his arrival in the new country, which was then all a wil- 
derness, the principal towns in this part of the country being Louisville and 
Corydon. 

The date of Oliver Crone's birth is recorded as July 22, 1847, having 
first seen the light of day in Harrison county, this state, the son of Washing- 
ton and Savilla (Riley) Crone, who lived on a good farm which they de- 
veloped. Oliver was only eight years old when his father died. Oliver Crone's 
maternal grandfather had the distinction of serving in the War of 1812, under 
command of Gen. William Henry Harrison. Savilla Riley was born in Har- 
rison county, this state, in 1827, and she passed to her rest in 1899. She and 
Washington Crone were married in Harrison county, and to them two chil- 
dren were born, Oliver and a daughter named Elizabeth, who died when 
thi-ee years of age. 

The early education of Oliver Crone was obtained in the common schools 
of Harrison county, and in the County Academy; a year was also spent in 
the high school of New Albany. After his school days were over he started 
in life for himself when about twenty years old, taking up farming which he has 
continued with unabating success to the present time. Upon coming to Clark 
county he at once resumed farming and he has remained here, developing an 
excellent farm and making a good living by his habits of persistent toil and 
good management, his valuable property, one hundred and forty acres of which 
is in cultivation, the rest being as yet in timber, is located in sections 200, 216 
and 217. He has made all the extensi\e improvements on the place which 
today render it well up to the standard farms of Carr township. On it is to 
be seen a fine house with attractive surroundings and convenient out-buildings. 
Considerable attention is devoted to stock raising, good breeds of various 
kinds of live stock being kept on the place from year to year. 

;\Ir. Crone was united in marriage with Mary A. Whalen in 1869. She 
is the daughter of Charles P. and Margaret J. (Slider) Whalen, and her 
birth occurred in Clark county, October 23, 1850. Her father was born Octo- 
ber 27, 1824, and after an eminently active and useful life, he passed to his 
rest in 1894. Margaret J. Slider was born October 3, 1828, and she joined 
her husband in the silent land in 1906. They were early pioneers of Clark 
county and were well known and influential people. 

To Mr. and Airs. Oliver Crone six children were born, named in order 



7.-.t 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 



of birtli as follows: Hattie. bom December 29. 1869. married James W. Huff- 
man : they are the parents of five children and they live in Clark county : Lizzie, 
born April 10. 1871, married \\'illiam L. Beyl: they are the parents of two 
children, and also reside in this county: Alva, who was born October 8, 1874, 
died when four years of age; Charles P., born July 9, 1877, married Flora D. 
Beyl : they are residents of Clark county and are the parents of four children ; 
Oliver W., who was born January i, 1885, married Clara Tolan : they are the 
parents of one child and are living in this county : Mary Arnold, the youngest 
of the children, was bom June 3, 1891. They have all received fairly good 
educations and are well situated in life. 

Since 1876 Mr. Crone has been active in politics. He served in a very 
acceptable manner for a period of fifteen years, as Township Trustee of 
Carr township ; he was Assessor for a period of six years, and at this writing 
he is County Commissioner. He served for four years as deputy Sherifif, under 
P. C. Donovan. He has three more years to serve as Commissioner, having 
begun his term of office in 1909. He is keeping up his excellent record, es- 
tablished long ago as a public servant : all the time he has served his constitu- 
ents thev have never had occasion to complain at any of his work. In politics 
he is a staunch Democrat. 

In his fraternal relations [Mr. Crone is a member of Lodge No. 94, In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Charlestown : also a member of Hope 
Lodge, No. 13, Knights of Pythias at Jefifersonville. Mrs. Crone and family 
are consistent members of the IMethodist Episcopal church. 

Our subject is one of the best known men in this section of Clark county, 
and he and his family are all popular with their neighbors, being people of the 
highest honor, courteous and kind-hearted. 



HAMILTON ROBINSON. 

The life of JMr. Robinson was such as to Ijear aloft the high standard 
which had been maintained by his ancestors who were among the early pioneers 
of this section of the Middle ^^"est. the life of the subject having been signally 
noble, upright and useful, one over which fell no shadow of wrong or suspicion 
of evil. Such was the type of men who laid the foundation and aided in the 
development of this and neighboring states, and to their memories will ever 
be paid a tribute of reverence and gratitude by those who have profited by 
their well directed endeavors and appreciated the lessons of their lives. In 
the early davs when the great network of railways that now penetrate every 
section of the continent were not dreamed of, and steamboats practically had 
a monopoly on the transportation of both passengers and freight, Hamilton 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 75 I 

Robinson was one of the best known men along the Ohio river from Lnnis- 
ville to Xew Orleans. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1810, the son of John 
and Nancy (Archibald) Robinson, natives of the old Keystone state, and of 
Irish and English extraction, respectively. 

John Robinson grew to maturity in his native state, married and engaged 
in farming- there, later removing to Kankakee, Illinois, where he engaged in 
farming on an extensive scale, owning large tracts of land, and was known 
as one of the most prominent and substantial of the pioneers in that locality, 
although he was called from his earthly labors there when yet a young man, 
aged thirty-seven years. His family consisted of four children, three sons 
and a daughter. His widow afterwards married Absalom Kent, this famih- 
having also been among the early ])ioneers of that part of Illinois. 

Hamilton Roljinson was but a child when his parents located in Illinois, 
and he was a small lioy when his father died. \\'hen a mere lad he was ap- 
pixnticed to the machinist's trade and when twenty years old he came to Jeffer- 
sonville. Indiana, and although having been well equipped to follow his trade 
his fondness for the life of a river man could not be overcome, and he gave 
up the machinist idea and won both fame and success from a financial stand- 
point, for many years his name having been a very familiar one on the steam- 
ers that plied the waters of the Ohio, during which time many interesting 
events transpired which he delighted to recount in his old age. Retiring from 
the steamboat business he established an iron foundry at Jeffersonville. which 
was conducted with gratifying results for a number of years. He later en- 
gaged in the milling business which also grew to large proportions under his 
capable management. In all his business life he showed rare innate ability 
and soundness of judgment, and was regarded as being ver}' careful to guard 
the rights of others while advancing his own interests. 

!Mr. Robinson was married soon after coming to Jeffersonville, when 
about twenty years old, choosing as a life partner Sarah Lankiskis, a nati\-e 
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John and ]Man- (Darst) Lankis- 
kis, the fonner a native of Poland, while the latter was of sterling Pennsylvania 
Dutch stock. Sarah Lankiskis was a young girl when she came to Clark 
countv, Indiana, with her parents, win > were early settlers here, having located 
on the fami east of Jeft'erscnville, nnw owned by Mrs. Nora \'. Duffy, a 
granddaughter. John Lankiskis, who died while living- on this farm, is buried 
in a small burving ground near there. His widow, who survived him several 
years, died at Jeffersonville. 

Hamilton Robinson and wife were the parents of the following children: 
John. James, Francis, Mary and Nora V.. all deceased except the last named. 

During the last years of his life Hamilton Robinson made his home with 
his daughter, Mrs. Nora V. Duffy, and from there he was called to his reward 
in 1896. having- been preceded to the silent land by his wife by twenty years. 



752 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Early in life Mr. Robinson juined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
beino- one of the oldest members of that order in Jefifersonville, having for 
years been \-ery active in its affairs. He was a member of the Universalist 
church, and he was always a Democrat, although he never sought political 
emoluments at the hands of his party. Owing to his long life of fidelitv to 
correct principles and his honesty, kindness and genuine worth he retained to 
the last the high esteem of all who knew him. 



WILLIAM E. BOWER, Sr. 

In examining the record of this honored pioneer of Washington town- 
ship we find that laudable ambition for a competence was the potent force and 
incentix'c which led him forward, and that as a result of his strong jjurpose, 
determination and energy he has won a place among the substantial citizens 
of Clark county, being one of her representative farmers, having spent his long 
and useful life within her b(3rders and played no inconsi.)icuous part in the de- 
\-elopment of the general welfare of the section of his nati\-ity. 

William E. Bower, Sr., was born in W'ashington township. Clark C(;)unty, 
October 19, 1S33. Henry Bower, the great-grandfather of the subject, who 
died when eighty years old. was a native of Sweden, from which country he 
emigrated to the Laiited States, locating in Xew York, later going to Penn- 
sylvania, thence to North Carolina. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary 
war throughout that sanguinary struggle. He and his wife were the parents 
of eleven children. One of these was Andrew, who was the father of \\'. E. 
Bower. He married Polly Lawrence, and the}- were the parents of seven chil- 
dren, namely: Henry, who died when a small boy; Andrew J., George W., 
^^'illiam E., Eliza J., ]\Iariab and ]\Iargaret C. who is the wife of James ^I. 
Bower. The father of the subject reached the age of ninety-four years, and 
his grandfather died at the age of eighty-four. 

William E. Bower. Sr., our subject, was reared on the farm, just across the 
road from where he now lives and there he learned to swing the axe and use 
the spade, attending school some during the winter months. He lived with his 
parents until their death. He later bought one hundred and sixty acres of the 
old farm and seventy acres west of the old homestead and he has always been 
actively engaged in farming which he has made a success. He has remained 
unmarried. As the poet Gray has said. "His sober wishes never learned to 
stray." for he has remained closely at home, having never been in but two 
other states, Kentucky and Ohio. He has made a great success, now owning 
over five hundred acres of land and is worth twenty thousand dollars. He 
keeps his farm in good condition in every respect. 




\\'. E. BOWER, Sr. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 753 

In his political relations Mr. Bower is a Democrat, and he served as 
Trustee of Washington township from April, 1865, to October, 1876, continu- 
ously, having been re-elected from time to time, rendering- the utmost satis- 
faction in this capacity. He was secretary of the grange lodge. 

Mr. Bower has lived a quiet, inoffensive and straightforward life, a life 
that has resulted in no harm to any one and he is considered one of the sub- 
stantial men of his localitv. 



THOMAS F. PRALL. 



The pioneer founders of this well known family of this name were 
Pennsylvanians, who came to Clark country about 1840. Thomas Prall, the 
first to identify himself with Southern Indiana interests, was a man of luost 
excellent qualities, and noted for his patriotism and generosity. He bought 
and improved a lot of wild land, mostly timber, and at one time owned fif- 
teen hundred acres. When the Eighty-first Regiment of Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry was organized. Mr. Prall gave each man a dollar and as the enlist- 
ment ran well up towards a thousand it will be seen that this involved a large 
sum of money. He acted as a secret scout for the Union army and at one time 
was captured and held as a spy, but managed to escape. As a member of the 
Cumberland Presbytery he was quite active in church work and gave liberally 
whenever money was needed for missionary or local charities. When at the 
age of sixty-four years he was killed by a stroke of lightning, while sitting on 
his horse. He was mourned as one of the county's most enterprising men. 

Before leaving his native state of Pennsylvania he had married Rebecca 
Sibert, and had two children when they settled in Clark county, a few miles 
southeast of where Henryville now is. Their trading was done at Charles- 
town, the nearest point for the purpose in those days. Altogether there were 
thirteen children in this family and three of the sons served in the Union army. 
David was a member of the Twenty-first Regiment, under Captain Ferguson ; 
Elymes belonged to the Twenty-eighth Regiment Mounted Infantry", and 
Houston, when only fifteen years old, joined the Fifty-second Regiment. The 
eldest son was killed by sharp shooters at Richmond, Virginia, during one of 
the many severe battles fought around that city. 

Thomas F. Prall. the sixth child in this large family, was born in Clark 
county, Indiana, October 12. 1850. He grew up on his father's farm and later 
in life became a farmer himself and continued in agricultural pursuits during 
the larger part of his adult life. About nine years ago he came to Henryville 
and for seven years was engaged in the livery business at that place. He then 
established a store and since has devoted most of his time to mercantile 

48 



754 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

matters, in which lie has met with success. He still owns the land in grant 
225, which as a young man he purchased and improved. He has long been re- 
garded as one of Monroe township's most substantial citizens and he has made 
a success of all enterprises in which he has embarked, from farming to mer- 
chandising. Though he obtained but a limited education in youth he has 
learned much by observation and contact with the world and exercises good 
business judgment in all his dealings with his fellow men. He is a member of 
the Presbyterian church and the local lodge of Knights of Pythias. 

On April 6, 1873, Mr. Prall married Nancy L., daughter of John M. 
and Mary Kirk, of Clark county, where Mrs. Prall was born in 1854. Twelve 
children have been born to them: Monroe, the eldest, married Lulu Lutz, has 
five children and resides in Monroe township; Arthur, the second child, died 
in infancy ; the third child in order of birth is Addie ; Charles married Emma 
Campbell, has two children and is a resident of Henryville; Gai"field, who mar- 
ried Sadie Frankey, has two children, also resides in Heniyville ; Jesse died in 
infancy; William, who married Edith \^'oodlock, has one child and makes 
his home in Henryville: and Mary died in infancy. The others are Pearl, Eva, 
Flora aiKl Burton. \\'i]]i?m and Charles Prall are in the livery business at 
Henrvville. 



ROBERT M. HOWSER. 



So far as can be ascertained the Howser family were of German extrac- 
tion, but emig-rated to America at an early clay and settled in Pennsylvania. 
At a later period descendants removed into various states, and one branch 
founded a family in Jessamine county, Kentucky. There in the first half of 
the nineteenth century Elijah Howser was born. He grew up on a farm, 
learned the business and spent his whole life in agricultural pursuits. The 
methods were primitive in those days, there being much hard work and little 
profit. He was fond of politics and became well known as a politician in sup- 
port of the Democratic party. He was. however, content to help others and 
never became an office-seeker himself. About 1857 he decided to cross the 
Ohio river and endeavor to better his fortunes in the 3'oung state of Indiana. 
He bought wild timber land in Clark county, brought his family over and 
spent the rest of his life in the arduous business of clearing and improving. It 
involved much hard work and endless struggle, but before his death. July 6, 
1S72, he had estal)lished a comfortable home, provided well for a large family 
and left a respectable name, as well as some ])roperty as an inheritance for his 
children. He was a member of the Christian church, observant of the rules of 
m<iralitv. industrinus. law-abiding and in all respects a good neighbur and 
citizen. He married Nancv Bridgewater, descended from a substantial Viv- 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 755 

ginia family, scions of which emigrated to Kentucky when that state was still 
wild and sparsely settled. Her union with Elijah Howser took place when 
they were still young and before her death. October 19, 1872, less than two 
months after her husband's death, she had become the mother of ten children, 
six of whom were boys and four girls. Of these five are still living, among 
the number being the subject of this sketch. 

Robert M. Howser. fifth child in the family, was born March 14. 1844. 
in Oldham county, Kentucky. He remained with his parents until reaching 
his majority when he started out in the world to make a living for himself. 
He had obtained a fair education in the schools of Monroe township, was 
naturally industrious and intelligent and these accomplishments enabled him 
to hold his own in the struggles that confront all poor young men at their en- 
trance into business. \\'hen his father came to Clark county, most of the land 
was still in timber and there were comparatively few improved farms. He 
had all the experiences of a pioneer boy in the wilderness and learned what it 
was to get up at four o'clock in the morning, grub or pile logs all day, drive 
oxen and occasionally go to mill for the family meal or flour. W^hen he got land 
of his own he had to go through the same experiences and make all the im- 
provements, but eventually he had a comfortable home and now may be said 
to live on "Easy Street." compared to the conditions prevailing in his youth. 
His place is within two and a half miles of Heniyville. and his whole life has 
been devoted to the duties falling to the lot of a general farmer. Decidedly a 
home man, his chief pleasure is found in assembling around the fireside in the 
evening with his family. His politics are Democratic, but while he takes an 
interest in party afifairs and helps his friends, he himself has never cared for 
office or sought to become a candidate. He has made a success of his affairs 
and is one of the well known men in this part of the count}'. 

In 1889 Mr. Howser was married to Eva Watson, who was born in Hen- 
derson county, Kentucky. December 7, 1861. Her parents were John W., and 
Martha A. \\'atson. substantial people and of excellent families in the South. 
Mr. and l\Irs. Howser have one child. Charles W., whose birth occurred Octo- 
ber I, 1890. The family are members of the Presbyterian church and have a 
large acquaintance in various parts of Clark county, by all or whom they are 
highly esteemed. 



LAFAYETTE D. TOWNSEND. 

On a home three miles west of Henryville, which is one of the finest in 
Monroe township, resides one of those quiet substantial business men, who 
benefit themselves by their industry and help to build up this community in 
enterprises that extend and encourage improvements. Partly as a farmer, but 



756 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

chiefly as a carpenter and contractor, Lafayette D. Townsend is well known 
as a citizeti, neighbor and father of a large family, which he has reared to 
lives of usefulness. The name has been familiar in Clark county almost since 
its origin, as the pioneer ancestor was here among the first, when everv'thing 
was still a wilderness, heavy growths of the primeval forest being seen on 
every hand and when settlements were to be found only along the rivers and 
here and there in the fertile valleys. George H. Townsend was born in New 
York state, June 11, 181 1, and came to Clark county, about 1820. He entered 
land as was customary in those days, and put in the usual hard licks, clearing 
it of timber and underbrush. He devoted his whole life to farming, met with 
fair success in his calling, reared a large family and closed his blameless life 
at a ripe old age. He was married in Bartholomew county, Indiana, to Eliza- 
beth Hart, who was born in Blount county, Tennessee, October 23, 1823, her 
father being a fanner named Thomas. By this union there were ten chil- 
dren, those living being named as follows, according to age: Nora J., Thomas 
M., Lafayette D., Addie, Ella. Elizabeth, Lillie Alice, Laura and Daisy. 

Lafayette D. Townsend. third of the family, was born in Clark county, 
Indiana, December 27, 1852. At that time schools were few and poor and he 
was able to obtain but a limited education. The attendance was chiefly in the 
winter months, the building, the historic log cabin, with puncheon floor and 
slab seats, the presiding genius who handled the birch was usually some eastern 
pedagogue, much like Ichabod Crane, made famous by Washington Irving, 
in his "Legend of Sleepy Hollow." In the spring, summer and fall, all farm 
boys were needed for the out door work as assistants to their parents, and it 
was under circumstances of this kind that Mr. Townsend got his training for 
his future life. In due time he became owner of land and engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits on his own account. He made all the improvements on his 
farm and had the satisfaction of seeing it gradually grow into a fine and pro- 
ductive farm home. Later he became a carpenter and contractor, to which 
calling he has devoted most of his energies. He put up many of the buildings 
in Monroe township and prospered by his trade. At present he is in the busi- 
ness of furnishing ties to the railroads, which has proved a profitable side line. 
He is recognized as one of the county's substantial men, being a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and a supporter of all causes calculated to upbuild 
and improve the community. His fraternal relations are confined to member- 
ship in the Masonic Order and he takes much interest in the affairs of his 
lodge. 

On September 9, 1875, Mr. Townsend married Mary M. Buehler, who 
was born in Ohio, in 1855. Her parents were Rudolph and Mary (Wild) 
Buehler, the latter descended from Swiss immigrants, who came to this coun- 
try about i860. Her father wzs a tailor by trade, but spent most of his life 
in agricultural pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend have eleven children : Nora 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 



/.■)/ 



Elizabeth, who was born June 30, 1876. married Jason Smith, of Utica town- 
ship, and has one child ; Annie, the second of the family, was born January 
13, 1878; Lelah B., who was born April 18, 1880, is the wife of W. H. Free- 
man. Secretary of the State Board of Forestr}-, a resident of Indianapolis; 
Paul v., the eldest son. was bom February 7, 1882. married Addie Burleson, 
is a resident of Monroe township and has one child; James, the second son, 
was born November 5. 1883; Charles B.. born July 4, 1886, married Louisa 
Cummings, resides at Scottsburg and has one child ; Lucy T. was born De- 
cember 8, 1889: Herman R.. September 6, 1890: Ruth Irene, June 28, 1892; 
Elmer L.. May 18. 1895, ^"d Hazel M., November 7, 1897. The family are 
highly esteemed and have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances all over 
the county. They who visit Mr. Townsend's hospitable home are sure of a 
cordial welcome and the good cheer that comes from kindliness of disposition 
and the accumulations of an industrious life. 



MATTHEW H. DUNLEVY. 

Matthew H. Dunlevy, son of Thomas A. and Catharine (Clegg) Dun- 
le\y, was the oldest of a family of fourteen children. In Mr. Dunlevy we have 
the genuine type of the energetic successful business man of the kind that 
makes a community. He has been in many kinds of business, called on to do 
things and always did them well. The result has been success, social, political 
and financial, with an excellent home and other worldly goods to show as re- 
wards for his efforts. Matthew H. Dunlevy was born September 30. 1859, at 
Blue Lick, in Clark county. Indiana. His only education was obtained in 
the public schools of Clark county, but on this basis, and by subsequent reading 
and obser\-ation he became a well informed man. It was in 1880. 
when twenty-one years old. that he came to Henryville to accept a clerkship 
■with Amelia, widow of Henr}- Ballinger, where he remained for three years. 
His next venture was in the stock business, which he followed with van'ing 
success until 1886. Though still cjuite a young man. he had obtained sutBcient 
prominency to be selected as postmaster to which office he w'as appointed by 
President Cleveland. He sen'ed from March i. 1886, to June 30. 1889. and 
gave excellent satisfaction to all the patrons, and meantime carried on the 
mercantile business as a side line. The change of administration in 1888 caused 
him to be replaced by a Republican, and he resumed his old business of trading 
in stock. This he kept up until 1892, when the wheels of political fortune 
again brought Cleveland to the Presidency, and by him ]Mr. Dunlevy was ap- 
pointed to his old place of postmaster August, 1893. He sen-ed until June 
4, 1897, and by general concensus of public opinion he made the best post- 



758 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

master that Henryville ever had. Wlien McKinley came into the Presidency 
in 1896, Mr. Dunlevy was the first Democrat to "walk the plank" in his con- 
gressional district, on account of the political fight he made during the cam- 
paign, but office holding was not essential to his happiness and he lost no time 
in re-embarking in the mercantile business, which he has ever since followed. 
Active in various lines, always public-spirited and anxious to help in the de- 
velopment of his community, ]Mr. Dunlevy was one of the organizers of the 
Henryville State Bank, which began business March 17, 1904, and he is now 
one of the directors and vice-president of this popular institution. In 1902 
Mr. Dunlevy was a moving spirit in establishing the Heni'j'ville Canning 
Factor^', and in addition to these public seiwices has helped to get lights for 
Henryville. To him was chiefly due the establishment of an exchange of the 
Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company, at Henryville, and he has 
been the agent during the five years the station has been opened. In company 
with R. R. Freeman, he secured the option and bought the land on which the 
State Forestry Reservation was subsequently established and in this way great- 
ly benefited the county while doing something for himself. 

Mr. Dunlevy is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern 
Woodmen, the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. He takes much pleasure in at- 
tending his various lodges, is prompt in attending to all duties assigned him 
by his societies, and altogether is one of the best known as well as most es- 
teemed of Clark county's citizens. Though a life-long Deinocrat and taking 
an active interest in campaigns for his party, he has never sought office, though 
frequently influential in securing office for others. His general store at Henry- 
ville is one of the institutions of the town, and enjoys a large patronage. 

In 1880 I\Ir. Dunlevy was married to Ida A. Gray, a native of Franklin 
county, Indiana, where she was born in 1859. Her parents were Jeduthen 
and Lucinda ( Hardesty) Gray, the former a Union soldier, who was killed 
in September, 1862, at the battle of Antietam. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlevy have 
had seven children of whom five are living, and two died in infancy. Mary 
Ethel, born in 1881, married Clarence Hough and resides in Chicago; Grace 
C. was born in 1887; William T. in 1888, Homer in 1891 and Margaret in 
1904. 



JAMES H. WALKER, M. D. 

Though Clark county numbers many bright physicians within her borders, 
there are none more interesting to talk to and none that stand higher profes- 
sionally or socially than Doctor Walker. Finely educated, of wide experience 
and naturally affable, he makes a charming companion and one whom his ac- 
quaintances are always glad to meet again. Good blood always tells and worthy 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 759 

ancestors usually produce worthy descendants. The Walkers have reason to 
be proud of their lineage as their ancestors were with Lord Baltimore when 
he crossed the Atlantic to make his historic settlement of Maryland. They 
were English Catholics and desen^e the glory of having favored the first 
statute for religious freedom ever adopted by an American colony. Descend- 
ants of these Maryland emigrants became early pioneers of Indiana and were 
among the first settlers of Martin county, having removed there from Ken- 
tucky. Peter M. Walker, born in 1845, is engaged in the flour mill business 
at Loogootee and one of the most prominent men of that Martin county town. 
He married Margaret Karl, who died at the age of thirty, after becoming the 
mother of four children. Her husband married again and by this union eight 
children were born. 

James H. Walker, bom March 14, 1868, in Martin county, Indiana, was 
the second of the four children by the first marriage and six years old when 
his mother died. After the usual course in the common and high schools of 
Loogootee, he taught for three years in Martin county. He then took up the 
study of medicine, entering the Kentucky School of Medicine, at Louisville, 
and was graduated in the class of 1891. Locating at Jeffersonville for the two 
years he subsequently went to Wisconsin, but after a twelve months' sojourn 
in that state returned to Clark county, in 1894. He soon gained a good patron- 
age in HenPi'ville and has been practicing with increasing success ever since. 
He is generally regarded as in the front rank of his profession and no local 
physician enjoys greater popularity. Like all men ambitious to shine in his 
calling Doctor Walker was not content with his original graduation but took 
and completed a course in the celebrated Medico-Chirurgical College, at Phila- 
delphia. In addition to this he had the benefit of two post-graduate courses 
during the years from 1902 and 1904, inclusive. The practical was united 
with the theoretical by his experiences as a surgeon in the Second Division 
Hospital at Camp Meade, in Pennsylvania, and during the Spanish-American 
war he served with the Second Army Corps. Thus it will be seen that Doctor 
Walker is a thoroughly equipped physician not only because he studied hard in 
his younger davs and got the benefit of the best schools, but by reason of the 
fact that he has always kept up his reading of the foremost medical journals, 
which keep him fully abreast of all the latest improvements, discoveries and 
appliances. Doctor Walker has a delightful home in Henryville, to which his 
many friends often gather with assurances of the most cordial hospitality and 
pleasing entertainment. 

In 1897 Doctor Walker was married to Mary Ferguson, a lady of an old 
and esteemed family, who was born at Henryville, November 11, 1877. Her 
father. Dr. H. H. Ferguson, was quite prominent in Clark county, both as a 
citizen and physician. The fact that her grandfather laid off the town of 
Henryville, indicated that the family were among the earliest pioneers of the 



of 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



county. Doctor and Mrs. Walker have two bright children, a dang-hter and 
a son. Helen, born in 1898, and Robert, born in 1900. 



JOHN E. ENLOW. 



This name recalls a well known Kentucky family whose members were 
identified with the old state almost from its earliest history. Jacob Enlow, 
a native of Virginia, crossed the mountains when ever}'thing on this side was 
still a wilderness with only sparse settlements here and there. His son, Thomas 
K. Enlow, was born in Kentucky, in 1811, became a farmer when he reached 
his majority and in 1845 removed to Harrison county, Indiana, where he 
purchased land. That section was still in a wild condition and he had the 
usual trying experiences in clearing and improving his property. He was a 
prominent member of the Methodist church and an active worker in all its 
undertakings. In 1837 he was married at Mauckport, Indiana, to Amanda 
Gwartney, who was born in Corydon, Indiana, in 1821. Nine children were 
born to them, of whom two sons and two daughters survive. 

John E. Enlow. one of the surviving children, was born in Hardin coun- 
ty, Kentucky, in 1842, and hence was three years old when his father removed 
to Indiana. When about seventeen years old he began teaching in Harrison 
county, and was thus engaged at the breaking out of the Civil war. In the 
fall of 1862 he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-fourth Regiment. Kentucky Vol- 
unteer Infantry, and served until the close of hostilities. He was on detached 
service in the provost marshal's office during the winter of 1862. and after 
leaving Louisville ser\'ed as company clerk until September, 1863. He was 
present at the siege of Knoxville and went from there to Tazewell county, 
Tennessee, where he was laid up for a long time with typhoid fever. The 
command retreated from there to Cumberland Gap and in March. 1864. Mr. 
Enlow was sent to the hospital at Louisville and furloughed for sixty days. 
In Tulv he became attached to the hos'^ital b'-^t "Oh'o."at New .\lbanv. Ind-'au'i. 
where he acted as chief clerk, later going in the same capacity to the provost 
marshal's office. At the close of the war he was mustered out at Louisville 
and resumed his old occupation of teaching school. After continuing at this 
for four years he went to Mauckport, and engaged in the milling business. A 
year later he engaged in the ice business at Louisville and so continued until 
1880. when he came to Clark county, and located on a farm in Monroe town- 
ship. His business since then has been farming, combined with the duties of 
pension agent. In May. 1907. he was appointed postmaster of L^nderwood. 
where he also carries on merchandising as a side line. ]\Ir. Enlow is a mem- 
ber of the Underwood Baptist church and an ordained minister. He was a 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. /G I 

member of Underwood Post, 264, Grand Army of the Republic until their 
headquarters were destroyed by fire. 

In November. 1865, Mr. Enlow was married to Alice Reynolds, who was 
bom at Louisville, in 1844. Her parents were J. L. and Eliza (Woodruff) 
Revnolds, the former of Connecticut and the latter a native of New York. 
Mrs. Enlow's people drove from New York City to Louisville in a wagon. 
Mr. and Mrs. Enlow have three children living, Joseph T., bom in 1866. is 
chief of the fire department in Jeffersonville ; \\'illiam, bom in 1870, married 
Daisy Rogers, lives in Louisville and has two children ; Laura W.. born in 
1885, married John E. Anderson, and resides at New Albany. 



ELAJM G. PRALL, D. D. S. 

1 

The Pralls were of the sturdy race known as Pennsylvania Dutch, and 
representatives of the family came to Indiana in the early part of the nine- 
teenth centur}-. They were among the first of the pioneers who settled in 
Clark county, making their appearance when this section was little more than 
a wilderness, with the Ohio river as the only highway. 

Henry H. Prall, one of the descendants, obtained considerable local promi- 
nence and was a man of influence in Monroe township. He became the owner 
of land when everj'thing was covered with timber of the original forest 
growth and went through the usual hardships and toil connected with clearing 
and improving wild land. Though farming was his main business and most 
of his time was devoted to agricultural pursuits he was active in the social, 
political and religious life of the community. A lifelong member of the 
]\Iethodist church, he was ordained as a minister in that denomination and 
did much good in elevating the morals of the community. He was a close 
friend of Henry Ferguson, who laid out the town of Heniyville and lent every 
assistance in his power to this public improvement. In fact, whenever any 
movement was set on foot calculated to benefit the people and aid the cause 
of progress, Henry H. Prall could be relied upon to lend a helping hand. He 
married Susan E. Lewellen. whose ancestors were Virginians and the family 
claimed relationship with John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United 
States. 

Elam G. Prall. son of Henry H.. was born in Monroe township. Clark 
county. Indiana. September 7. 1865. He was educated in the county schools. 
proving an apt pupil and giving promise in boyhood of a successful career in 
life. He decided at an early date to adopt one of the professions, and after 
finishing his academic course entered the Indiana Dental College at Indianapo- 
lis. In due time he was graduated and his popularity and acquirements as a 



762 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Student brought him an office of a professorship. He accepted and had a chair 
in the college for five years. This was followed by the practice of dentistry at 
Indianapolis for several years, after which he removed to Dubois county. He 
remained there several years and then decided to return to his native county, 
opening an office in Henryville. He has met with success and enjoys a good 
practice in the town and surrounding country. 

Doctor Prall has an inclination for fraternal societies and has risen to 
prominence and influence in several of the popular orders. He holds member- 
ship in the Knights of Pjthias, Red Men, Modern Woodmen and Maccabees. 
He has been a representative to the Indiana Grand Lodges, both of the Knights 
of Pythias and the Red Men. Doctor Prall is an intelligent man, well informed 
not only in all matters connected with his profession but on current affairs. 

In 1905 Doctor Prall married Anna W'ermling, a native of Dubois county. 
Her parents were Henry and Barbara W^ermling, who were of German descent. 
Her father died some years ago and the re-marriage of her mother caused the 
name of W'emiling to disappear from the census rolls of the county. Mrs. 
Prall is a member of the Lutheran church. 



JAMES DOTHITTE APPLEGATE. 

The Applegate family has been one of prominence in the vicinity of which 
this history treats, since the pioneer days, and he whose life record is con- 
tained in the following paragraphs is a well known descendant of worthy an- 
cestors. James Dothitte Applegate was born in Louisville, Kentucky, April 
II, 1857, the son of John D. and Mary Ann (Applegate) Applegate, the 
former a native of Jefifersonville township, Clark county, and the latter a na- 
tive of Louisville. Aaron Applegate, grandfather of the subject, was born on 
the 6th of October, 1779, and was joined in marriage to Mary Rebecca Ross, 
who was born on the 15th of April, 1781. To this union were born the fol- 
lowing children: James Ross, born September 2, 1800; Cynthia, born on the 
9th of May, 1802, in Jefferson county, Kentucky; Charles Ross, born on the 
18th of September, 1805, died January 22, 1887; Mary Ann, born in Clark 
county, Indiana, on the 5th of May, 1808 ; David Floyd, born on November 
19, 1810; John Dothitte, born February 16, 1812; Mary Jane, born February 
9, 1816; George R., bom June 9, 1818: John F. R., born March 23, 1820; 
Sarah M. R. S., born June 23, 1822. Aaron Applegate and wife were among 
the very earliest settlers of Clark county, having been natives of Virginia. 
They settled on the Utica pike, then a trail through the wilderness, above Jef- 
fersonville. They came here from Kentucky, They later moved to the place 
where the subject of this sketch now lives, in Jefferson township, and where 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 763 

the father of the subject was born. The house on this place was built about 
1808, and was one of the first two-story frame houses in the county. It was 
a meeting place where frequently circuit-riders from Indianapolis held services. 
During one of these meetings a herd of deer, attracted by the music, gathered 
in front of the house and during the prayer which followed, Aaron Apple- 
gate observed them, and quietly reached for his rifle and shot one before the 
prayer was ended. This startled the minister and stopped the meeting, all 
adjourning to the yard, where the minister assisted in dressing the deer. Mr. 
and Mrs. Aaron Applegate died on this place. John D. Applegate, father of 
the subject, was born and reared on this farm. Soon after his marriage he 
found employment as cooper in a tobacco warehouse in Louisville, later be- 
coming the superintendent of the same place, where he remained for a number 
of years, until his health gave way and he returned to the old homestead, re- 
suming farming. He was a man of thrift and accumulated a competency and 
died in Louisville, March 5, 1876. His wife also died in that city on February 
10, 1874. They were the parents of twelve children, as follows : Mary Jane, 
born November 16, 1839; Josephine, bom June 9, 1842; America, born March 
22, 1844; Joseph, October 10, 1846; Sarah Ellen, February 14, 1848; Louisa 
B., November 29, 1850; Annie Elizabeth, March 16, 1852; Florence Ross, 
November 23, 1854; James D., of this review; Burge, September 3, 1859, 
Archie Clark, February 11, 1862; Julia B., September 11, 1865. Of the 
above, only four are now living. 

James D. Applegate was reared on the old home farm and in Louisville, 
Kentucky. He received a liberal education. Preferring farm life he early 
devoted his attention to the same. He became heir to a part of the old home- 
stead, and he later purchased the remaining portion of this place, which has 
now been in the possession of the family for over one hundred years. It con- 
sists of one hundred acres, well improved and although it has been in cultiva- 
tion for a long time, the soil has retained its fertility, having been skillfully 
managed and it still produces abundant crops. 

Mr. Applegate has been four times married, first on December 20, 1882, 
to Clara B. Whiteside, daughter of W. S. Whiteside, which union resulted 
/in the birth of three children, one of whom is living — Frank: Mrs. Applegate 
^ died September 17, 1890. His second marriage was to Ida K. Anderson, 
daughter of George S. Anderson, the wedding occurring in November, 1893; 
she died August 2, 1898, leaving one child, Maude P. His third marriage 
was to Maggie May Terry, November 16, 1898; she was the daughter of 
Joshua Terry, and she passed to her rest without issue, on October 18, 1899. 
The subject's last wife was Lorena L. Robertson, daughter of Alexander 
Robertson, a member of a prominent family, this marriage occurring May 21, 
1900. 



764 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

In his political relations Mr. Applegate is a Democrat, and fraternally he 
belongs to Hope Lodge, No. 13, and the Uniform Rank, No. 9, Knights of 
Pythias, of Jeffersonville. 



EP HAWES. 



The ancestors of the subject on both sides of the house were early pioneers 
of Clark county, Indiana, having lived here when neighbors were no nearer 
than six or seven miles, but they were hardy people and long-lived, the paternal 
grandfather dying at the age of eighty-nine years and the mother of the sub- 
ject reaching the advanced age of ninety-four years. The latter, who was 
known in her maidenhood as Nancy Kelly, was born in Ohio in 1804. and 
when about thirteen years old she came to Utica township, Clark county, 
where she witnessed the first steamboat that ever passed Utica on the Ohio 
river. She never resided outside of this county after coming here. Nathan 
Hawes, father of our subject, was born in 1802, in the state of New York, 
and he came to Clark county, this state, with his parents in 1817. settling in 
Utica, where he remained for two years, then went to ^^^ashington county and 
bought wild land which he improved, engaging in farming all his life. \\'hen 
about twenty-one years old, he returned to Clark county, and was a resident 
of the same until his death at the age of sixty-eight years. He and Nancy 
Kelly married in this county about 1827, and to them ten children were born, 
only three of whom are living, namely: Martha I., who married Jesse J. 
Coombs; Thomas J., and Ep, our subject. 

\\'hen Nathan Hawes first came to Clark county, he settled on grant 220 
in Union township. Charlestown was the principal town and voting place at 
that time. He bought a farm in grant 203 in 1852, where the subject now 
lives. He devoted practically all his time to his home, not being a public man. 
In politics he was a \\'hig. He operated the first horse-power threshing ma- 
chine in this county, and his son, our subject, taking up the work, was the first 
to operate a steam threshing machine in Clark county. 

Ep Hawes was born in Union township, Clark county, Indiana, December 
7, 1839. and he has shown himself to be a worthy descendant of his sterling 
ancestors, according to the statement of those who have known him the longest 
and best. He got a good education in the free schools of the county, and early 
in life gave evidence of those habits of industry which have characterized his 
entire career, having been engaged in farming all his life in Union township. 
being known as one nf the leading general farmers in this vicinity. He has an 
excellent fann which has been well tilled and his home is a pleasant one, where 
his neighbors delight to gather. This home is presided over by Mrs. Hawes. 
who was known in her maidenhood as Harriet Coleman, whom our subject 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 765 

married in 1864. at Edinbnrg, Indiana. She is the daugliter of J. O. and Sa- 
lina (Gates) Coleman, of Edinlxu'g. Harriet Coleman was born at Salem, 
Connecticut, on July 21, 1844. Her people were all hardy Xew Englanders. 
J. O. Coleman was a colonel of state militia and a captain in the Civil war. 

To Mr. and ]\Irs. Ep Hawes ten children were born, three of whom, Ep- 
sell, May and Lotta Belle, died within two days, having been stricken with 
diphtheria. They were all interred in the same grave. The nnmes of the 
subject's children follow in order of birth: Jessie, born April i, 1867, died 
when ten years old; Emma J., born September 12, 1868, died at the age of 
twenty-seven years: Gussie, born April 10, 1871, died in infancy: James K., 
born July 28, 1874, is a practicing physician at Columbus, Indiana; he married 
Myrtle W'isner, and they are the parents of four children : Elenore, born April 
10, 1876, is living at home: JMay, born December 4, 1877, died September 27, 
1885 ; Epsell, born July 28, died September 29, 1885 ; Samuel C, born July 
27, 1882, married Myrtle Carr, and they became the parents of two children ; 
he married a second time, his last wife, Jessie Carr, being a sister to his first 
wife ; they are living at Memphis, Indiana. Lotta Belle, the ninth child of 
the subject, was born March 12, 1885, and died September 2-j. 1885 ; Arta C, 
born October 17, 1886, is a school teacher. 

Ep Hawes is one of the best known men in that part of Clark county, 
where he has long resided, and no man in the county is more favorabl}' known 
than he, for his life has been exemplary in many respects ; among the most 
praiseworthy traits of his character being the fact that he has never used to- 
bacco in any form, nor ever taken a drink of whiskey. In his fraternal re- 
lations he is a Mason, having been affiliated with that great order for a period 
of nearly forty years, having cast his lot with this fraternity at Charlestown, 
Indiana, in 1870. He is now a member of the Henryville lodge. He is a 
faithful member of the Christian church. 



BALIE L. BURTT. 



It has been said that success treads on the heels of every right effort, and 
amid all the theorizing as to the cause of success, there can be no doubt that 
this aphorism has its origin in the fact that character is the real basis of success 
in any field of thought and action. He of whom the biographer now writes 
has gained a substantial footing in his native community not by reason of the 
fact that someone has mapped out his life work for him or aided him in any 
material way, but because he has been a man of industry and honesty of pur- 
pose all his life and employed such methods as always make for success. 

Balie L. Burtt was born September 27, 1864, in Utica township, Clark 



766 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

county. Indiana, the representative of an old and highly honored family. He 
was educated in the common schools of Utica township in which he made a 
splendid record, but not being satisfied with a common school education he 
entered Oberlin College, where he remained two years, standing high in his 
classes. 

After leaving college Mr. Burtt decided that the free and imtrammeled 
life of the agriculturist and horticulturist was the most attractive for a man 
of his tastes and he accordingly went to fanning, which he has since continued 
with signal success. He has a highly productive and well improved farm of 
one hundred and ten acres, which is mostly used for the raising of fruits, being 
in orchard and grass. He is known in this part of the county as "the peach 
king," being one of the largest peach growers in Southern Indiana. He is a 
good manager and has a most desirable fann on which stands a good dwelling 
and other buildings. 

Mr. Burtt was united in marriage with Lillace Holman, a native of Jeffer- 
sonville township, and the daughter of an excellent family. The date of their 
wedding was October 22, 1890. Mrs. Burtt was born December 10, 1866, in 
Utica township, where she attended the common schools, after which she took 
a course at Oberlin College. 

Two children living and one dead have been born to the subject and 
wife, namely: Eli Ivan, born October 17, 1891, died January 8, 1892; Glen 
Eli, born November 11, 1895; Leta Kathr^-n, born November 25, 1903. 

Mrs. Burtt is a member of the Christian church, and in politics Mr. Burtt 
is a Democrat. In his fraternal relations he is a Mason and a \\^oodman, and 
his daily life would indicate that he believes in living up to his lodge vows, 
for he is known as a man of upright principles in all his relations with his 
fellow men. 



HENRY E. SMITH. 



Among the many sturdy settlers from Kentucky that made their way 
across the Ohio river into Indiana in former years, were the parents of Henry 
E. Smith, who was born in Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, on the 25th 
of April, 1878. He was the son of George D. and Mary E. (Howes) Smith, 
both of whom were born on Kentucky soil, and were the parents of four chil- 
dren, two of whom. Alia and Mitchell, are at home. The third, Charles, was 
married to Lilly Eversole. Henry E.. of this review, was the fourth in order 
of birth. He received his education in the local district school and as a boy 
proved to be a lad of steady habits and pleasant temperament. He made his 
schooling the instrument for wider study and self-culture, and after reaching 
maturity, entered into the Government sen-ice as a packer in the quarter- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 76/ 

master's department, and has continued therein ever since. The same cliar- 
acteristics that marked him as a boy have clung to him in his maturer years, 
and his genial disposition has won for him many warm and appreciative 
friends. 

Mr. Smith was joined in marriage to Man,- Wallace, daughter of John 
and Lucy Wallace, the former being a native of Clark county, Indiana, while 
the latter was born in Kentucky. John and Lucy \\"allace were the parents of 
five children, besides the wife of our subject. They were : Gertrude, Katie. 
Cora. Helen and Charles. 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have become the parents of four children. \-iz : ^^'al- 
lace F.. !\Iar\- L.. James H.. and George D. They reside in Port Fultnn. 

Mr. Smith holds liberal religious views, and says that it has been his prac- 
tice through life to place the emphasis on the spirit of one's conduct, rather 
than on the formal side of creed or doctrine. Politically he affiliates with the 
Republican party, but has made no effort at office-seeking or political promi- 
nence of any kind. He is a member also of the Knights of Pythias, in which 
he has shown an active spirit and has contributed freely of his time to promote 
the welfare of the order. Thus as a citizen and a neighbor he fills a useful 
place in the community life. 



FRANK G. DOBBINS. 



County Armagh in Ireland has contributed generously of her citizen- 
ship to the building up of the great Republic across the sea. When the great 
army of Irish immigrants came pouring in during the forties and fifties no 
part of the Emerald Isle was better represented than old Armagh and many 
of those who came from there "made good" after they reached the American 
shore. They are found in all the walks of life, in the mercantile world, in 
politics, in every branch of trade, in the great manufacturing and the railroad 
world. They are always proud of their native land, the "old sod" as they 
call it. and well they may be as, in the language of the famous Sergeant A. 
Prentiss, " it has contributed to the world more than its due share of wit and 
eloquence and its sons have fought successfully on all fields save their own." 
It was previous to the Civil war that the Dobbins family emigrated from 
Armagh and took up their residence in the East. As the result of the marriage 
of S. H. and Sallie (Garwood) Dobbins, there were several children and one 
of these is the young man whose name appears at the head of this sketch. 

Frank G. Dobbins was born in Trenton. New Jersey, in 1872, and re- 
mained at the place of his nativity until after passing his majorit^^ He at- 
tended the public schools of Trenton, where he laid the foundations of the 



768 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

education, which is indispensable to all those who enter upon the sharp struggle 
for existence in this country of great competition, no matter what the line of 
business selected. It was in 1895 that young Dobbins decided to come to the 
West and grow up with the country as was advised by old Horace Greeley 
unto all who were ambitious of success in life. Arriving at Madison, Indiana, 
he first found employment in a drug store, a line of work which appealed to 
his taste and fancy. After a brief sojourn in the old Ohio river town he trans- 
ferred his residence to Bedford, and later came to Jefifersonville, where he 
found satisfactory relations and has since made his home. At the present time 
he is city salesman for the Peter Neat Richardson Drug Company, of Louis- 
ville, Kentucky, and is prospering satisfactorily in this employment. He is a 
young man of good address, of quiet demeanor and has the faculty of making 
and holding friends. As a salesman he has proved a success and he is popular 
both in the business and social circle in which he moves. 

On April 28, 1903, Mr. Dobbins was united in marriage with Margaret 
Mitchell, a worthy young lady of Jefifersonville. She is the daughter of 
James R. and Ellen (Blizzard) Mitchell, the former of Henryville and the 
latter of Scottsburg. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins is a bright little 
daughter whom they have named Helen Frances. The family are well known 
and highly esteemed in the younger social set to which they belong. 



ABNER BIGGS. 



Abner Biggs, who resides near Henr}'ville, Clark county, is a widely 
known native-born citizen of this community. At the close of the Civil war 
he started on his career as a farmer in his present location, and during the years 
since then he has met with the success which his hard-working disposition de- 
served. His personality has at all times been marked with the qualities which 
engender a sense of trustfulness and mutual helpfulness among neighbors. As 
a conequence he has made many life-long friends. He is the son of one of 
the older pioneers who engaged in many a grim encounter with the Indians 
from behind the palisade of tlie old fort which stood east of the present town 
of Henryville in those primitive days. The elder Biggs was in the fort at the 
time of the Pigeon Roost massacre. 

Abner Biggs was born January 28, 1844, in Monroe township on the farm 
on which he now lives. He is the son of Abner and Emily (Miller) Biggs. 
Abner Biggs, senior, was born about 1799. In early life he lived with his 
father on the old Indian trail northeast of Henryville. Later, as above stated, 
he became an Indian fighter and was known as a man of great nen^e and a 
good shot. There were large numbers of Indians in the immediate neighbor- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 769 

houd in his clay, and on one occasion he came witliin a narrow margin of being 
kithiapped by them ; the event being planned with all the craftiness of the 
aborigine. Abner Biggs, Sr., was also a farmer and stijck raiser. In his 
youth he attended scliool in the old lug subscrijjtion schools. He acquired tim- 
ber land which included our subject's farm. In those days blazed trails thri)Ugh 
the woods were the only roads available and civilization thrnughdut the entire 
Middle \A'est was in its early stages. The mother of Abner Biggs was born 
February 6, 1802, in Clark county. Her marriage took place about 1820, and 
fifteen children were born to the union. Abner being the thirteenth in order of 
birth, and his br(;ther, James, was the tirst person buried in Mount Zion cem- 
eter}-. His father died in December, 1872, in Henryville, and his mother at 
the age of ninety-one, in 1893. 

Abner Biggs started on his own way in life when about eighteen years 
of age. In the year 1865 he enlisted in the Union army at JefTersonville, in 
Company H, One Hundred Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteers, under command 
of Colonel Riddle and Capt. Stephen Cole. While on their way to Richmond, 
Virginia, news of General Lee's surrender was brought. Soon after our sub- 
ject was mustered out of service at Indianapolis. As a Civil war veteran he is 
a well known member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 4C)i, at 
Henryville. On his return home he married in the year 1872, Mary Gray, who 
was born in 1850 in Clark county. She died April 13, 1891, having borne her 
husband eight children. They were: Claude L., who was born December 3, 
1873, ^"•^^ '^I'S'-l June 18,1874; Jessie was born July 24. 1875, and married Mat- 
thew Clegg; they have four children and li\e in ]\[onroe tijwnship. Edgar H. 
was born August 19, 1876, and lives in Jeffersonville ; Herman, born Alarch 
14, 1878, married Hettie Wells, lives in Monroe township, and has two chil- 
dren ; Alec G., born January 7, 1880, married Laura McClellan : they have one 
child and live in Monroe township. Bertha M.. born December 13, 1882, mar- 
ried John Xash ; she lives in Oklahoma, and has one child. Emma G. was born 
on March 7, 1885, and Anna J., who married Ernest Thomas, and lives in Clark 
county, was born June 7, 1886. 

Our subject married secondly on October 11, 1896, Alamie Wells, who 
was previously married to John Pfister. Mamie ( Wells) Pfister was born 
in 1867, February 20th. and was the daughter of Isaac and Lucy (Hall) Wells. 
She was born in Kentucky, her people being all Kentuckians, and came to Clark 
county when she was about five or six years old. Mrs. Biggs had two children 
by her first marriage, viz: Thomas F. Pfister, bom December 2S. 1886, and 
Annie May, biirn February 21, 1888, who died August 25, 1896. Mrs. Biggs 
has become the mother of one child, Claude R., born July 4, 1898, by her 
second marriage. 

Abner Biggs is a Republican in politics and a staunch party supporter, 
though not himself desirous of public life. He recei\ed his education in the 

49 



770 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

schools of the county, and in religious life belongs to the Methodist Episcopal 
church. Though he himself did not see extended sen-ice in the Civil war, his 
brother, Robert, did, having served all through that conflict. 



JAMES R. FERGUSON. 



James R. Ferguson, retired farmer and veteran soldier, of Henryville, 
Clark county, is one of the older generation that has contributed so much to 
the progress and upbuilding of the community. His father. Colonel Ferguson, 
who died in 1868, was the foimder of Henryville. He was the foremost man 
in getting the railroad through that part of the countrv and induced Ben Marsh, 
the engineer who surveyed the railroad, to survey and help him lay off the 
town of Henryville, which was afterwards named in his honor. Our subject 
is well versed in the blacksmith trade, having spent ten years of his life in 
that business: the remainder of his career, outside of his militan,^ experiences, 
was spent in farming pursuits in which he has been unquestionably successful. 
He and his wife live in retirement in Henryville in a manner fitting to their 
time of life. 

James R. Ferguson was born on June 23, 1837, in \\'^ashington county, 
Pennsylvania, and was the son of Hemy and Nancy (Young) Ferguson. 
Col. Henry Ferguson, as he became known in later life, was born in 1804, in 
the same county in Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and came to Clark county, 
Indiana, about 1842, and located on the present site of Henryville, owning all 
the land on which the town now stands. In order to induce the railroad 
authorities to open up Clark county, about 1848 or 1849 'le both donated and 
sold them land. He helped to do the grading work on the road and was after- 
wards kept in the company's employ as paymaster, holding the position until 
his retirement from same. He retired from the service of the railroad in his 
fiftieth year. Colonel Ferguson was educated in the common schools of 
Pennsylvania, was a Democrat in politics, and Ijelonged to the Presbyterian 
faith. He was a great friend of President Armstrong, of the Jeffersonville, 
Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, and was known all over the county. He 
was quite active in the political circles of his day, but never sought a public 
office. He was at one time colonel of a regiment of Pennsylvania militia, and 
was also employed by the state to collect all the old government arms in Clark, 
Scott, Floyd and Washington counties. He and James Allen hauled them to 
Indianapolis. He died in i860, just before the war broke out His wife died 
in 1844, when our subject was quite young. James R. besides himself had five 
brothers and two sisters. He and his sister, Maria Calender, of I^uisville, 
Kentuckv. are the onlv survivors. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. JJ\ 

James R. Ferguson started for himself when about sixteen years old. He 
learned the blacksmith trade, at which he worked for ten years with good 
results. In the year 1861. at tne caitbreak of the war, he enlisted in Company 
D. Forty-ninth Indiana Infantry, as a private, on September 19th. He fought 
in the battles of Cumberland Gap, Memphis, Tennessee: Vicksburg. and in 
the campaign around the last named district. He then participated in the 
Red River Expedition, came home on furlough, and was mustered out in 
1863, at which time he held a commission as captain. From that time until 
a year ago he was a prosperous farmer. 

In the year 1879 he married Mamie Connor, who was born on the 22d of 
November, 1850, and was the daughter of Mary and Brvan Connor. Her 
parents were natives of Ireland, though she herself was born in Maryland. 
Her mother died in Henryville and her father was killed in an accident on 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, in Virginia, about 1856. Her mother, whose 
death occurred in 1885, was in her sixty -first year. Mrs. Ferguson and her 
husband have been blessed w-ith the following children: Ray, born May 5, 
r88o: Earl R. was born December 4, i88r, and 1i\'es in California : Chester C. 
born May 13, 1885: Henry H. was born in February, 1887: Charles Blaine 
was born in 1890, January nth, in Louisville, and James A. on December 

31, 1893- 

James R. Ferguson obtained his education in the common schools. He 
and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics 
he is a Republican and served as Assessor of the township for one term. He 
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 461. 



RICHARD T. ELROD. 



Richard J. Elrod, of Hcnry\ille, Clark county, is one of Monroe town- 
ship's representative farmers and a man of straightforward and honorable 
character. Ever since 1876 he has been associated with the district in which 
he lives and has met with marked success in the general farming line. He is 
now approaching his seventieth year and his long life of industry enables him 
to enjoy the declining period of his career in security. He was bom on the 
loth of August, 1840, in Washington county, and was the son of Stephen and 
Elizabeth (\\'yman) Elrod. Stephen Elrod belonged to an old North Carolina 
family and was born there in 1793. He was a farmer, and in his young days 
came to Washington county, Indiana, where his marriage took place, and 
where his after life was spent. He became known as a raiser of hogs, cattle 
and sheep on a large scale. As a Justice of the Peace he was widely known 
as 'Squire Elrod. In his early life he obtained an education in the old log sub- 



772 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

scriptinn schools. His death occurred in 1847 in Washington county. His 
wife, who was born in Germany, came to the United States when quite young 
witli her parents, and settled in Washington county. She was born in 1798 
and died in 1852. Twelve children, fnur girls and eight boys, were born to 
them, only four of their sons, including our subject, now stn-vi\-ing. They 
are : Eli and Robert. \vA\\ living in ^\'ashington county : Thomas Benton lives 
in Oklahoma, and Richard J-, the youngest living. 

Richard J. Elrod has made his own way in the world since his eleventh 
year, at which period he became an orphan. In the year 1867 his marriage to 
Lucinda B. Walker took place. She was born in Washington county October 
4, 1845, ^"fl '^^'^s '^'is daughter of William S. and Louisa Walker. To Richard 
and }ilrs. Elrod one child, William D., was born in 1873. He married Laura 
Townsend : they live in ]\Ionroe township and have two children. 

\Vhen thirty-three years of age our subject came to Clark county and re- 
sided in Alonroe township, where he still lives in section 266. As a general 
farmer he was successful and used to bring his farm produce to Salem, which 
was the nearest large market town, in order to dispose of same. His education 
was obtained in the common schools of Washington county, and in his early 
days the country round was pretty well settled. \\\ politics he is a Democrat. 
He has never sought political office, devoting the greater part of his time to 
home and farm life. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
Previous to his present marriage he married in the year 186 1, Katherine Swain, 
who died about eighteen months afterwards leaving him a daughter, Cora, 
born in 1862, who married Sheridan ]\IcGrew. They live in Holton, Kansas, 
and have two children. 



JAMES A. CLEGG. 



James A. Clegg, retired farmer of Henryville, Clark county, is a well 
known and respected member of the community in which he has lived and a 
man whose family has been actively associated with the prosperity and progress 
of that section of the state. His father was known throughout Clark county 
as a lawyer of ability and reputation, and a man of honorable character. Our 
subject was himself a participant in the Civil war, and at the close of his tenn 
of ser\'ice was discharged with honor. Since that time he has been most suc- 
cessful in his farming pursuits. 

James A. Clegg was born on February 2, 1839, in Wood township, Clark 
county, and was the son of Matthew and [Martha C. (Allen) Clegg. Matthew 
Clegg was born in the year 1799 in Pennsylvania, and came to Clark county 
where he located, near Utica, when he was quite young. He lived there a 
short time and then moved on Silver Creek, at which place his parents, who also 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. JJT^ 

came to Clark county, hdth tlied. He got little regular education, but succeed- 
ed in educating himself through home study in his spare time. In this manner 
he took up the study of law and became one of the best pioneer lawyers of his 
day in Clark county. He became judge of the Criminal Court and was Prose- 
cuting Attorney for many years. He participated in the Civil war as first lieu- 
tenant in Company M, Fifth Indiana Cavalry, emerging from the conflict as a 
captain after three years' service. Having been captured at Macon, Georgia, 
by the Southern troops he spent six months in Libby prison. Three sons, one 
of whom was our subject, served with him. James A. was in the same com- 
pany with his father, a brother and two nephews. The brother, whose name 
was Matthew, died in Andersonville prison. Returning from the war the older 
Clegg went back to his law practice in this part of the county, and previous to 
his death in 1881. lived in Henry ville for many years. His first marriage to 
Catherine Anderson occurred about 1835. They had two children, both of 
whom died when young. His second wife, Martha C. Allen, was the daughter 
of James and Mary (McBride) Allen. The second Mrs. Clegg's parents were 
married about 1837: her mother being born about the year 1819 or 1820 and 
was a native of Ohio. James A. Clegg is the second of a family of fourteen 
children. The death of both parents occurred on the same day, the 6th of 
February, 188 1, in Henryville. The elder Clegg was one of the best known 
men in Clark county and well liked by everyone. 

James A. Clegg started for himself at the time of his marriage in i860, 
to Martha Dietz, who was born in 1840 in Monroe township. She was the 
daughter of John Frederick and Sarah (Lewis) Dietz. John F. Dietz was 
born on the 4th of October, 1788, and died March 15, 1874: his wife was 
born April 23, 1806, and died on the 5tli of November, 1873. John F. Dietz 
was a farmer and an early pioneer. He came here in the Indian days with his 
parents. They had to go to the scattered block-houses on several occasions 
for protection from Indians, and met with much hardship in consecjuence. 
John F. Dietz was also known as a large fruit grower. His parents came from 
Philadelphia. 

James A. Clegg enlisted in Company M, Fifth Indiana Cavalry, in 1862. 
at Jeft'ersonville. He joined as a private, and at the end of three years was mus- 
tered out as a sergeant. At the end of the war he became a farmer in Monroe 
township at which occupation he remained until ten years ago, when he retired 
and came to Henr}-\ille. He obtained iiis education in the subscription schools 
of Clark county. In politics he is a Republican and in religion he is a member 
of the Christian church. He is commander of the local post No. 461 Grand 
Army of the Republic at Henryville. The following children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Clegg: Richard M., who was born September 19, 1861. mar- 
ried Ellen Cain: thev live at Cainville, Missouri, and have two children. ]\Iary 
A. was lx)rn July 7, 1865. and married John Copeland ; they live at Manford, 



774 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Oklahoma, and have three children. Sarah C. Clegg was born July 28, 1868, 
and married Charles M. Clark; they live in Jeffersonville and have five chil- 
dren. John W. was born April 7. 1871, and lives in Oklahoma; Alatthew S. 
was born I\Iay 13, 1873; he married Jessie Biggs; they live in Clark county 
and have four children. James A. was born on the 28th of June. 1876; he 
married, has one child and lives in Oklahoma, being an undertaker at IMan- 
ford. Frank, the youngest child, was born August 3, 1879, and remains at 
home with his parents. 

James A. Clegg. his wife and son live comfortably in their nice home at 
Henryville. Both the elder people are still well preserved and enjoy good 
health. 



HON. CHARLES F. C. HANCOCK, M. D. 

Though the medical profession of Southern Indiana contains a bright 
galaxy of physicians, there are none better known or more highly esteemed 
than Doctor Hancock. Though still in the prime of life he has accomplished 
much in the line of his profession and has before him a still more brilliant 
future. William Hancock, his father, was a Kentuckian by birth, but came 
early to Indiana and still lives at Memphis. He married Catherine Smith, 
who was born in England, but came to America when ten years old. By this 
union there were five children: George W. and Edward L. are residents of 
Seymour, Indiana; Mrs. Patience Goumsey also lives at Seymour; Mrs. Eu- 
gene Dunlevy is a resident of Memphis, and Mrs. Albert Puddell resides at 
Charlestown, Indiana. Dr. James N. Reynolds, a half-brother of the above 
mentioned, is a practicing physician at Memphis. 

Charles F. C. Hancock, next to the youngest member of this family, was 
born at Memphis, Clark county, Indiana. February 3. 1867. He was a dili- 
gent pupil. In 1 88 1 he entered the Seymour high school, and the following 
year became a student in Eikosi Academy, at Salem, graduating from the 
latter institution in the spring of 1883. He began the study of medicine under 
Doctor Reynolds, and in the intervals taught two terms of school. During 
this period he burned much "midnight oil" in his efforts to master the con- 
tents of the learned books put before him, many of his nights and most of 
his vacation periods being devoted to fitting himself for his exacting profes- 
sion. In 1885 he entered the Medical Department of the University of Louis- 
ville, and a year later matriculated in the Aledical College of Ohio at Cin- 
cinnati, from which he was graduated in the class of ^larch, 1887. He 
formed a partnership for practice with the late Dr. E. J. Kempff. at Jasper, 
but one year later located at Jeffersonville, which has since been the theater 
of his operations. He has met with success and has steadily risen both in ex- 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CC^ IND. 775 

• 

tent of practice and reputation as a g'eneral practitioner. Since 1892 he has 
been local surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He is a member 
of the Clark County Medical Society and the State ^ledical Association. His 
fraternal relations embrace membership in Clark Lodge. No. 40, Free and 
Accepted Masons; Horeb Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and Jeffersonville Com- 
mander}', Knights Templar. Though wedded to his professional duties and 
realizing that medicine is a jealous mistress, the doctor occasionally takes an 
excursion into the realms of politics and proved his popularity in 1904. when 
he made a successful race for State Senator from this district on the Repub- 
lican ticket. He served out his term acceptably, which embraced two sessions 
of the Legislature. 

On October 27. 1897. Doctor Hancock was married to Nora Clark Duffy, 
member of a prominent and wealthy family of Clark county. Her parents 
were James T. and Nora (Robinson) Duffy, the hirmer well known for many 
years in the business circles of Jeffersonville. Fuller particulars concerning 
him will be found in the sketch of James T. Duffy, appearing elsewhere in 
this volume. Doctor and Mrs. Hancock have live children : James D.. James 
R.. Catherine V.. William and Charles F. C. Jr. Doctor Hancock is of quiet, 
unostentatious manners, of a frank and friendly nature and fond rather of 
his home and family than of society or any kind of display. Philantropic 
and kind hearted, he finds many opportunities to do favors on the quiet to his 
deserving and less fortunate brethren. On the whole it is not too much to 
pronounce him not only a skillful and successful physician, but a model citi- 
zen, friend and neighbor. 



\\'ALLACE LAWRENCE JACOBS. 

This enterprising citizen lives in L'tica township, Clark county, and is a 
representative of two pioneer families. His birth occurred November 7. 1874, 
only a short distance from his present home, and his parents, Isaac A. and 
Loretta (Lawrence) Jacobs, were born in the same township. Isaac A. 
Jacobs was a resident of Utica township, all his life and he became known as 
a prosperous and influential farmer. The maternal grandfather of Wallace 
L. Jacobs, Albert Lawrence, was lx>rn in New Jersev and, coming to Indiana, 
settled in Clark county, where he passed his remaining years, dying at Jeffer- 
sonville at the age of eighty-four years. \\"allace Lawrence Jacobs is the 
only child of his parents. He was reared as a farmer boy and received the 
advantages offered by the country schools, supplemented by one year in the 
high school at Utica. When twenty-one years of age he engaged in farming 
for himself and later purchased the place where he now lives, having pros- 
pered from the first. He owns fifty-two acres of well improved land, and the 
buildings thereon are such as his needs and comfort require. 



776 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Mr. Jacobs was united in marriage with Catherine A. Smith, November 
22, 1898, she being a daughter-of \\'. W". and Nancy ( Bottorff ) Smith, a'so 
natives of Utica township, Clark county. The children born unto Mr. and 
Mrs. Jacobs are four in number and their names are: Herbert \\'., Irwin A., 
Nanetta and Ruth R. 

In politics Mr. Jacobs has supported the principles of the Republican 
party and both he and Mrs. Jacobs are members of the New Chapel Metho- 
dist Episcopal church, he being one of its trustees. This family is held in high 
esteem by their neighbors as a result of lives of industry, honesty and hospi- 
tality, causing them to rank among the township's valued citizens. 



HARRY C. MONTGOMERY. 

Harry C. Montgomery was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, April 9. 1870, 
and while yet young in life has become Judge of the Clark Circuit Court. 
His father, a man of many sterling attributes, was J(>hn R. Montgomery, a 
captain and pilot on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers before, during and after 
the war between the states, whose life was brought to a close by the dread 
scourge of yellow fever, September i, 1873. John R. Montgomery married 
Mary L. Mauzy, representative of an influential family. She is living at this 
writing in San Angelo, Texas, with two of her daughters, Mrs. Jessie Abbott 
and Mrs. May Wear. At an early age the Judge was compelled by circum- 
stances to make his own way, successively as a newsboy, upholster's assis- 
tant, musician on the Ohio river steamboats; also as a school teacher in country 
schools of Clark county, and finally, in 1895, graduated from the I'uiversity 
of Louisville, law department, as valedictorian of his class. He was admitted 
to the bar of Clark county and soon thereafter entered upon his chosen pro- 
fession. He was always a close student and an original thinker, and he 
allowed no opportunity to advance his education to pass in his school days. 
In both the grade schools and in the Jeffersonville high school he held a dis- 
tinctive and leading position among his classmates, and his record here and at 
the State University at Bloomington shows that he made a conscientious 
and careful application to his studies. 

Judge Montgomery has never assumed the responsibilities of the married 
state. 

The success at the bar of Judge Montgomery was instantaneous and 
has gradually increased. In 1896, after a practice of one year, his abilities 
were recognized by the citizens of this community and he was elected prose- 
cutor of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, in which position he very ably and con- 
scientiously served until 1900, in fact, it was the splendid discharge of his 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



/// 



duties in this capacity, to a great extent, that made his election tn the l^ench a 
certainty. In 1904 Air. Montgomery was elected Judge of the circuit, which 
he had served so well in the capacity of prosecutor and he has given his con- 
stituents entire satisfaction in this office. Although one of the younger gener- 
ation of lawyers of Clark county he has discharged his duties in an eminentl 



&"■ 



just and conservative manner, for he came to the bench well qualified for its 
exacting duties and responsibilties, and from the beginning his judicial career 
was characterized by such a profound knowledge of the law and an earnest 
and scientious desire to apply it impartially that he was not long in gaining 
the respect and confidence of the attorneys and litigants and earning for him- 
self an honorable reputation among the leading jurists of this part of the state. 
The Judge has ever kept in touch with he inerests of his city and county and 
is an ardent advocate and liberal patron of all worthy enterprises making 
for their advancement and prosperity. He is active in every movement for 
the good of his fellow men, and his popularity is bounded only by the limits 
of his acquaintance. As a lawyer he is easily the peer of any of his pro- 
fessional brethren in this locality, and the honorable distinction already 
achieved at the bar is an earnest of the still higher honors to be achieved in 
years to come, as he is just in the prime of manhood. Behind him lay his 
years of toil and adversity, the formative period of his life; but before him are 
higher honors and larger rewards, both in public and private life, for he is 
not only an accomplished lawyer, a skillful advocate, an honorable and just 
Judge, also a genial and courteous gentleman. 



JAMES ERNEST BURKE. 

In tracing the genealogy of the well known business man of Jeiferson- 
ville whose life record is presented in the following paragraphs the biographer 
finds that he is a worthy scion of sterling Irish ancestors on the paternal side, 
his father, James Burke, for many years a prominent contractor of this city, 
having been born in the Emerald Isle, and who in 1854. when a young man, 
immigrated to the United States, locating in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where 
his brother had previously settled. He was a carpenter by trade and he fol- 
lowed this and contracting on street work, wharves, railroad work, etc., for 
many years. He married Cornelia Crandle, a representative of a well estab- 
lished family of Troy, New York. James Burke died in Jeffersonville several 
years ago at the age of seventy-three years. He was an active worker in the 
Democratic party, and for his local services he was chosen City Treasurer, 
serving three terms: he also served in the City Council, proving himself to be 
an able exponent of the people's interests. His widow, whom he married in 



■//8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

New Orleans, snr\i\ecl him several years, dying at the age of sixty-eight. 
They were the parents of seven children, five of whom grew to maturity, three 
living at the present writing. 

James Ernest Burke, the sixth child in order of birth in his father's fam- 
ily, was born in the city of Jeffersonville, January 17, 1865, and was reared 
in his native town. He received a common school education, and later, in 
order to fit himself for a business career, attended the Bryant and Stratton 
Business College in Louisville, Kentucky. After finishing his education he 
remained with his father as clerk and bookkeeper for several years while they 
were engaged in railroad construction work. In 1883 Mr. Burke purchased 
a wholesale and retail coal business of A. B. Howard & Company, and he has 
since carried on this enterprise with success, having built up a liberal trade 
with the surrounding community and proving himself to be a man of energy 
and good judgment in business afifairs. He is located at the corner of Chest- 
nut and Wall streets. 

The domestic chapter in the life of James E. Burke dates from 1893, 
when he was united in marriage with Bertha C. Read, a native of Jefferson- 
ville, the accomplished daughter of John F. and Eliza A. Read. After a brief 
and harmonious married life, Mrs. Burke was called to her rest in 1894. 

Mr. Burke is a Democrat in his political relations, and fraternally he be- 
longs to Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 362, Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks ; also the Knights of Columbus, in which he has taken a deep interest, as 
he has in the former been past exalted ruler of the Elks. He is a member of 
St. Augustine Catholic church and a liberal supporter of the same. 



JOHN A. H. OWENS. 

A citizen of the LInited States can wear no greater badge of honor than 
the distinction of having served the government in the four years of war be- 
tween the states. One of these defenders of the nation's integrity is the gentle- 
man whose name appears at the head of this article, a well known citizen 
of Clark county, Indiana, and one of the local contributors to the history of 
this county. 

John A. H. Owens was born in Scott county, Indiana, August 7, 1842, 
the son of Charles and Sarah (Whitson) Owens. The Owens family were 
native Hoosiers, the father was born in Charlestown township in Clark c(junty, 
August 22, 1808. His wife was born July i6th, the same year in Utica town- 
ship. There were eleven children in Grandfather Owens' family, the oldest 
having been born in 1788. They were all born in Clark county, Indiana. The 
paternal grandfather of our subject was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 779 

in 1768 and his wife was born in 1767. They emigrated to Indiana, coming 
down the Ohio river in boats. John Owens and Sarah Jackson, the subject's 
grandparents, married in Spring Station, Jefferson county, Kentucky, April 
5, 1787. The Owens and Jacksons reached the Falls of the Ohio, or Bear 
Grass, as it was then known, about 1785. Here the grandparents of the sub- 
ject were married. The maternal great-grandparents of the subject, John and 
Elizabeth Jackson, who were natives of Scotland, moved from Pennsylvania 
to Bear Grass, Kentucky, where they lived for many years, and in 1809 set- 
tled in Clark county, Indiana, where they died. They were buried in an old 
family grave yard, four miles east of Charlestown. John and Sarah Jackson 
Owens were the parents of the following children : David, born in Clarksville, 
Indiana, in 1788; John, born in 1790; Elizabeth, born in 1792; George, born 
in 1795; Harvey, born in 1797; James, born in 1798; William J., born in 
1799; George Clark, bom in 1802; Charles was born in 1804; Rebecca was 
born in 1806; Charles was born in 1808. 

Charles and Sarah (Whitson) Owens were married May 9, 1837, and to 
them three children were born, two girls and one boy, namely : Philena was 
born May 11, 1838, and married a Mr. Johnson. She died in Potomac, Il- 
linois, after becoming the mother of five children ; Susan, the second child of 
Charles and Sarah Owens, was bom March 2, 1840; she became the wife of 
Capt. Thomas R. Mitchell. She died in Charlestown, Clark county, Indiana, in 
May, 1899, after becoming the mother of four children, three of whom are liv- 
ing at this writing. John A. H., our subject, was the third child. For some time 
he lived with his uncle, William Owens. He received his education in the com- 
mon schools of Clark county, Indiana. Although his text-book training was 
somewhat limited it was good for the times in which he was reared. He after- 
ward entered the high school at Charlestown, and became a teacher, having 
taught in a very creditable manner from 1866 to 1879 in the country schools, 
during which time he became well known as an able educator and his services 
were in great demand. 

Feeling that it was his duty to sever home ties, give up his teaching and 
assist in defending his country's integrity, when the great Rebellion broke out, 
our subject enlisted in Company I. Eighty-first Volunteer Infantry, and was 
transferred to the Marine Brigade March i, 1863, from which he was dis- 
charged at Vicksburg, Mississippi, January 17, 1865, after being in the ser- 
vice two and one-half years. 

Mr. Owens was married February i, 1872, to Eliza Riley, who was born 
in Clark county, Indiana, March 19, 1845. Her family came to this county 
before 1820, not long after Indiana entered the Union. They have two chil- 
dren living, Charles, who was born December 30, 1873, is a barber in Charles- 
town, Indiana; Bessie C, who was born August 21, 1881, is a graduate of 
the Charlestown schools. She is single and living at home. 



/So BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

!Mr. Owens devoted his life to farming after the war until 1881, when 
he moved to Charlestown and entered business there, makiog a success of the 
same, for he has always been known as a man of industry and one wlmm 
the people could trust. 

In politics Mr. Owens is a Republican and he has ever taken a li\ely 
interest in political affairs and the advancement of his county's interests in 
any way. He faithfully and very acceptably served the city of Charlestown 
as postmaster under President Benjamin Harrison. He was elected Trustee of 
Charlestown township, and his work elicited the hearty approval of everyone 
concerned. Mr. Owens stands high in the estimation of the people of Clark 
county. 



WIXXIE CLARE LEWMAX. 

The Lewmans may be described as a family of contractors as several 
members of it have achieved success in that line, while the activities of others 
extended into financial and commercial subjects. ^Moses T. Lewman. wdio 
w-as born in Clark county, subsequently became an influential citizen of Put- 
nam county, where lie did contracting work on a large scale and held the 
office of Sheriff. His first work at contracting was the construction of the 
Bethany Christian church on the Charlestown pike, near Charlestown. He 
was a successful m&n of affairs, and accumulated considerable property, but 
met an untimely death by drowning, in 1870, at a sea-side resort, near Savan- 
nah. Georgia. He married Xaomi Lavina Conover, and became the father 
of a number of children, who are now; located in various parts of the coun- 
try. John B. and Harry L. are contractors. The former married Annabell 
Newman, the daughter of a Louisville plumber. Leon D., the third son, mar- 
ried Idoline Sparks, of Atlanta, Georgia, w here he is engaged in banking and 
contracting. Nora, the eldest daughter, is the wife of a Mr. Moore, and re- 
sides at Seattle. Bessie, wife of J. R. Riggs, is a resident of Sullivan. In- 
diana. The wife of Harry was fomierly Lelia Curtis, of California, whose 
mother was a member of the Holman family of Clark county. 

Winnie Clare Lewman was born at Greencastle. Indiana. May 12. 1871, 
and recei\-ed his education in the schools of his native city. After leaving 
Greencastle he was a student for some time at the Bardstown Male College 
and also Hano\-er. He returned from his studies to the farm at Prather and 
remained at home for several years. In 1894. he engaged in the seed busi- 
ness at Louisxille. but after following this for a year he began contracting, 
which he has steadily followed since then. His work which has taken him to 
manv parts of the South has included the construction of many large public 
buildings. He met with success and before he reached middle life was able to 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 781 

construct for himself a home, whicli in beauty of surroundings, fine finish and 
tasteful furnishings is something exceptional. This residence, erected in 
1906, is located on the Charlestown pike, near Prather, and is one of the 
landmarks of the vicinity. Standing on high ground, with an extensive lawn 
in front, it commands a wide view, extending for many miles in every direc- 
tion. The structure is surrounded by broad verandas, whose supporting 
columns are made of rough hewn native stone. The downstairs interior is 
finished in "mission oak," with fluted columns of the same material, marking 
the dividing line between the large double parlors. The upstairs rooms are 
of various finishes, one in light oak, another in mahogany, others of con- 
trasting woods, and with furniture to match. Other luxuries of this home 
•are the tile-floored bath room with all modern equipments, furnace, hot and 
cold water, chandeliers of beautiful design, lighted by electricity. An electric 
plant of most modern construction furnishes both lights and power. Being 
skilled in everything relating to the art of construction Mr. Lewman has ex- 
hibited his good taste in the selection of all the furniture and decorations, 
which enter harmoniously into the color scheme of the entire surroundings. 

Air. Lewman is a member of the Alutual Construction Company, a cor- 
poration of contractors which put up large public buildings throughout the 
South. His fraternal relations are with the Knights Templar and the Free 
and Accepted Alasons. He also holds membership in Cement Lodge of the 
Odd Fellows at Prather. 

On November i6. 1892. he was married to Daisy, daughter of James 
Edgar Brown, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lewman have one child, a daughter named Vere. at present a student 
in the Teffersonville schools. 



THE GREEX FAAHLY. 



William Raleigh Green came from England about the year 1750, and 
settled near Poolesville, Montgomery county, Maryland. About the year 
1770 he moved with, his family to Iredell county. North Carolina, where his 
children grew up. married and most of them removed to homes farther west. 
Of these the names of Isaac. Thomas, ^^'illiam. John and Alartha have been 
preserved. 

\\'illiam Green was born in 1761. grew up in Iredell county, and on 
March 17, 1796, was married to Chloe Ann Roby. In 1806 he moved to Ken- 
tucky and in 1809 came to Clark county, where he settled permanently, about 
four miles north of Jeffersonville. William Green died March 23, 1823. and 
his wife August 11, 182 1. They are buried in the old Jacobs cemetery, about 
four miles northeast of Jeffersonville. The children of William Green and 



782 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

his wife, Chloe Ann Green, were as follows: John W'illetts Green, born July 
31, 1797: Thomas Wilkinson Green, bom October 3, 1799: Martha Green, 
bom November 15, 1801 : Lurana Green, born January 7, 1804: Sarah Ade- 
line Green, born July 19, 1807: Leonard Roby Green, bom December 29, 
1809: ^Iar\' Green, born March 11, 1812, and William Henry Green, bom 
July 13, 1814. All grew up in Clark county. Thomas \\'ilkinson Green 
located near ^^'orthington, Greene county, where he died February 16, 1880. 
Leonard Roby Green engaged in newspaper work in Xew Albany, where he 
owned and published the ^^'eekly and Daily Bulletin. He sold out there in 
1849 and died in Goliad, Texas, August 7, 1853. William Henry Green 
learned the printer's trade at the age of seventeen in the ofBce of the New Al- 
bany Gazette and was engaged in newspaper work for more than fifty years, 
owning and publishing papers in New Albany. Connersville and Brookville, 
Lidiana. He was Auditor of Fayette county, Lidiana, for twelve years, and 
died at Shelbyville, Lidiana, in 1907. 

Isaac Green, eldest son of \\'illiam Raleigh Green, was bom August 21, 
1755, and was married to Elizabeth Wilson, ^lay 28, 1780. They remained 
permanently in L'edell county. North Carolina, where he died November 22, 
1833. The children of Isaac and Elizabeth Green were: Zachariah, John, 
Thomas, William, Isaac, Hetty and Annie. Zachariah Green married Ann 
Jacobs and located in W'apello county, Iowa. John Green located in Ken- 
tucky. Thomas Green fought in the Seminole war, received a land warrant, 
and located in Morgan county, Indiana. Isaac Green remained at the old 
home in North Carolina. Hetty Green married John Summers and settled 
in Tennessee. Annie died young, and ^\'illiam Green located in Clark county, 
Indiana. 

William Green was bom March 15. 1790, in Iredell county. North Caro- 
lina. He was married December 19, 1816, to Celia Lewman and in 1819 in 
company with the Lewmans removed to Clark county, settling near L'tica. 
He remained here a short time and then leased a tract of land near the old 
county farm. They lived here until 1833, when they purchased a tract of 
land near ^Memphis, which became their permanent home the same vear. 

William Green died December 5, 1867. and Celia Green died !\Iay 15, 
1877. They with all their children are buried in Ebenezer cemetery, near 
Memphis. 

The children of William and Celia Green were: Isaiah Green, born Octo- 
ber 10. 1817, married Matilda Jane Perry, December 10, 1839, and died Au- 
gust 18, 1840. No descendants. Elizabeth Caroline Green, born April 9, 
1823, married Francis Durment, ]\Iarch 25, 1847, and settled in Carr town- 
ship: died March 31. 1907. Only two children grew up and married. Al- 
bert N. Durment married Mary King, of Carr township, and Jennie E. mar- 
ried George T Dunlevy, of Bluelick. All located in Carr township. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 783 

John Wesley Green, born December 25, 1830. died January 30. 1845. 
Nancy Ann Green born August 24, 1833. married Joseph Thomas Harrell, 
December 23, 1855. died August 10. i860. No descendants. 

George Washington Green was born April 9. 1837, married Catherine 
Whitesides November 16, 1859, and died December 22, 1898. George W. 
Green was highly educated and spent fourteen years teaching. In 1861 he 
was ordained a minister of the Church of God, or the Adventists. He served 
this church for many years, held many public discussions on the articles of 
faith peculiar to that church and traveled much as an evangelist. He later 
became a member of the Christian church, with which he remained a faithful 
member and minister until his death. He lived on the old h.omestead, near 
^lemphis. and is buried at Ebenezer. 

The children of George \\'. and Catherine Green were : Edwin On-ille. 
born December 26. i860: Annie Alice, born July 2, 1862: Ella Etta, bora 
April II, 1864; Alvin Ellis, born June 15, 1866; Oscar Otto, born August 
20, 1868: Mary Lizzie, born I\Iay 23, 1870 : Clara Daisy, born September 18, 
1872: \^'illiam Louis, born September 13, 1874: John Frederick, born JNIarch 
23, 1877: Eva Myrtle, born June 11, 1880; Katie Lillian, born December i, 
1882; Charles George, born June i, 1885. 

Edwin On-ille Green was educated in the common schools of Lnion 
township, and the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute ; he taught 
for six years, and was principal of the schools at Raub, Benton county, in 
1886-7, and at Memphis in 1887-8-9. He was appointed to the railway mail 
service June 8. 1889. and assigned to the New York and Chicago Railway post- 
ofifice with headquarters at Cle\'eland, Ohio. He was soon promoted and for 
many years has been clerk in charge of some of the largest exclusive mail trains 
in the world. He was married May 3. 1888, to Ella E. Townsend, of Blue Lick. 
Their children are Florence Catherine, born August 14. 1890: Bernice Edna, 
born August 15, 1893. and Amos Tuwnsend Green, born September 11. 1898. 
He has recently purchased a large tract of land in Silver Creek township, near 
Sellersburg, and expects soon to make it his permanent home. 

Ah-in Ellis Green was married March 3. 1889, to Daisy Forest Town- 
send, of Blue Lick, and owns a fine farm in L'nion township, but at present 
follows the carpenter's trade in New Albany. 

Clara Daisy Green was married December 26. 1897, to Joseph L. Shir- 
ley, a farmer of Lnion township. They reside near Memphis, and have three 
children, Lester Louis, Joseph Irvin and George Shirley. 

William Louis Green was educated in the common schools of Union town- 
ship and at Borden; taught school four years, and in 1896 he entered the 
Western Reser\-e Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated in 
1900: served sixteen months as resident house physician in the Cleveland 
City Hospital, after which he located at Pekin, Washington county, Indiana, 



/ 



84 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 



where he has since practiced with great success. He was m-irrietl \\n\\ 8, 
1901. to Jessie A. Scott, of W'aucoma, Iowa. They have one son, W'ihiam 
Thomas Green, and a daughter, Jean Catherine Green. 

Katie Lilhan Green was married Octoher j6. 1904, to \'irgil Johantgen, 
of Union township ; they hve in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and have one child, 
Inez Catherine Johantgen, born September 13, 1905. 

Charles George Green was educated in the common schools of Union 
tiiwnship and studied telegraphy at New Albany. He now holds a responsible 
position with the Northern Pacific, and is located at Alissoula, Montana, 
where he was married June i. 1907, to Adele Basset, a teacher in the ]\Iissonla 
public schools. 



ISAAC F. WHITESIDE. 



This biographical memoir has to do with a characer of unusual force and 
eminence, for Isaac F. Whiteside, whose life chapter has been closed by the 
fate that awaits us all, was for a long lapse of years one of the prominent citi- 
zens of the Falls Cities and one of Jeffersonville's most distinguished native 
sons. He assisted in every way possible bringing about the wondrous trans- 
formation from the primitive conditions of the early days to later day progress 
and improvement. While he carried on a special line of business in such a 
manner as to gain wide notoriety, he also belonged to that class of representa- 
tive citizens who promote the public welfare while advancing individual success. 
There were in him sterling traits which command uniform confidence and re- 
gard, and his worthy personal attributes, enshrined in the hearts of hosts of 
friends, will long be honored. 

Isaac F. Whiteside was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, July 16, 1858, 
and was therefore only in the fifty-first year of his age when summoned to 
join the great phantom army on INIay 4, 1909, but although cut off in the 
zenith of his powers he left behind an inheritance of which his descendants 
may well be proud — the fruits of a successful career and a good name. His 
parents were William S. and Rebecca ( Friend) \\'hiteside, the former a native 
of Charlestown, Indiana, and the latter a native of what is now Danville, Ken- 
tucky. His father passed away several years ago, but his mother, a woman 
of gracious personality and beautiful Christian character, is still living at 
Jeft'ersonville. They were the parents of eight children, Isaac F., of this 
review, being the fourth child in order of birth. After reaching as far as the 
third year in high school he cut short his educational career to become an 
actor in 1874, his inclination being towards elocution, and his talents were 
recognized by Benjamin Cassesay, of Louisville, under whom he studied, after 
which he was offered a position with the stock company at the old Macauley 




^T^f^^^g^ 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 785 

theatre and he made his tlelaut at the Academy of Music, IncHanapohs, in 1875. 
From that time until 1877 he remained on the stage and assisted in supporting 
many of the greatest actors and actresses of that time, among them I^eing Ed- 
win Booth. John [McCullougli, the elder Sothern, John T. Raymond. Larence 
Barrett. Alary Anderson and \\'iniam J. Florence. Ada Rehan was a mem- 
her of the company t(_i which Mr. Whiteside belonged. At nne tinu' he was a 
roommate of W. H. Gillette, the playwright. 

After leaving the stage Air. Whiteside became connected with his father 
in the grocery business in Jelterson\-ille. and in 1880 took charge in his 
own name. He proved to be an alert business man from the hrst and two 
years later built a bakery in connection with his grocery. Branching out fur- 
ther he purchased the produce business of J. S. Fry and established the trrm of 
I. F. Whiteside & Brother, the junior member, Harry R. Whiteside, being 
placed in charge. In 1893 he abandoned the grocery and devoted his energies 
to the bakery and soon pushed his way into the Louisville market witl: such suc- 
cess that in 1895 he decided to move there and build a plant. Later he made 
additions and in the summer of igo8 opened what is probably the most ex- 
tensive and best ec|uipped bakery in the South and excelled by but few plants 
in size and none in equipment throughout the United States. It was opened 
to public inspection on Air. ^^'hiteside's Irftieth birthday anniversary, July 16, 
1908. Air. Whiteside had the novel experience in the winter of 1893 of send- 
ing his wagons and teams across the Ohio river on the ice. His bakery in 
Louisville was at first located at Fourteenth and Alaple streets, later it was 
removed to Fourteenth and Broadway where the great plant described in detail 
on another page of this work is now located. Its emergence from the little 
plant across the river with an investment of about one hundred and fifty dol- 
lars recalls the maxim, "how tall oaks from little acorns grow." The fully 
developed plant has a capacity of one hundred and forty-four loaves per min- 
ute and employes one hundred men. Bread is daily shipped from this busy 
establishment as far southeast as Cumberland Gap, and as far south as Decatur, 
Alabama. The daily capacity foots up to the tremendous aggregate of one 
hundred and seventy thousand loaves. 

Air. \\'hiteside was one of the most indomitable of wiirkers in the Falls 
Cities and it was the popular belief about him that he could make no error 
in a business way. He appeared to have an unerring sense of what was 
the right thing to do and the best course to pursue and he never lacked the 
necessary courage to carry through any resolution or scheme upon which 
he determined. To the last, although his business interests remained in Louis- 
ville, Air, Whiteside retained his altection for his home city in whose welfare 
he never ceased to take a keen interest. It is also remembered with high ap- 
preciation by the people of Jeffersonville that it was to Air. Whiteside's faith, 
courage and will that the city owes her first steps upon the road to improve- 

50 



786 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ment upon which road she is now making rapid progress with confidence of a 
great future. The first granitoid walks and the first brick roadway were 
laid in Jeffersonville under the inspiration of Mr. Whiteside's counsel and are 
monuments to his determination since they were built in the face of much 
shortsighted opposition. Mr. Whiteside had faith in the future of his native 
city and the fact that the future looks brighter to Jeffersonville than the 
past is due in no small measure to the course he marked out and pursued fur 
himself when he became Jeffersonville's chief magistrate in i8c;4. He had 
long been faithful in his support to the Republican party, but had never cared 
to take part in local politics until pursuaded to enter the mayoralty contest 
of the year mentioned above. He filled his four years of office with credit to 
himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents and all concerned 
and with benefit to the city at large. It was during his administration that the 
national encampment of the Grand Amiy of the Republic was held in Louis- 
ville and Mr. Whiteside saw to it that Jeffersonville did her just part in 
entertaining the visitors to this vicinity, even, it is said, outstripping Louisville, 
proportionately to her size, upon this occasion. Mr. Whiteside always retained 
his citizenship in Jeffersonville, and several years ago purchased the old and 
attractive Henry Peter property on \\'est Front street and that remained his 
home until the last. Being hospitable and always desiring to entertain his 
friends, his home and social life were delightful. He was happy in his family 
relationship, warmly attached to his family and his pleasant home was always a 
place of harmony and good cheer. Mr. Whiteside's domestic life began when 
he had just passed his twentieth birthday, having married on August 13, 1878, 
Miss Louise F. Smith, daughter of John F. and Elmira Smith, the latter still 
living in Jeffersonville, and by this union there were two children, William 
S. Whiteside who is in the bakery business, having long been associated 
with his father, and he resides in Louisville. His sister. Miss Nora Whiteside, 
resides at home. Their mother was called to her rest in 1888, and two years 
later Mr. Whiteside married Katherine Beatty, daughter of John J. and Louise 
(Woodruff) Beatty, of Louisville, and this union resulted in the birth of two 
children, Sue ]\Iay and Katherine, both members of the home circle. They 
and their mother are well known in social circles of this vicinity and are 
held in high esteem by a large circle of friends by reason of their culture, 
refinement and kindness. 

Mr. Whiteside was never much of a secret order man, but was a member 
of Jefifersonville Lodge, No. 362, Benevolent and I^rotective Order of Elks, 
and he was not a member of any church, holding to no man-made creed. 
However, his daily life was exemplary and evinced religious principles. His 
mother is a Methodist and his inclination was toward Methodism. 

Mr. Whiteside slinwed unusual fortitude and courage during his long 
illness and never complained. His death was announced to the citizens of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 787 

Jefifersonville by the tolling of bells and the \arious city buildings were draped 
in black as a mark of esteem for the honored dead. He was laid to rest in 
Cave Hill cemetery with universal regret. 



\MLLIAM E. BOTTORFF. 

The subject of this sketch holds a conspicuous place among the success- 
ful business men and public-spirited citizens of Clark county and is an hon- 
orable representative of one of the oldest and best known pioneer families in 
the southern part of the state. He is a son of William J. and Eliza J. (Nett) 
Bottorff, whose sketch appears elsewhere in these pages, and dates his birth 
from the 19th day of i\Iay. 1857, having first seen the light of day on the old 
family homestead, in Charlestown township, wliere his ancestors located when 
the few sparse settlements of Clark county were but niches in the deep and 
well-nigh impenetrable forests. Reared amid the beautiful rural scenes by 
which his childhood home was surrounded and familiar with the rugged 
duties of the farm he grew up a strong and well developed lad and when his 
services could be utilized took his place in the fields where he was able to do 
a man's work long before reaching the years of maturity. Meanwhile in 
winter seasons he attended the district schools of the neighborhood and after 
finishing the branches taught tlierein entered the Charlestown Academy, where 
for two years he pursued the prescribed course. 

Mr. Bottorff began his business career as a merchant, conducting for a 
period of thirteen years a general store and built up a large and lucrative 
patronage, during the greater part of which time he also had charge of the 
post-office at Vesta. For the purpose of educating his children he finally dis- 
posed of his mercantile interests and moved to Greencastle, but after a brief 
residence in that city went to New Albany, where he again embarked in 
general merchandising and millinery business, devoting especial attention to 
the latter line of trade, which he conducted for some time on a very extensive 
scale. Mr. Bottorfif's commercial experience at New Albany was financially 
successful but after some years he sold his stock and returned to Clark county. 
He invested his capital in land, purchasing one hundred and eighty acres in 
Charlestown township, since which time he has devoted his attention very 
largely to his agricultural and real estate interests, meeting with gratifying 
success the meanwhile and earning an honorable reputation as an enterprising, 
far-seeing business man and praiseworthy citizen. 

A Democrat interested in the success of his party and in touch with the 
leading questions and issues of the times he has never entered the political 
arena as a partisan or office seeker. He is essentially a business man and 



788 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

while ever striving for his own advancement he has also been mindful of the 
interests of his friends and fellow citizens. 

Mr. Bottorff on September 13, 1881, was united in marriage with Sallie 
S. Sandifer, a native of Kentnck)-. and a graduate nf the ^Midway Female 
School of that state. 

Air. and Mrs. Bottorff have four children, the oldest of whom, Minnie, 
born July 5, 1882, is a graduate of the Charlestown high school and now chief 
operator in the telephone exchange of the same city. Garnett E., born May 
16, 1884, married Bertha Dellinger and lives in Owen township. Mary K. is 
the wife of James H. Taggart, of Charlestown township, and Earyl is still 
a member of the familv circle. 



HON. CURTIS \\\ BALLARD. 

The career of the present Clerk of Clark county's Circuit Court affords 
a practical illustration of the truth of the statement made by Shakespeare 
when he said "The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation, 
that away, men are but gilded loam or painted clay." Through right living 
Mr. Ballard has gained the c(!nfidence of the people of his adopted county 
and a distinctive evidence of this popular esteem was given in igo6 in his 
election to the important office which he now so ably fills. 

Curtis W. Ballard is a Kentuckian by birth and a worthy member of an 
old and highly respected family of Shelby county, that state. His father, 
William Jordon Ballard, also a native of Kentucky, and for a number of 
years an honored resident of the above county, served with a creditalile record 
in the Civil war as a private in Company A, Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteer 
Infantry, and shortly after retiring from the army entered the railway postal 
service, to which he gave about thirty of the best years of his life. When a 
young man he married Mary Moody, who was born and reared in the Blue 
Grass state, and in due time became the father of two sons ancl one daughter, 
the latter deceased, the older of the sons being the subject of this review. The 
younger, John Ballard, is a merchant of JefTfersonville, and one of the well 
known and successful business men of that city. After spending a number 
of years in the state of his birth William J. Ballard moved his family to Jef- 
fersonville, Indiana, where he made his home until about 1875, when he re- 
turned to Kentucky, but about 1887 again changed his place of abode to 
Jefifersonville and since that time has been living in this city and taking an 
active interest in the public afifairs of the same. 

Curtis W. Ballard was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, on the 13th 
day of October, 1868, and spent his childhood and youth under the grateful 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 789 

intiuences of rural scenes. As soon as old enough iVir liis services to be 
utilized to advantage he bore his full share in the cultivation of the family 
homestead and during the time spent on the farm received a good education 
in the schools of his native county, prosecuting his studies at intervals until a 
youth in his teens. 

When twenty years of age Mr. Ballard severed home ties for the purpose 
of making his own way in the world, and for some time thereafter was em- 
ployed in a foundry at Jefifersonville, where by diligent attention to duty he 
not only became familiar with the business in its every detail Init in due time 
rose to the responsible position of foreman. After spending ten years in that 
capacity and accjuiring a profound knowledge of the trade and great skill as a 
mechanic he resigned his position to make the canvass for the Legislature, 
having been duly nominated for the ofBce by the Democracy of Clark county 
and triumphantly elected on November 6, 1904. 

l\Ir. Ballard proved an able and creditable representation and during his 
one term of service spared neither labor nor pains in looking after the in- 
terests of his constituents and the welfare of the state. He was placed on a 
number of important committees, where his judgment and counsel carried 
weight and commanded respect and in the general deliberations and debates 
on the floor of the chamber he bore an active and conspicuous part. At the 
close of his term he resumed his trade and continued the same until 1906. 
when he again entered the political arena as an important candidate for offi- 
cial honors, having been nominated in the spring of that year for the office 
of Clerk of the Clark County Circuit Court and defeating his opponent by a 
decisive majority at the ensuing election the following November. 

I\Ir. Ballard entered upon the discharge' of his duties as Clerk in Feb- 
ruary. 1908, and thus far has fully realized the high expectations for his 
friends and the public and justified the Democracy in the wisdom of their choice, 
proving a capable and courteous official. When a young man Mr. Ballard 
laid a substantial foundation for a life of usefulness and the firmness of his 
purposes is carrying to conclusion all of his undertakings, has enabled him to 
achieve a larger measure of success than the majority attain. 

Politically he yields allegiance to the Democratic party as before indi- 
cated, the success of which in his own county is partly due to his judicious 
counsel and able leadership. He keeps in touch with the leading questions and 
issues of the day. In the broadest sense of the term he is a self-made man and 
he occupies a place of influence. 

Mr. Ballard takes much interest in secret fraternal work and belongs to 
a number of organizations and societies, in all of which he has been honored 
with positions of trust and importance besides taking an active interest in the 
wider field of general state and national work. He is a charter member of 
the lodge of Red Men in Jefifersonville. and a past official in the same : he be- 



790 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

longs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. Although reared under the influence and teachings 
of the Christian church, with which his family were identified, he is a mem- 
ber of the ^Methodist church. 



REV. JOHN SIMONSON HOWK. D. D. 

Pastor of the First Presbterian church of Jeft'ersonville, and one of the 
most learned and popular divines of his church in Indiana, is he whose name 
appears above, who is a native of Floyd county, this state, and a son of the late 
Hon. George Vail Howk, of New Albany, formerly a Judge of the Supreme 
Court and a jurist of national repute. The Howk family is of German origin, 
but settled in Massachusetts early in the eighteenth century and engaged in 
agricultural pursuits. Isaac Howk, the subject's grandfather, was born in 
that state, received a liberal education in Williams College and in 1817 located 
at Charlestown, Indiana, where he engaged in the practice of law. His wife, 
Elvira Vail, was a daughter of Dr. Gamaliel Vail, who moved from New Eng- 
land to Indiana Territory in 1806, and settled in Clark county. 

Hon. George V. Howk was reared in Charlestown, graduated from x\s- 
bury University in 1846, studied law with Hon. Charles Dewey, a Judge of 
the Indiana Supreme Court, and was admitted to the bar in 1847, beginning 
the practice of his profession in New Albany, where he soon arose to eminence 
in his chosen calling. He filled various official positions and was long promi- 
nently before the public, sen-ing as City Judge of New Albany, Common 
Pleas Judge, Circuit Judge and Representative to the General Assembly. In 
1876 he was chosen one of the Judges of Indiana Supreme Court, which dis- 
tinguished position he held twelve years with credit to himself and to the 
honor of the state, and in which he achieved national repute as a learned and 
profound jurist. Judge Howk was twice married, the first time in 1848 to 
Eleanor, daughter of Judge Charles Dewey, of Charlestown, and in 1854 to 
Jane Simonson, daughter of Gen. John S. Simonson, of the United States 
army. The subject of this sketch is the only survivor of the family of 
eight children, born of these marriages. Charles D. and George V. Howk, 
Jr., brothers of the subject, were lawyers at New Albany, both dying in early 
manhood, and a sister, Jennie, also grew to years of maturity, the others dy- 
ing in infancy and childhood. Judge Howk was one of the leading Democrats 
of Indiana, and for many j-ears filled a large place in public view. His pro- 
fessional and judicial careers were eminently honorable and distinguished and 
his life for many years closely identified with the history of his native state, 
made him distinctively one of the noted men of his day. He died at his home 
in New Albany January 13, 1892. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 79I 

Rev. John Simonson Howk was bom May 28, 1863, and spent his early 
life in New Albany, receiving his elementary education in the public schools 
of the city. Manifesting an ardent desire for more thorough intellectual 
training, he was prepared for college under the tutorship of Miss Suda ^lay, 
and in due time entered DePauw University, where he prosecuted his studies 
until 1883, when he was graduated with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts. 
Subseqtiently in 1886 he received from the same institution the Degree of 
blaster of Arts, and having taken up the study of theology in the meantime, 
and achieved high standing as a scholar and much more than ordinary suc- 
cess in the ministry, he was granted in the year 1896 the Degree of Doctor of 
Divinity, by his alma mater. Animated by a laudable ambition to attain the 
highest possible efficiency in his holy calling, he afterwards took a two years' 
post-graduate course in philosophy and ethics under Rev. Dr. McCosh, at 
Princeton University, and in 1888 he was graduated with an honorable 
record from the Princeton Theological Seminar}-, thus laying broad and deep 
a substantial f(5undation for his subsequent career in one of the noblest and 
most responsible fields of endeavor. 

At one time Doctor Howk seriously contemplated entering the lagal pro- 
fession and to this end studied law under his father, and in due time was 
admitted to the bar. but after a year's practice he abandoned the business to 
devote his life to the Christian ministn,'. On !May 17. 1887. he was licensed 
by the Xew Albany Presbytery, and on June 19th of the year following, was 
ordained by the Presbytery of Xew Castle, since which time he has given him- 
self unreservedly to his chosen calling, his first charges being the churches at 
Rehoboth and Pitts Creek, Marsdand, where he labored with great acceptance 
from 1888 to 1898 inclusive. In the latter year he was chosen minister of the 
church at East Palestine. Ohio, but after a residence of a little more than a 
year at that place he resigned the pastorate to take charge of the First Pres- 
byterian church of Jefifersonville, of which he was duly installed pastor on the 
19th day of October. 1899, and to which he has since ministered with marked 
ability and happy results as the growth of the congregation in all lines of ac- 
tivity abundantly attests. Doctor Howk's labors in Jeffersonville have been 
highly creditable to himself and satisfactory to his congregation, presenting 
a series of successes which have tended greatly to the strengthening of the 
church temporally and spiritualh', and making it one of the most prosperous 
Presbyterian organizations in the sotithern part of the state. Fruitful in ex- 
pedients, he has introduced a number of reforms calculated to arouse the latent 
energies of the members and develop their usefulness along practical lines, 
not the least of which was a Presbyterian Brotherhood he established five 
years before the national organization of the same name went into effect. This 
society, which has fully realized the object for which intended, has been of al- 
most inestimable value by keeping alive an interest in religious and benevolent 



792 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

work, while at its sessions many subjects of vital importance to the church 
as well as ways and means for the general dissemination of the cause of Christ, 
are considered and discussed. He was also instrumental in organizing the 
Thomas Posey Post, Presbyterian Brotherhood Cadets, for the purpose of en- 
listing the interest of the boys of his cong-regation lay means of Bible study, 
athletics, physical training, healthful annisements. etc.. the success of the en- 
terprise more than meeting his expectations and proving a sure safeguard 
against the many alluring temptations and evils to which the youth and young 
men of cities are subjected. 

During the past nine years Doctor Howk has been secretary of the home 
missionary work of the New Albany Presbytery, and as such has been un- 
tiring in his efforts to advance its interest and plant churches and Sunday 
schools in destitute fields. He was a commissioner of the General Assembly 
in 1893 ^^^^ 1903 respectively, and for several years served as chairman of the 
Sunday school work of the Baltimore Synod, comprising the states of Dela- 
ware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He keeps in close touch with 
his denomination and everything relating thereto, is influential in its public 
assemblages and stands high in the esteem of his fellow ministers and co- 
workers, besides enjoying the confidence of the public irrespective of faith or 
creed. While loyal to the church of his choice, the faith and practice of which 
he justifies by reason and history, showing that its object and aim both appeal 
to and receive the sanction of all fair-minded persons, he is by no means nar- 
row in his views, perceiving good in all religious organizations and being 
ready at all times to co-operate with his brother ministers of other bodies in 
the laudable work of the world's evangelization. 

Doctor Howk is not unknown in the domain of literature, having con- 
tributed a number of articles, chiefly of a religious and historical character, 
to the different magazines and periodicals. While pastor of the old church 
at Rehoboth, Mantdand, he discovered and secured the liistory of the first 
Presbyterian organization on the American continent, which appears to have 
been established as early as 1683, by Rev. Francis Makenzie, who ministered 
to the little band of worshipers for many years. Collecting all available data 
bearing on this church, the doctor wrote a very interesting history of the birth- 
place of Presbyterianism in the United States, the sketch proving one of the 
most valuable additions to church literature in recent years. He has also writ- 
ten not a few poems of decided merit and a number of hymns which have 
appeared from time to time in various religious and secular journals, all of his 
literary productions finding ready publishers and ap])reciative readers. 

The doctor's fraternal relations include the Phi Gamma Delta college fra- 
ternitv, Jeffersonville Lodge, No. 240, Free and Accepted Masons ; R. S. Tag- 
gart Camp, Sons of Veterans of East Palestine. Ohio, and the Indiana Society, 
Sons of the American Revolution, being eligible to membership in the last 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 793 

named organization through liis great-great-grandfather. Colonel William 
Edmonson, who was second in command at King's Mountain and dis- 
tinguished himself by bravery and gallantry in that and other battles. His 
maternal grandfather. Gen. John S. Simonson, was a soldier in the War of 
1812 and the war with Mexico, and bore a distinguished part in the Civil 
war frnm 1861 to 1866, besides serving a number of years in the frcnitier 
against various hostile Indian tribes. He was a soldier by profession, rose 
by successive promotions from private to the rank of general and was noted 
for fearlessness and l)ra\-ery in action as well as for strict discipline as a com- 
mander. 

Doctor Howk was married at Xew Albany to May Lorraine Collins, 
daughter of Heniy H. and Mary (Scribner) Collins, both residents of New 
Albany, and representatives of the early pioneer families of that city and well 
and favorably known in social and religious circles. Mrs. Howk was reared 
and educated in her native city, graduating from the high school with the 
class of 1886. Doctor and Mrs. Howk have two daughters, Margaret, born 
March 12, 1890, at Pocomoke, Maryland, and Mary Simonson, whose birth oc- 
curred at the same place on March 31st of the year 1895, '^oth being students 
at Hanover College. Doctor Howk has been a trustee of Hanover College 
since 1905. and his interest and activity in educational work is secondary only 
to his ministerial and religious duties. 

Since October, igo8. Doctor and Mrs. Howk have moved to Hanover 
to be with their children, and Doctor Howk has engaged in general evan- 
gelistic work. 



JOHN C. ZULAUF. 

The fact that this name appears in the cit_\- tlirectory of Jeffersonville 
is due to a somewhat romantic episode, involving a rather interesting chapter 
in the history of Southern Indiana. IMany years before the Civil war a 
wealthy citizen of Switzerland, by the name of Fischli. pre-empted a large 
amount of land near Seymour, and owned other extensive tracts near Jef- 
fersonville. At that time the law of Indiana prohibited the inheritance of land 
by foreign heirs, and at the death of the original owner the estate escheated to 
the school fund of the commonwealth by provision of the statute. To recover 
lands John Zulauf, a distant relati\'e of Fischli. was emploved to come to 
America. He was born in Switzerland, in 1818, and obtained a collegiate 
education, spoke six languages and altogether was an unusually well informed 
man. He spent se\-eral years in clerical occupations in some of the factories 
and banks in different parts of Europe, including one year in the bank at Mar- 
seilles, France, and several years in the large manufactories at Birmingham, 



794 EAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

England. His emplojment as attorney for the Fischli heirs brought him to 
Clark county, in 1846, and the extent and complications of the business neces- 
sitated his remaining in this country for many years. Realizing that he had 
become a fixture he opened a lace and silk importing store on Fourth street, 
Louisville, in 1848, and was appointed Swiss consul to the western states. 
By the exercise of much diplomacy as well as skill and legal ability, he man- 
aged after a protracted struggle against powerful and influential opposition 
to save the Fischli estate for the heirs. During these complicated transactions 
and delays he often returned to his native land and while there, in 1857, was 
married to W'ilhelmina Schoch, daughter of a prominent government official 
of Bavaria. In 1861 he brought his wife and eldest daughter to Jefferson- 
ville, but a 3'ear or two later, when the Northern and Southern armies were 
closing on Louisville, he sent his family back to Switzerland. The entire 
family returned from Europe in 1865 and settled peiTnanently in Jefferson- 
ville, where the father died in 1873. 

John C. Zulauf, one of his father's four children, was born in Switzer- 
land, October 26, 1864, soon after his mother's return from the United States. 
His father did not see him until he was about a year old, when he was 
brought back to Jeffersonville with the rest of the family, of which he was the 
first son. He grew up in Jeffersonville and in 1885 was graduated from 
DePauw University, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1886 he re- 
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the Louisville Law School and 
subsecjuently took a special course in the law department of Harvard Univer- 
sity. Admitted to the bar in 1887 he entered actively into the practice of his 
profession at Jeffersonville, continuing alone until 1888, when he formed a 
partnership with Judge George W, Howk, of the Supreme Court of Indiana, 
with offices in New Albany and Jeffersonville. In 1894 he became vice-presi- 
dent of the Citizens' National Bank, was elected president of that institution 
in 1904 and three years later was made president of the Citizens' Trust Com- 
pany. In many ways he has been prominent in the business affairs of Clark 
and Floyd counties, being recognized as a public-spirited citizen of great 
energy and enterprise and excellent judgment. He was a director of the 
Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company, and made several trips to 
Washington to obtain rights of way for the bridge across the river at the 
most suitable landing place on the Jeffersonville side. He was president and 
business manager of the Ohio Falls Street Car Company, organized to con- 
struct and run a line in Jeffersonville and composed of Louisville and Jeffer- 
sonville capitalists. Mr. Zulauf has also been quite prominent in politics, as a 
Republican. In 1892 he was candidate for Joint Senator from Clark, Scott 
and Jennings county, but owing to the great preponderance in the opposition 
majority was defeated. In 1904 he was chairman of the Republican Dis- 
trict Committee, and in 1906 was a member of the Republican State Central 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 795 

Committee. In 1908 he was a delegate to the Republican National Conven- 
tion at Chicago, that nominated Taft and Shennan. 

In 1896 Mr. Zulauf married Agnes, daughter of Dr. W. D. and Matilda 
(Koehler) Hutchings, of Madison, Indiana. They have two daughters, 
Agnes and Elizabeth. The family's religious affiliations are with the St. 
Paul's Protestant Episcopal church, of which Air. Zulauf has been vestryman 
since 1888. 



\\ILLIAM A. RUBEY. 



Of sterling New England ancestry and inheriting many of the sturdy 
qualities for which the people of that historic section of the country have been 
distinguished, the subject of this sketch although young in years has 
achieved success in the dual capacity of professional and business life. Wil- 
liam A. Rubey, attorney at law and secretary of the Denhard, Rubey Com- 
pany, dealers in furniture and a kindred line of goods, is a native of the old 
and time-honored town of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where his birth occurred 
on the 23d of September, 1872, being the third of a family of seven children 
whose parents, Albert B. and Fannie E. (Hoyt) Rubey, were also born and 
reared in the Nutmeg state. 

Albert B. Rubey is a merchant and manufacturer at Bridgeport, Con- 
necticut, and one of the leading business men and representative citizens of 
that city. Of his family of two sons and five daughters, all but one of the 
latter are living, their names being as follows : Georgie, wife of O. V. Smith, 
of Milford, Connecticut; \\'illiam A., of this review; Lena M. died in her 
twenty-second year; Sarah, now IMrs. Edwin R. Hampton, lives at New Ha- 
ven, Connecticut, where her husband is practicing law ; Elizabeth married 
Harry C. Gates and resides at Bridgeport; Albert B. is engaged in the auto- 
mobile business at Springfield, Massachusetts, and Ethel, now Mrs. Walter 
Griffith, is still under the parental roof. 

The early life of William A. Rubey was cast in pleasant places. As soon 
as old enough he entered the schools of his native city, where under the direc- 
tion of capable teachers, he made commendable progress and attained high 
standing as a close and diligent student. He remained in the state of his birth 
until eighteen years of age, at which time (1891) he came to Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, moving to Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1900, to prosecute his legal studies 
in the Jefferson School of Law, Louisville, which institution he att^ded until 
completing the prescribed course and receiving his degree. \\"ith a mind well dis- 
ciplined by intellectual and professional training he was admitted in 1907, to 
the Clark county bar, and soon won recognition as one of the enterprising 
and capable young lawyers in a city noted for the high order of its professional 



796 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

talent. Two years before engaging in the practice of law, however, he be- 
came interested in a mercantile enterprise which, under the firm name of the 
Denhard & Rubey Company, was incorporated in 1905, and which jointly man- 
aged by the original proprietors is still carried on, being at this time the 
largest and most successful furniture house in Jef^ersonville, as well as one 
of the leading commercial concerns in the southern part of the state. It is 
ably conducted by the solid business men whose names the company bears, 
the stock which represents a heavy investment of capital, consisting of a large 
and complete line of furniture from the simplest and cheapest to the most 
ornate and expensive, also full lines of all kinds of house furnishing materials, 
no pains nor expense being spared to satisfy the most critical demand on the 
part of customers. By honorable dealing and a sincere desire to please the 
proprietors have gained the confidence of the public and the business has grown 
steadily in magnitude: is now widely and favorably known in commercial 
circles and its reputation is second to that of no other enterprise of the kind in 
the country. 

Aside from his professional and commercial interests ^Ir. Rubey is con- 
nected with the Casino Amusement Company, of which he is now secretary 
and treasurer and in the management of which he takes an active and influ- 
ential part. In this as in other enterprises he has met with well earned suc- 
cess, by the people appreciating his efiforts to provide them a commodious and 
pleasant place in which to meet, and a series of high class amusements for 
their entertainment. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Rubey is a Democrat and an influential 
worker in his party, while the Episcopal church represents his religious creed. 
He is a leading member of Lodge, No. 362. Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks, in which he holds the title of past exalted ruler, and his name also 
adoms the records of other local lodges, including the Improved Order of 
Red Men, Knights of Pythias, K. of T. M., of the World, in which he 
fills the office of record-keeper. In addition to the organizations men- 
tioned he belongs to the Century Road Club of America, and to the National 
Automobile Association, besides being identified with various other enterprises 
of a social, literary and benevolent nature in all of which he has been honored 
from time to time with important official positions, to say nothing of his 
liberal contributions for their maintenance. 

Mr. Rubey was happily married on September 6, 1894, to Ida J\I. Den- 
hard, of Jefifersonville, daughter of Edwin L. Denhard, his business partner, 
and proprietor of one of the largest furniture establishments in the city of 
Louisville, Kentucky. Mrs. Rubey is a native of Louisville, received a liberal 
education in the city schools of the same and made her home in that city until 
her marriage. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rubey, namely: 
Florence, Ruth, Wallace, Edward and Elmore, the last two. EdwartI and 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 797 

Elmore, being dead, tlie remaining residing with their parents, constituting a 
happy and contented household. 



FRANK SPEAR ARMSTRONG. 

The subject of this sketch was born in JetTersonville, N(jvember i8, 1868. 
Captain Armstrong's family is among the oldest, if not the oldest family in 
Clark county, and from the earliest time has held a very prominent position in 
the history of the county. His great-grandfather. Col. John Armstrong, was 
the last commandent at Fort Steuben, long before Jefifersonville existed. He 
was a captain in the First United States Regiment. Colonel Harmar, at the 
close of the Revolution and had seen extended and meritorious service during 
that conflict, being in four general engagements, including the battle of Mon- 
mouth and the siege of Yorktown. After leaving the service of the United 
States he returned to Clark county and was one of the most prominent men 
in our early history. He settled on a tract of land opposite the Grassy Flats, 
where his remains now lie buried and where his monument still stands. 

Col. John Armstrong's son. William Goforth Armstrong, made Bethle- 
hem his home until 1841. He served eleven years in the Indiana House of 
Representatives and two years in the Senate, and was receiver of public 
moneys in the land office at Jeffersonville under William Henry Harrison. 
He was one of the principal promoters of the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indi- 
anapolis Railroad and it was due greatly to his energy that the road was 
finished, in 1852, and trains run through to Indianapolis. He was the first 
president of this road, retiring in 1853. His son, John R. Armstrong, Capt. 
Frank S. Armstrong's father, was closely connected with the business an4 
commercial life of Jeffersonville until ill health compelled him to go to the 
West. He died in Jeffersonville, in June, 1878. at the age of thirty- four. Of 
unsullied character and possessing ability of a high order, he filled a large 
place in the business circles of his community and elsewhere, and in his un- 
timely death the city of Jeffersonville lost a leading citizen who promised to 
rise to still higher positions of honor and trust. 

Lucy M. Howard, daughter of James Howard, the boat builder, who 
became the wife of John R. Armstrong, was reared in Clark county, and like 
her husband possessed many amiable qualities of head and heart as well as a 
strong and beautiful character, which endeared her to the large circle of 
friends with whom she was wont to associate. She measured up to the high- 
est standard of intelligent and cultured womanhood and exerted a refining and 
elevating influence upon all with whom she came in contact ; she departed this 
life in Jeffersonville, in the year 1900, being the mother of three children: 



798 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

Howard Armstrong, who died in infanc}-; James H. Armstrong and Capt. 
Frank S. Armstrong, whose name introduces this article. 

Frank Spear Armstrong was educated in the pubHc schools of Jeffer- 
sonville and at old Rugby, in Louisville. He graduated from the West Point 
Military Acadeiny in the class of 1891, and was assigned to the Ninth Cavalry 
at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. This regiment was transferred to Fort Grant, 
Arizona, in October, 1898. Lieutenant Armstrong served on recruiting ser- 
vice in the South during the war with Spain, but returned to his regiment 
when it was ordered to China, in 1900. He sailed for the Taku Forts at the 
mouth of the Pei Ho river, August 16, 1900, but the Chinese troubles becom- 
ing of less importance, the regiment was ordered to Neuva Caeceres. Southern 
Luzon, Philippine Islands, where it served for two years, returning to the 
L'^nited States in 1902 to garrison Fort Walla ^^'alla, \\'ashington. Two years 
later the regiment was ordered to Fort Rile}^, Kansas. Lieutenant Armstrong 
was commissioned first lieutenant July i. 1898, and captain February 2, 1901. 
August 30, 1904. he married Jennie Dimmick. the daughter of Major Dini- 
mick, of the Fifth L'nited States Cavalry, and has two sons. Frank and John. 

At present Captain Armstrong is serving his second tour of duty in the 
Philippines, at Camp McGrath, but the regiment is soon to return to this 
country and will be stationed at Fort Russell, \\'yoming. Since his connec- 
tion with the service he has written several text books on different phases of 
army life. 



JAMES HOWARD ARMSTRONG. 

James Howard Armstrong, the youngest of three sons of John R. and 
Lucy M. (Howard) Armstrong, and brother of Frank S. Armstrong, whose 
sketch appears in another part of this volume, was born September 6, 1870, 
in Jeffersonville. Lidiana, and received his early education in the city schools, 
the discipline thus acquired being afterwards supplemented by a more ad- 
vanced and thorough training at Wabash College at Crawfordsville,. Indiana, 
graduating in June, 1893. Impressed with a desire to enter the legal profes- 
sion he subsec|uently commenced the study of law and in due time became a 
student in the law department of the University of Louisville, where he grad- 
uated in 1899. 

His habits of industry and other qualities which guarantee advancement 
early brought him to the favorable consideration of his fellow citizens and 
while still a young man he rose to a prominent place in the confidence of the 
public and made his influence felt in the affairs of the cit}' and county. From 
1 90 1 to 1903 inclusive, he ser\-ed as Deputy Treasurer of Clark county and 
discharged the duties of the position in an able and satisfactory manner, but 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 799 

before the expiration of his time he was induced to accept a position with 
the historic Howard Ship Yards, of Jefifersonville, which were estabHshed 
in 1835, by his grandfather, James Howard, and which have been continued 
in the family name ever since that time, being one of the leading enterprises of 
the kind on the Oliio and Mississippi rivers and contributing much to the in- 
dustrial advancement of the city. 

For some years past Mr. Armstrong has also been associated with E. M. 
Frank in the real estate and insurance business, the firm under the name of 
Armstrong & Frank being widely and favorably known and commanding ex- 
tensive and lucrative patronage in Jefifersonville, Louisville and other cities 
and also dealing quite largely in farm properties throughout Clark and neigh- 
boring counties and doing all the legal business in their line besides a success- 
ful and growing general office practice. 

Mr. Armstrong in the year 1901 was married to Marion Barrett, of Jef- 
fersonville, the accomplished and popular daughter of Capt. Addison Barrett, 
of the United States army, who had been connected with the Quarter Master's 
Department in this city. Mrs. Armstrong was educated in Jefifersonville and 
at Alameda, California, and is a lady of varied culture whose friends are as 
the number of her acquaintances and whose gracious presence and many social 
attractions have made their home a favorite resort for the best society circles 
of the community. She has borne her husband one child, James Barrett, and 
she belongs to the First Presbyterian church of Jefifersonville, in which Mr. 
Armstrong holds the position of elder. 



JOHN A. MITCHELL. 

About one hundred years ago there came to Clark county, Indiana, An- 
drew Mitchell, grandfather of the subject of our sketch, being among the 
earliest settlers in this vicinity. Andrew Mitchell was born in Virginia, and 
after coming to Indiana was noted for his public spirit and energetic leader- 
ship. The old stone house on the Amos Martin farm was built by Mr. 
Mitchell in 1814, and the land occupied by the Salem church and cemetery' was 
donated by him for these purposes. 

A. J. Mitchell, father of our subject, was born near the Salem church 
on July 15, 1815. He was married to Elnora Mitchell, and they became the 
parents of eight children, two of whom are still living, these being John A., 
of this review, and one brother, Filmore. 

John A. Mitchell worked on the farm during his younger days and had 
but a limited opportunity for education. What he did learn, however, he has 
made good use of and he has demonstrated the value of a good practical judg- 



800 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

ment in the administration of affairs connected with the making uf his own 
way in the world. 

Among other commendable traits of character, patriotism has been one 
of the most prominent in Mr. Mitchell's make-up. He enlisted in August, 
1862, in Company I, of the Eighty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry. In Feb- 
ruary, 1863, he was transferred to the First Battalion of Cavalry, Company B, 
of the Mississippi Marine Brigade, continuing with that company until June 
2. 1863, when he was discharged from the service rm account of disabilities 
resulting from exposures and severe service. The meager pension of twelve 
dollars per month is but a slight recognition of the unselfish service which Air. 
Mitchell has rendered in defense of his country. 

On March 25, 1868, Mr. Mitchell was joined in marriage to Margaret 
Martin, daughter of John Martin. She was born near Salem church, on the 
loth of June. 1843. and has become the mother of four children: William S. 
is deceased: Ida M., is the wife of John A. Noe. now a resident of Jefferson- 
ville ; William E. married Virginia Crum. and they are now^ living in Charles- 
town township ; Marion M. was married to Cecil Alanix, now residing in this 
township. 

Mr. ]\IitchelI and family are members of the Methodist church, and the 
religious training of the family has been one phase of the home life that has 
been strongly emphasized. Though a life-long Republican, Mr. Mitchell has 
not sought prominence in the party ranks and has been content to fill his sta- 
tion in the world by practicing the virtues of good citizenship in his daily walk. 
He practices not only those virtues bearing on the spiritual side i>f human 
character, but also the ones that make for a strong and robust i)hysical frame. 
He has passed his sixty-seventh milestone on the journey, but is still a vigor- 
ous man, is never sick, and is able to manage the affairs of his one-hundred- 
two-acre farm in a mar\'elous manner. He is a close observer and is able to 
discuss the merits and failings of modern theories as to farming in a most 
intelligent and conclusive manner. 



WALTER S. HIKES. 



Walter S. Hikes, one of the leading business men of Charlestown, In- 
diana, is a Hoosier by birth, having first seen the light of day at Utica, In- 
diana, on the 25th of November. 1861. His father. George G. Hikes, was a 
native of Kentucky, having been born in that state in 1812. The grandfather 
was a native of Pennsylvania, and after coming west became an extensive 
land owner, a part of which reverted to George G. Hikes, as an heir. The 
latter was engaged for many years as a nursei"yman, having followed the 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8oi 

business while still at the parental homestead. He was joined in marriage 
to Anna E. Putnam, and this union was graced with two children, one of 
whom, Edward B., died at the age nf five j^ears, leaving Walter S., of this 
review, as the sole heir to- the family estate. 

Walter S. was reared on the farm and received in additimi tu the training- 
afforded by this wholesome environment a good education. He completed 
the common school course and after that was for three years a student in the 
Sturgns Academy at CharlestDwn. 

In 1876 death came to George G., father of our subject, and with this 
came the responsibility of managing the affairs of the estate; this Walter did 
in conjunction with his mother, and under the arrangement the business side 
of their home aft'airs was closely and carefully managed, so that growth and 
development were among the characteristics of the household history. This 
joint management continued until the mother was joined in marriage to 
James Howard. 

On March 16. 1883, \\'alter S. Hikes was married to Mary Bowen, 
daughter of Festus ^\■. and Elizabeth ( Lewman) Bowen, pioneer settlers of 
Clark county, Indiana. She was educated in the public schools of the county, 
and has been a most admirable help-mate and a competent and conscientious 
mother. Six children were born of this union, four of whom survive. The 
children in order of birth were: Edward, deceased; Olive, Ethel, Bessie, 
Dorothy and Mamie, the latter also deceased. Olive and Ethel are graduates 
of the Charlestown high school. 

Mr. Hikes is engaged in the handling of lumber and real estate in 
Charlestown, but retains his management of his large farm in connection with 
his other duties. Although a Republican in politics he has never sought for 
political preferment, choosing rather to live his part as a conservative and up- 
right citizen. He is a member of the Presbyterian denomination, acting in 
the capacity of an elder in the church. Mr. Hikes is also a member of the 
Odd Fellows, belonging to Charlestown Lodge, No. 94. His friends and 
neighbors are coming more and more to recognize his sterling worth and 
unwavering integrity. 



LOUIS BADGER. 



Louis Badger, of Charlestown, Clark county, has had a prosperous busi- 
ness career, and has been a successful holder of public offices entrusted to him 
at different times. He has fought and bled for his country. He is one of the 
older generation of men whose careers embraced many of the critical periods 
which this land of ours experienced, periods which were gloriously tided over 
by the self-reliance and undaunted courage of such men as he. 



802 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Mr. Badger was born in the vicinity of Charlestown. Clark county, on 
September lo. 1845. ^"d was the son of C. G. and Lourena (Green) Badger, 
the former a native of Germany, and the latter of Clark county. C. G. Badger 
was born in the "Fatherland," on June 30. 1819, and his wife on ]\Iarch 7. 
1824. He came to this country at the age of seventeen and went from Charles- 
town to Xew Orleans, returning again to Charlestown, where on the edge of 
the city he operated a blacksmith shop, and at the same time engaged in farm- 
ing pursuits. He was a Democrat and active in party work. About the year 
1859 he was elected .\uditor of Clark county, and served for eight years. He 
was also Treasurer of his county, ser\-ing in that capacity when the county 
seat was located at Charlestown. His name was put forward for Auditor of 
State on one occasion, but was defeated for the nomination. He died on the 
27th of January, 1887. He was a man of great attainments and his success 
in public life was acliieved over the obstacle of foreign birth and the diffi- 
culties of language. At his death he was reputed to be a man of some wealth. 

To C. G. Badger and his wife were born thirteen children; eight boys 
and five girls. Eight are still living, five of the boys and three of the girls. 
They are: Emily, wife of William Masiner, of Charlestown: Belle, wife of 
Charles Reich, of Charlestown : Lucinde. wife of Harry Reil, of Alexandria, 
Indiana: Edward B. Badger, of \\'ichita. Kansas; Louis, of Charlestown: C. 
G., Jr., of Jeffersonville, Indiana; Charles, of Clinton county, Iowa; George, 
of Jefifersonville. Indiana. 

In his young days Louis Badger assisted his parents in working the farm, 
and later hired out to neighboring farmers by the month. In winter time he 
went to school, attending Prof. Z. B. Sturgus' school in Charlestown, where 
he obtained a good education. In 1863 he enlisted in Company D, of the 
Fourth Indiana Cavalry, and the Seventy-seventh Regiment for seiwice in 
the Civil war. During the conflict he was wounded in the engagement at 
Dug Gap, Georgia, on ]\Iay 9, 1864. His wound proved to be of so serious a 
nature that he could no longer be of service, and was accordingly discharged 
July 28, 1865. He is now in receipt of thirty dollars a month pension money. 

Shortly after the close of the war he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of 
Clark county, under Thomas Bellins, and served in that capacity for two 
years. In 1867 his marriage with Adora Grabe took place. Since that time 
nine children have been born to them, of whom there are seven living, five 
boys and two girls. Charles G. was born I^Iay 25, 1868: Nora B. on February 
8, 1870; Oscar is deceased: Centennial J. was born Alay 27. 1876: Robert L. 
in Deceml^er, 1880: M. A. in 1884; Jesse E. April 14. 1886: Edith O. in 1887, 
and George L. on May 25, 1890. 

In politics Mr. Badger is a Democrat and he has been an active worker 
in the interest of his party for a great many years. He served as postmaster 
in Otisco from 1883 to 1887, and was elected in 1890 Trustee of Oregon 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 803 

township and sen-ed in that office for four years. He was in business as a 
huckster for ten years, and spent five years in the business at Otisco. Seven 
years of his Hfe at a later pericjd were spent on a farm in Oregon township. 
In 1903 he sold his farm and returned to Charlestown and entered the harness 
business in Avhich he is now engaged. 

Fraternally Louis Badger is an active member in many orders. He is a 
Mason of the Blazing Star Lodge, No. 226. He belongs to the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 714 at !Marysville, and has of late become 
connected with the Banner Lodge, No. 15, in Jeffersonville, in which he 
carries two thousand dallars" wortii of insurance. He leads a quiet, domestic 
life. 



HENRY S. LUTZ. 



Among the highh' respected citizens of Charlestown a few words are due 
the subject of this sketch, Henry S. Lutz, proprietor of the Interurban livery 
barn. He was born on December 6, 1845, in Charlestown township, Clark 
county, Indiana, the son of George and Sarah (Royer) Lutz, who were also 
natives of this county. Our subject's grandparents emigrated to Indiana 
from North Caolina as early as 1800. They followed farming and braved 
the dangers incident to pioneer life and carved a homestead out of the virgin 
wilderness. The hardships were such as were common to the life of the 
times, but they succeeded .in establishing themselves on a good farm and 
ended their days in their newly adopted state. 

George Lutz, father of Henry S., was a man of modest and quiet de- 
meanor, but was well liked by his neighbors, being ready at all times to 
accommodate his friends in ever}* possible way. He made no efforts to be- 
come prominent in any way and steadily refused to enter into the political 
arena, so free and open to all the people. He was the father of seven chil- 
dren, two sons and five daughters, as follows: Benjamin F., second lieuten- 
ant of the Twelfth Indiana Battery, who lost his life during the Civil war, 
on the field of battle, thus giving himself as a ransom for the preservation of 
the integrity of the flag ; Clara became the wife of Samuel Tolan, both of 
whom have now gone to their reward ; Laura is the wife of Alexander Young, 
of Jeffersonville, Indiana ; Ellen, widow of George Gibson, is now a resident 
of Jeffersonville, Indiana ; Sarah is the wife of James K. Bennett, of New 
Albany, Indiana : Anna is the widow of A. B. Bennett, of Jeff'ersonville, In- 
diana. 

Henry S, Lutz was reared upon the home farm, which lies three miles 
from Charlestown. He received his education in the neighboring district 
schools, but the discipline of life on the farm was not lost upon him, for he 



804 BAIRd's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

appropriated to himself such a fund of experiences that he has had no dilTficuhy 
in going forward with his own business afifairs with the success that crowns 
loyal and untiring efforts. 

On December 15, 1868, Air. Lutz was married to Sarah Sharp, daughter 
of James Sharp, of Charlestown. After their union the young couple made 
their home with Mr. Sharp's parents and continued so until the latter's death, 
after which Mr. Lutz sold his farm and removed to Charlestown. The chil- 
dren born to theme are Anna, wife of James W. Teeple, of Charlestown ; Ben- 
jamin, a railroad engineer at Spokane, Washington : James, a practicing physi- 
cian at Louisville, Kentucky ; Mamie G. is at home. 

Air. and Mrs. Lutz and family are members of the Christian denomina- 
tion and they have been of inestimable service in the work of the church. Mr. 
Lutz is a member of Cement Lodge, No. 494, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, of Charlestown, Indiana. He has passed through all the chairs and has 
twice served his fellows at the grand lodge held at Indianapolis. He affiliates 
with the Republican party, but does not place party above principle, preferring 
to remain in the Ijackground when it comes to seeking for offices or honor. 
In 1903 he removed to Charlestown, beginning the livery business as stated 
above. 



CARL BRAYFIELD. 



Carl Brayfield is well known and respected throughout Clark county. 
For the space of thirty-six years he has been actively engaged in newspaper 
work ; one of the rank and file of that army whose business it is to sketch the 
history of current events, and whose arduous labors, ephemeral-like, find a rest- 
ing place within the dusty files of the newspaper office. His early training- ad- 
mirably fitted him for his life task, and a successful career as a writer, a travel- 
ing correspondent and as editor and publisher has been his. As may be sur- 
mised he is also well versed in the art of the practical printer, and is intimately 
acquainted with all the details of that trade. Carl Brayfield comes of families 
whose genealogical trees have their roots in the distant past. 

ilr. Brayfield was bom in Daviess county, Indiana, on the lOth of Octo- 
ber, 1850, and was the son of John and Sarah (Milholland) Brayfield. Both 
parents belonged to old and respected families. John Brayfield was originally 
a native of Mason county, Kentucky. He traced his descent from an English 
family who came to the United States as early as 1640, and settled in Virginia. 
Grandfather John Brayfield removed from Virginia to Maryland, and there 
married, coming to Kentucky in 1793. His son, John Brayfield, Jr., father of 
Carl, was bom in Kentucky about the year 1810, and moved into the state of 
Indiana about the year 1834. Of our subject's mother's family it may be 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 805 

mentioned that the maternal great-grandfather, Emanuel Van Trees, of Dutch 
extraction, settled in Daviess county, Indiana, about 1816, having come from 
New York. He was by profession a civil engineer. 

Carl Brayfield received a good early training and was educated in the 
common and private schools. In the year 1872, at the age of twenty-two 
years, he entered the newspaper business, and since that time, for thirty-six 
years his pen has rarely been idle. He has been through all the phases of 
'newspaper work and is a fluent and lucid writer. He has been most success- 
ful and in the executive position of editor and publisher he has full scope for 
his abilities. 

His marriage took place at the age of twenty-three on July 12, 1873, 
when he took for his companion through life an accomplished young person, 
Kate Bower, a native of Washington county, Indiana. She was the daughter 
of George W. and Martha (Turner) Bower, well known people in their sec- 
tion of the countr\^ Mr. Brayfield's married life has been a very happy do- 
mestic one, although no children have been born to him. In religious life they 
belong to the church of Christ faith and are diligent and influential in the af- 
fairs of their church. In politics Carl Brayfield is a Democrat and an upholder 
of the best traditions of his party. In the newspaper field in his own county 
he has been of much assistance to his party, 

Carl Brayfield is as yet a young man, comparatively speaking, and long 
years of activity in his chosen sphere are yet in store for him. He is a man 
respected and well thought of in township and county, and is acknowledged 
to be a keen-minded, energetic and far-seeing member of the community. His 
personality embraces all the attributes of the successful and aggressive business 
man. He is of a kindlv genial disposition and is a favorite with a large circle 
of friends and acquaintances. 



DR. CADWALLADER JONES. 

Dr. Cadwallader Jones, of Charlestown, Clark county, is one of those 
professional men who have arrived at their present success solely through 
their own efforts. Energy and ambition characterized him from the time of 
his earliest school attendance in the district schools of his native township, 
and during his years at the Blue River Academy, when his enthusiasm and 
industr}' overcame every obstacle and brought him his well earned medical 
doctor degree. He has a reputation second to none as a professional man and 
citizen in Charlestown. where his professional and public services are in con- 
stant demand. 

Doctor Jones, who has the militant blood of North Carolina in his 



8o6 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

veins, was born in Bartliolomew county, Indiana, on the I2th of October, 
1849. He was the son of William and Elizabeth (Stalker) Jones. His 
grandfather Jones, a native of North Carolina, came to Washington county, In- 
diana, in 181 1, and there entered forty acres, on which he farmed during the 
remainder of his life, dying late in life on his farm. William Jones, our 
subject's father, moved to a farm about a mile south of Jonesville, Barthol- 
omew county. Jonesville received its name from a Ben Jones, an early set- 
tler, who was a relation of our subject's family. William Jones married, 
lived on a farm and died there in 1855. ]^Irs. Jones married secondly a Mr. 
Parker, also deceased, while she is still living, in Washington county, Indiana ; 
having arrived at the age of eighty in 1908. Mrs. Jones had five children, 
three girls and two boys, three are living: Anne, the wife of Calvin Hinkle, 
of Washington county ; E. E. Jones, a resident of Colorado ; and Cadwallader, 
of this review. 

At the age of six years Doctor Jones was left fatherless and went six 
years later to live with his grandfather Jones, who arranged for his edu- 
cation at the district school. In the spring of 1871 he entered the Blue River 
Academy and remained there for two and a half years when, owing to his 
financial circumstances, he was obliged to supplement his income by teaching 
and other means, but still continuing his studies. In 1876 he entered the 
medical department of the University of Louisville and graduated two years 
later with the Doctor of Medicine degree. He then went into practice for 
four years at Borden and at New \\'ashington for five and a half. He located 
in Charlestown on November 2, 1887, where, for one year, he practiced with 
the late Dr. David H. Coombs, after which he entered practice for himself. 
When the building, which contained the oftice in which he had located for 
eighteen years, burned down he moved on October 5. 1907, in with Doctor 
^^'ork. with whom he is located at present. Doctor Jones is a Republican in 
politics and served as a member of the Pension Board under the Harrison ad- 
ministration. In Cleveland's time he was out of oiifice, but was re-appointed 
under President ]\IcKinley, and still holds the ofiice (1908). In 1886 he was 
nominated for Auditor of Clark county by the Republican party, during his 
residence in Washington township. His popularity in his residential town- 
ship may be gauged from the fact that the Democratic majority there which 
averaged one hundred five was reduced to fifteen votes. 

On December 25, 1877, Doctor Jones married Laura Harned and has 
had six children born to him. all but two of whom are graduates of the local 
high school. They were named: Lunsford, Bessie, Mamie, Anna. Leslie 
and Flossie. The first Mrs. Jones died in August, 1893. Doctor Jones mar- 
ried secondly on October 12, 1894, Leah Lander. 

Our subject is a prominent and popular Mason and a member of Blazing 
Star Lodge, No. 226, in which he has held every ofifice and of which he is a 



baird's history of cl-\kk CO., iND. 807 

past master. He is an influential and practical member of the Presbyterian 
belief and holds the ofifrce of deacon in the local Presbyterian church. 

Doctor Jones attended the National Republican Convention of 1892, 
in Minneapolis, as an alternate delegate. Outside of his professional duties 
the doctor is a sincere lover of outdoor sports, particularly in the art of the 
gun and rod. As a hunter and a fisherman he stands second to very few in 
the community. He is also a man who has traveled through the coiuitry ex- 
tensively and has been within the borders of fourteen different states. He is 
a man of culture, with a high reputation for honesty as a citizen, and is 
acknowledged to be a skilled practitioner. 



JOSEPH L. CARR. 



Joseph L. Carr. superintendent of the Clark county intinnary, is a figure 
well known in the civic life of the county. He comes of a military family, 
for the Carrs for many generations have been prominently identified with 
military history in the state of Indiana. They have also made a name for 
themselves in other walks of life. Gen. John Carr. a member of the family, 
represented the Charlestown district several terms in Congress. Andrew 
Jackson Carr, the father of Joseph L., was a veteran of the Mexican war and 
a citizen of worth and influence. Joseph L. Carr is a worthy scion of the 
familv. He is a man of probity and uprightness and in his sphere in public 
life he has won the confidence of all with whom he has come in contact. He 
has been Assessor of Charlestown township for six years, an oftice which he 
filled with credit to himself. He was appointed superintendent of the county 
infirmarv in 1905, and at the close of his term, owing to the skill he displayed 
in conducting his duties he was re-appointed. Two of his sons, in keeping 
with the traditions of the family, fought for their country in the Spanish- 
American war. 

Joseph L. Carr was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, on the 
6th of February, 1852, and was the son of Andrew Jackson Carr and Sarah 
Whiteman, his wife. Andrew Jackson Carr was also bom in Charlestown 
township, Clark county. He was a soldier of the ^Mexican war, who went 
through the most critical stages of that conflict. He was also a civic figure of 
importance and served as Treasurer of Clark county for the period of four 
years. He also served as private secretary to Governor W'hitcomb, and was 
later a representative of Clark county to the state Legislature. He was a 
farmer by occupation and a wealthy man. His death occurred in 1885. In 
his lifetime Andrew Jackson Carr was an influential man in the Masonic 
fraternity in his part of the county. He was a genial and kind-hearted man 
and was well known in his township for his liberality and charitable traits. 



8o8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

He and his wife had four children born to them, of whom Joseph L. was the 
eldest. The two other sons, Richard and George Dunlap, are deceased. Mary 
Neal, a daughter, resides in Denver, Colorado. The mother of these chil- 
dren died on the old homestead in Charlestown township in November, 1902. 

Joseph L. Carr was reared in Charlestown township. He attended the 
district school in his youth and afterwards worked on the farm of his father. 
He is now in his fifty-sixth 3rear and has lived an industrious and active life. 
In politics he is an avowed Democrat and a loyal supporter of his party. For 
six years he was Assessor of Charlestown township, after which he was ap- 
pointed superintendent of the county infirmary, in which capacity he served 
for nearly eight years. He married Ida E. Baldock, daughter of George W. 
Baldock, of Charlestown township. His marriage, which has proved a happy 
one. brought him seven children, namely: Emmett R., who served as a 
soldier in the Spanish-American war; Benjamin F., who also served three 
years in the army, taking part in the Spanish- American war; Josie E., who 
is the wife of \\'esley Buck, of Pomeroy, Ohio ; Bessie I. is the wife of Clyde 
Hawes, of Utica township; Sadie S., Georgia E., Ella D., all three are at 
home with their parents. 

Joseph L. Carr and all the members of his family are members of the 
Christian church and are active and faithful in all things pertaining to the 
further success of the local congregation of their faith. Mr. Carr has now 
held his position as superintendent of the county infirmary for the period ot 
nearly twelve years. 



EDWIN B. BENTLEY. 



Edwin B. Bentley, of Charlestown township, Clark county, is a well 
known fanner in the township in which he lives, and is one of those men whose 
lives, placid and well-ordered, are an open book to their neighbors. He 
comes of an old and respected family, the Bentleys of Ashbourne. Derbyshire. 
England. He has lived the life of an honest, energetic and industrious farmer, 
one who has never looked for nor expected anything beyond the return which 
his labors justly merited. 

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 15th of July, i860, the 
son of Francis W. and Catherine (Taylor) Bentley. The former was born 
on the Solan Young farm, in Charlestown township, in 183 1. Our subject's 
grandfather, James T. Bentley, was born in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England, 
and came to this country in 1820. He lived in the South until 1829. when 
he came to Clark county, Indiana. In New Orleans he married Mary A. 
Johnson, of Boston, Massachusetts, in the year, 1826, and with the proceeds 
of both their savings they started a dairy farm and owned slaves, who after- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 809 

wards came with them to Indiana. About the year 1833 they bought the 
farm which Edwin B. now owns. Here James T. Bentley remained until his 
death, which occurred in 1878. He was a man of pleasant disposition, and 
was well and favorably known. He and his wife had four children, namely : 
Mary Anna, Mary Elizabeth, Francis W'ilson and Sarah Mariah. 

Francis W. Bentley was reared upon his father's farm and received his 
education in the Clark County Academy. In the year 1856 he married Cath- 
erine Taylor, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. Bentley was born on the 
24th of May, 1838, and was educated in Cincinnati, where she attended pri- 
vate school. She further pursued her studies at the Shelby ville (Kentucky) 
Female College, at which she graduated in the year 1855. She and her hus- 
band had four children, namely: John T., born March 4, 1857, who died 
March i, 1904: James T., born August 20. 1858, lives in Kansas: Edwin B., 
who is the subject of this sketch, and Frank T., a resident of Chicago, who 
was bora May 2, 1862. Francis W. Bentley died on the 3d of February, 1888, 
and was a man well liked. He belonged to the Presbyterian church and was 
a deacon of that church. He was politically a Republican, though he never 
took an active part in politics. 

Edwin B. Bentley was reared upon the family farm in Charlestown town- 
ship, and attended the schools of the district and the Barnett Academy at 
Charlestown. He married on December 29, 1891. Lena V. Reeves, a daugh- 
ter of M. D. Reeves, of Charlestown. Mrs. Bentley went to school at Charles- 
town, and like her husband, attended the Barnett Academy Both she and 
her husband are members of the local Presbyterian church, in which he is an 
elder. They have no children. 

Fraternally Mr. Bentley has interested himself in two organizations. He 
is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, and of the Modern Woodmen 
of America. In politics he is a Republican. He owns a farm of one hundred 
and seventy acres which is worth sixty dollars an acre. He has an up-to-date 
dairv on his farm, the milk from which nets him a good revenue. 



JOSEPH M. HAYMAKER. 

Toseph M. Haymaker, of Charlestown township, Clark county, is well 
known throusfhout his township and countv as a breeder of shorthorn cattle 
and as a large land owner. He is a prosperous member of the community and 
has been markedlv successful in all the ventures with which he has connected 
himself. 

Mr. Haymaker was born in Oregon township. Clark county, in the year 
1844, and was the son of John Haymaker and Anna Crum, his wife. To 



8lO BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

his parents eight cliildren were born, namely: John \\'., Ehza J., Katherine, 
George W., Isaac N., James M., Amanda, and the subject of our sketch. 
There are only three members of the family now living, namely : Isaac N., 
Amanda, and our subject, Joseph M. In the year 1874 Joseph M. Haymaker 
married Sallie Beggs, who was born in Charlestown township on the 17th of 
December, 1849. Six children have been born of their marriage. They are: 
Xettie B., William M., deceased; Anna F., Lulu M., John G., and Carrrie F. 

Mrs. Haymaker comes of an old and honored family. She was the 
daughter of the late John Beggs, who father, James, was the son of Judge 
John Beggs, of Rockingham county, Virginia, and who came to Indiana in 
1797. Her mother was Louisa Work, the daughter of Samuel Work, whose 
father, Henry Work, came to Indiana in 1804. ]\Irs. HaymaKer's ancestors 
were prominent in the public and private life of the country for over a cen- 
tury. Mrs. Haymaker and the members of her family are members of the 
Christian church and are all influential and practical church workers. 

The subject of our sketch is a member of Blazing Star Lodge, No. 226, 
of the Free and Accepted Masons of Charlestown. In political afifairs he is a 
Democrat and a staunch upholder of his party. He is a successful breeder of 
shorthorn cattle and owns seven hundred acres of excellent farming land on 
a part of which stands a stone house still in a good state of preservation, which 
was built in 181 1 by its owner, the Hon. James Beggs, president of the Legis- 
lative branch of the territory, and a great-great uncle of Mrs. Haymaker. 
Joseph 'SI. Haymaker is a stockholder of the bank of Charlestown and is in- 
terested in that concern to a considerable extent. He also holds stock in the 
First National Bank of Jeffersonville, Indiana. 

Joseph M. Haymaker and his wife live on section No. 57, on a bluff over- 
looking the classic Ohio river, seventeen miles above the Falls, and in the 
shadow of a monument erected to the memory of Col. John Armstrong, a 
hero of Revolutionary fame. They are now advanced in years and can well 
afford to enjoy the declining period of life surrounded by all the comforts of 
a prosperous home in that picturesque portion of Charlestown township. The 
Haymakers have made many staunch friends in the course of their long lives 
and have a host of acquaintances who sincerely wish them prolonged life. 



JAMES CARR. 



The name uf James Carr, pioneer resident and wealthy farmer of Charles- 
town township, is one that carries great weight and influence when mentioned 
in connection with the progress of Clark county. Beyond and above his ma- 
terial wealth, James Carr is entitled to the respect of his fellow citizens, for 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8ll 

he is the descendant of an illustrious family, his grandfather, Thomas Carr, 
being one of the original framers of the constitution of Indiana, and a man 
who was a native of Pennsylvania and one of the first to note the possibilities 
of the Hoosier state. 

James Carr was born on grant Xo. 154, Charlestown township, Clark 
county, October 18, 1827, and was the son of Joseph and Nancy (Drummond) 
Carr. Joseph Carr was a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born Febru- 
ary 7, 1796, and his wife in Kentucky. Joseph Carr's father, the grandfather 
of our subject, came from Pennsylvania and arrived in Indiana in 1806 
in Charlestown township. Here he lived until his death. He served one term 
in the Indiana Legislature. Joseph Carr married Xancy Drummond about 
the vear 1818. and they were the parents of twelve children, of whom there 
are four now living. James Carr was reared upon the grant above menti(3ned. 
He helped his parents and attended the district schools. His father died at 
the age of forty-eight, about the year 1844. and James had to lend his help 
in managing the farm, which he did until his thirty-fifth year, or some time 
near 1862. He then married Sarah ]\I. Strieker, daughter of \\'illiam 
Strieker, of Charlestown townsliip. Mrs. Carr was bom on July 9, 1842. 
Her father was born in Frederick county, Virginia, and came with his parents 
when he was but six years old to Clark county. Indiana. He married Phoebe 
A. Bower, and had nine children, three of whom are still living. Mrs. Carr 
worked during her youth as a country girl and many times worked in the fields 
for her father. She, however, got a good common school education. William 
Strieker as he advanced in life became a financier and the owner of two thou- 
sand acres of land. \\'hen he first started he bought one hundred one acres 
of land and even went in debt to obtain it. In his earlier years it was his cus- 
tom to personally take his farm produce to X^ew Orleans via the river, and on 
arrival there he used to sell his boat as well as his farm produce, and walk 
back home. As time went on and as prosperity came to him he became of 
great benefit to the community. He helped the poor and needy and, though 
not a member of any church, was a liberal subscriber to those of all denomina- 
tions. He was known to raise a large amount of stock. His death occurred 
in 1886: while his wife lived to a very old age. His estate at the time of his 
death was estimated to be worth something like one hundred thousand dollars. 

James Carr and Sarah M. Strieker were the parents of the following 
children : Emma, the wife of Charles D. X^icholson. of X^ew Albany, Indiana ; 
Charles Carr, of Charlestown township; William J., also of Charlestown town- 
ship; Nancy Ann, the wife of John P. Xicholson, of Oldham county, Ken- 
tucky; Mamie M., who died at the age of sixteen; John T. Carr, who is at 
home: Katie S., who became the wife of Frank Bottorfif. is deceased: and 
an infant that died at the age of fourteen months. They as well as their 
parents are members of the Christian church at Stony Point on Silver Creek. 



8l2 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

In politics Mr. Carr is an ardent Democrat. He is the o\v-ner of sixteen 
hundred acres of land, one thousand of which lie within the borders of Clark 
county. In 1880 he built the fine residence in which he and his family reside. 
It consists of eleven large rooms firmly built upon a picturesque site on five 
hundred and twenty acres of land, three miles northwest of Charlestown, 
Indiana. 

James Carr has many friends among all classes in the community. He 
has always possessed ilTany characteristics which have been known to engender 
mutual good will and fellowship, and this no doubt is the secret of much of 
his popularity. He is now leading a life of semi-retirement in keeping with 
his vears, although he is still hale and hearty and one in whose veins the fires 
of youth have not burned themselves out. 



WILLIAM J. BARNETT. 

William J. Barnett, of Charlestown township, Clark county, is a well 
known and respected native born resident of the township in which he lives. 
He is now the prosperous owner of as fine a farm as there is in Charlestown 
township, the soil of which is estimated to be at least worth seventy dollars 
an acre, and the high state of perfection which the property has reached is 
due mainly to his own industrious efforts. William J. Barnett had the ad- 
vantages of a first class education in his youth and was excellently fitted to 
meet the needs of life in his chosen avocation. He comes of a family, the 
meinbers of which always possessed the characteristics of industry and adapt- 
ability. 

William J. Barnett was born near Charlestown. Indiana, on the ist of 
September, 1853, and was the son of Allen and Edith (Jacobs) Barnett, the 
former a native of Penns^dvania, and the latter of Clark county. Allen Bar- 
nett was a mechanic of more than ordinaiy skill. He patented the first cook- 
ing stoves of the fire above the oven variety. He made some money by this 
and came to Clark county from Louisville, Kentucky, and dealt in land. He 
entered much land from the government not only in Indiana, but in Illinois 
and Iowa. The time of his coming to Clark county was in the spring of 1840, 
when he located near Charlestown. He married Edith Jacobs in Clark 
county, his marriage with her being his second. Nine children were born to 
them, seven of whom are still living. At the time of his death Allen Barnett 
owned a large amount of land. During his life he was a member of the 
Presbyterian faith and was a trustee of the local Presbyterian church, of 
which he was ever a liberal financial supporter. At the close of the 
Civil war he became a Republican in politics. Allen Barnett's children were: 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 813 

Samuel T-. Edward A.. William J., our subject; Clarence C. Barton A., Ella 
S., wife of J. L. Cole: and Edith R., the wife of Judge W. H. Watson. All 
are living. 

William T- Barnett was reared upon the parental farm near Chailestown 
and helped on the farm, attending the common school in winter time. At the 
close of his common school education he entered DePauw University, at 
Greencastle, Indiana, but owing to ill health he had to retire. He afterwards 
married Sallie O. Swartz, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the nth of 
March, 1854. ^Irs. Barnett in addition to a common school education had the 
advantages of an academy training. Their married life was happy and they 
were blessed with three children. They were named : Nellie B., born March 
30. 1879, who is the wife of H. B. Smith; Arthur S., born ]\Iarch 25, 1882, 
and died August 15, 1908: and Charles A., born June i. 1885, who is stenog- 
rapher of a large concern in Kansas City, Missouri. Mrs. Barnett passed to 
her reward February 18, 1894. 

Our subject and the members of the family belong to the Methodist Epis- 
copal faith. He is steward and one of the trustees of the Charlestown Meth- 
odist Episcopal church and an influential and active church attendant. 

In politics William J. Barnett has consistently stood for the Republican 
party, but he has taken no active interest in machine work. He lives quietly 
with his family in the substantial family residence and has a host of friends 
and well wishers. 



FRANK P. McCOR^IICK. 



Frank P. ]\IcCormick, of Charlestown township, Clark county, comes of 
a Virginian family of Irish extraction while from his mother he has inherited 
the rich red blood of old Kentucky. He is a believer in the strenuous life, 
and he is not one of those whose preachings belie their practice. Day in and 
dav out for many years he has led a life of energetic endeavor. He is now in 
a position to enjoy the full fruition of his labors and can leisurely spend the 
declining vears of his life in peacefulness, and without surrendering his inde- 
pendence or self-respect, upon his well stocked farm. 

He was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, on grant No. JJ. 
He was the son of Joshua and Christina (Brentlinger) McCormick. Joshua< 
McCormick was also bom in Clark county and was of Irish extraction. 
Grandfather ^^IcCormick came here at a very early date, presumably from 
Virginia, and lived and died on the present McCormick land. Joshua Mc- 
Cormick married Christina Brentlinger, of Kentucky. They owned about 
five hundred acres of land and reared many children. Their names were: 
William E. McCormick, C. B. McCormick, Theodoscia, wife of Doctor Miller, 



Sl4 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

of Princeton, Kentucky; J- B. McCormick, F. P. McCormick. and Willie, 
Stella and Millie IMcConnick, the last three dying when young. Frank P, 
McCormick is the only member of the family now left in Clark county. Here 
he grew up. obtaining his education at the district schools. 

In after life he married Xannie Bowen, of Charlestown township, Clark 
county. Mrs. McCormick came of an old and respected Clark county family, 
and was bom in September of the year 1875. She obtained a good common 
school education and was well fitted to be the wife of a well-to-do farmer, and 
the mother of children. Two children were born to Frank McCormick and 
wife. They are H. L. McCormick. born in June, 1901. and Clifton K., born 
in November, 1907. 

Frank P. McCormick resides on his father's farm, the Joshua McCor- 
mick estate, of which he is the superintendent. He owns forty acres of prime 
land. He has been quite a large raiser of mules, and has the distinction of 
having the finest span of mules to be seen in Clark county. He also raises 
large numbers of sheep, hogs and cattle. 

In politics Mr. McCormick is a Republican, and though he has never 
taken an active part in the political doings of township or county, nevertheless 
he is an enthusiastic partisan of the party with which his sympathies lie. 

Both Frank P. McCormick and his wife are considered first class neigh- 
bors and have many sincere friends in Charlestown township. They live an 
ideal home life, and they are good, religious, industrious and strictly honest 
members of the communitv. 



DR. JOSIAH L. TAGGART. 

Dr. Josiah L. Taggart. late of Owen township, Clark county, was ex- 
tensively engaged for over twenty years in breeding short-horn cattle, and he 
was most successful in raising stock of this description. His father, the 
late Dr. William Taggart, \-ery successfully combined the exacting duties of 
an extensive medical practice with farming and stock raising interests on a 
large scale. Both father and son enjoyed much confidence and friendship 
in public as well as private life: and the much lamented deaths of these noted 
doctors were serious losses both to their family and friends. 

The subject of our sketch was Ix)rn in Owen township. Clark county, on 
the 27th of August. 1847. and was the son of Dr. William and Mar\^ (Craw- 
ford) Taggart. The Taggart family were natives of Ireland. Dr. William 
Taggart being born in the Emerald Isle. He came with his parents to America 
when about eight years old, and located with them in Tennessee, later coming 
to Indiana. Dr. William Taggart was a graduate of Louisville University, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8lS 

and a prominent medical practitioner. He lived on his farm and practiced, 
and in 1848 he removed to Cliarlestown in order to obtain better educational 
facilities for his children, remaining there until 1856, when he returned to 
his farm in Owen township. Here he had an extensive practice and became 
wealthy. To himself and his wife there were born six boys and three girls, 
of whom there are now living two boys and three girls. 

Josiah L. lived on the fann and attended the common schools of the dis- 
trict and the Charlestown school. He became a teaclier and taught school 
for a period of ten years. In 1865 he entered the Indianapolis Medical Col- 
lege and graduated at that institution in 1869. He then went to Washington 
territory and practiced there for eighteen months. On Februar}- 11, 1886, 
he married Nannie Haymaker, a daughter of Dr. G. \\'. Haymaker, of Charles- 
town. Mrs. Taggart was born in New INIarket, Clark county, and was edu- 
cated in the common schools. Doctor and Mrs. Taggart lived a very happy 
married life, and one child was born to them. Ethel, who is a student at 
Hanover College. 

In politics the subject of our sketch was a Repuljlican and was elected 
Trustee of Owen township in 1904, an office which he held four years. He 
was a member of the Presbyterian faith and subscribed liberally towards the 
church. ]\Irs. Taggart is also a member of that church. Dr. J. L. Taggart 
had two hundred and fifty acres of choice land, on which he carried on his 
breeding and raising operations. In addition to the short-horn cattle which he 
raised, and of which he brought the first imported stock of that kind to Clark 
countv, he also interested himself extensively in the raising of sheep. 

When Doctor Taggart came into the trusteeship the tax levy was one 
dollar and seven cents. This he succeeded in reducing to sixty-four cents, 
and during his term of office all indebtedness of the township was wiped out. 
Dr. J. L. Taggart died May 16, 1909. He was a man of irreproachable char- 
acter and loved bv all. 



JOHN W. BOTTO.RFF. 



The subject of this sketch has passed more than half a century, or his en- 
tire life, in the community of which this histon,' treats and his habits have 
been such that during its entire span of years no one has spoken anything dis- 
paraging regarding them, and during this interval he has continued his efforts 
and labors in an untiring and well directed way, and is today carrying on gen- 
eral farming and stock raising in such a manner as to stamp him well abreast 
of the leading agriculturists of Clark county. 

John W. Bottorff was born in \\'ashington township, Clark county, April 
23, 1853, the son of Fletcher and :\Iary J. (Robinson) Bottorff, the former 
a native of Kentuckv. who came to Indiana when a Iwy and located in Wash- 



8l6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ington township where lie worked a farm and where he married Alary J. Rub- 
inson, and to tliem were l)orn : Emma J., the wife of John AI. Bower, de- 
ceased: Orie B.. who is single: John W., our subject: Sudie E., who is single. 

Fletcher Bottorfif was a prosperous farmer and the owner of one hundred 
and eighty-six acres here and one hundred and sixty acres in another section. 
These farms now belong to his heirs. He died March 19, 1887, and his wife 
passed away in February, 1901. They were people of many commendable 
traits, and lived honorable lives. 

John W. Bottorff was reared on the farm where he now lives and attend- 
ed the district schools of his own neighborhood and later entered a college at 
Eminence, Kentucky, wdiere he remained one year, when he returned to Clark 
county and began farming which he has since continued with uniform success. 

Mr. BottorfY married Belle Bower, a sister of John AI. Bower, and a 
daughter of Tobias Bower. No children have been born to Air. and Mrs. Bot- 
torff. The latter is a member of the Christian church. 

Our subject manages a good farm in such an able manner as to gain a 
comfortable living from year to year, and he always keeps some good stock 
of various kinds. In politics he is a loyal Democrat and has loug taken con- 
siderable interest in the afifairs of his party, desiring to see the best men possible 
placed in the local offices. He was elected Commissioner from the Third dis- 
trict, November 3, 1908, and will take office January i, 1910. His election is 
regarded by his fellow citizens as a most fortunate one. He will succeed David 
Watson, of Oregon township, in this office. 



JUDGE GEORGE H. D. GIBSON. 

There is no more widely known or influential citizen in Charlestown 
than Judge George H. D. Gibson, ex-Judge ofthe Clark county Circuit Court. 
He is the scion of an old and highly respectable family, and the son of a father 
who achieved success in many diverse callings and who was also a lawyer of 
distinction. The subject of our sketch has undoubtedly inherited all the legal 
acumen and forensic ability of his honored parent, together with his charac- 
teristics of courage, self-reliance and self-control. During his term on the 
bench of the Circuit Court Judge Gibson gave every evidence of his fitness for 
the office which he held. A man in whom the judicial temperament is highly 
developed, his verdicts displayed a nicety of distinction, a clearness of thought, 
and an impartiality which dispelled all doubts and logically settled all difficul- 
ties. In private practice at the present time he enjoys a large and extensive 
clientele. 

Judge Gibson was born in Clxirlestown, Indiana, ()n the gth of September, 





■c^.-^i^f^^^C^C'^^^^z-O. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 817 

1851, and was the son of Thomas W". and :Mary W. (Goodwin) Gibson. 
Thomas \\'. Gibson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was brought 
when but six years old to Lawrenceburg, Indiana. At the age of si.xteen he 
entered the United States Academy at West Point and at the expiration of 
three years he was appointed midshipman in the United States Xavy. He 
served three years on the United States sloop "Vandalia," cruising near the 
^^ est Indies. After an active career in the navy he retired in 1836. and re- 
turned to Lawrenceliurg, wliere he studied law with George H. Dunn. In 
1837 he moved to Charlestown, and in 1838 was united in marriage with Alarv 
W . Goodwin, the daughter of Col. Amos Goodwin. After his marriage Thom- 
as W. Gibson practiced law at Charlestown until 1846, when in that stirring- 
period he raised Company I. Third Indiana A'ounteers. He became captain 
of his company and participated in the battle of Buena Vista in the ^lexican 
war. In 1847 he returned to Charlestown, and in 1848 was elected to the In- 
diana Legislatiu'e on the Democratic ticket. He became a member of the Con- 
stitutional Committee in 1851, and afterwards seiwed as an Indiana Senator. 
In 1852 he moved his law office to Louisville, Kentucky, but continued to reside 
in Charlestown until his death, which occurred in 1876, on the 30th of No- 
vember of that year. Thomas W. Gibson reached a high pinnacle of success 
as a lawyer. He was a man of remarkable attainments and was a well known 
writer, having written several novels which were widely read. During the 
war period he was brought into considerable prominence and served as provost 
marshal in Louisville during the most critical periods of the Civil war. He 
also commanded a regiment for a sliort time in the defense of that city, and 
in after times his prowess as a fighter threatened to eclipse his fame as an at- 
torney. 

Thomas \\ . Gibson liad a family cif three boys and three girls, of whom 
one girl and two of his sons are now deceased. They were: Lydia D. Gibson, 
who married B. F. \\'alter: Amelia A. Gibson died single: Lieutenant Thomas 
W. Gibson, of the Eighth L'nited States Cavalrj-, died single : Sarah G. is 
the wife of AIcDowell Reeves : Charles H. Gibson is an attorney-at-law in 
Louisville, and George H. D. Gibson, our subject. 

Judge Gibson was reared in Charlestown and received his early education 
at the Barnett Academy in Charlestown. He spent four years in the Kentucky 
Military Institute and graduated in 1873. He then studied law at Louisville 
and graduated at the Louisville Law LTniversity in 1874. He immediately 
opened an office in Charlestown and was in 1876 elected Prosecuting Attorney. 
In 1877 he removed his law office to Louisville, Kentucky, but later returned 
to Charlestown, and in 1881 was elected to the Indiana Legislature. He was 
again returned by election to the session of 1883. In 1892 he was elected 
Judge of the Clark county Circuit Court, an honored office which he held with 
distinction until 1898. While still on th.e judicial bench he bought a farm 



8l8 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

to which he later retired and engaged extensively in stock fanning with niucn 
success until 1908, when he sold his farm and reopened his law iiractice in 
Charlestown. 

He married in July, 1896, Virginia C. Van Hook, who came of a well 
known family. His matrimonial happiness was of brief duration, however, 
for Mrs. Gibson died in July. igoS, an occurrence which was a sad blow to 
her husband. 

Judge Gibson, needless to say, is an influential and prosperous man. He 
is a large stock holder in and a director of the First National Bank, an insti- 
tution whose destiu}' he has taken no small share in bringing to its present suc- 
cess. 

Judge Gibson is yet but fifty-seven years old, and it is safe to say that his 
alreadv successful career is but a stepping stone to greater things. 



JOHN McMILLIN. 



John M. ]\IcMillin. of Charlestown township, Clark cciunty, is a pros- 
perous and industrious farmer and an influential citizen, and there are a few men 
who are more prominently associated with the financial and business life of the 
community than he. He has shown himself to have inherited the dominant 
characteristics of the JMcMillin family, whose name has been associated with 
Charlestown township for nearly a hundred years. They were a Pennsyl- 
vania family of Scotch-Irish origin and were an industrious people, careful to 
husband their resources and endowed with a marked facility for successfully 
manipulating their financial affairs. The Indiana head of the family, William 
McMillin, fought in the War of 1812, at the close of which he settled in Ken- 
tucky and later moved to Charlestown, Clark cnunty. He was grandfather 
of the resident of Charlestown township whose name heads this sketch. 

John M. McMillin was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, on 
the 9th of February, 1856. and was the son of ^^'illiam C. and Mary F. (Brent- 
linger) McMillin. Grandfather William McMillin, referred to above, was a 
native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent. He was by trade a cabinet- 
maker and served in the War of 1812, then settled in Kentucky, and later 
came to Indiana. He worked at his trade in Charlestown until 1841, at which 
time he bought a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in grant No. 99, on 
which he lived until 1880, when his death occurred. His wife had died pre- 
viously, in 1854. They were the parents of five children, all boys, namely: 
William C, John M., Thomas, George and Robert. All the members of the 
family migrated to Illinois with the exception of \\'illiam C the father of 
our svibject, who remained on the old place in grant No. 99. until his death. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 819 

which occurred in 1897. His wife is still living, her seventy-seventh birth- 
day taking place in 1908. William C. McMillin was a man with a great 
talent for making money and the owner of many acres of land. He was of 
much importance to the township financially and was known as a liberal- 
hearted man. When the bank of Charlestown was organized in 1891 he be- 
came its second vice-president and an influential stockholder. Though he at- 
tended church and was a practical Christian he never belonged to any par- 
ticular church, but was a liberal supporter of many. In politics he was a Re- 
publican. He and his wife were the parents of two children: John M. (our 
subject), and William E., who is now one of the instructors in the carpentry 
department of the Jeffersonville Reformatory. 

John M. McAlillin was reared on the family homestead and in his youth 
was a regular school attendant and consequently got a good education. In 
after life he married Jennie B. Stierheim, born in the year 1859, whose father 
was a native of France. The couple have led a happy married life and one 
son has been born to them. H. R. McMillin, Deputy Sheriff of Clark county. 
Their son was reared on the family farm and received a good common school 
education. The ]\IcMillins belong to the Presbyterian church at Charlestown, 
in which our subject is a deacon. 

In the fraternal world John M. McMillin is a memlier of the Modern 
Woodmen of America and carries insurance in that organization. In politics 
he is a Republican. His farm embraces some three hundred and sixty acres of 
choice land and is well cultivated and stocked. As was his father, he is also 
a stockholder of the bank of Charlestown. He has met with much success 
in his financial ventures and this, no doubt, is to be attributed to his powers 
of judgment and discrimination. He is a director of the well known Charles- 
town Canning Factor}-. He and his wife and son are popular in all circles in 
Charlestown township and have the reputation of being hospitable and kindly 
neighbors. 



THE TOWNSEND FAMILY. 

Among the early settlers of Union township was the family of Isaac 
Townsend, who came to Clark county in 1817. Isaac Townsend was born in 
Bradford county, Pennsylvania, October 10, 1790, and was the son of Uriah 
and Dorothy Townsend. Uriah Townsend was a son of Elijah Townsend 
and Dorothy, a daughter of Rudolph Fox, who was among the earliest pio- 
neers of Bradford county, Mr. Fox having located there in 1770. In 1793 
Uriah Townsend with his family moved to Yates county, New York, locating 
in the town of Jerusalem, near Pennyan. Here Isaac Townsend grew up and 
was married in 1810, to Meliscent Guernsey, daughter of Daniel Guernsey. 
They resided in Yates county until 1817, when Mr. Townsend resolved to 



820 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXI). 

secure a home in Indiana. Traveling overland to what was then known as 
Olean P'oint, they embarked and floated down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers 
to Utica, where they landed, and Clark county became their permanent home. 
They settled in the Blue Lick country, within the present limits of Union town- 
ship. ^Nlr. and Mrs. Townsend were both Methodists and lived quiet and 
happy lives. Mrs. Townsend died May 8, 1871, and ]\Ir. Townsend June 17, 
1875. They are buried with all their children except one, in Mountain Grove 
cemetery, three miles west of Henryville. The children of Isaac and Meliscent 
Townsend were : George Harmon, Elizabeth, Uriah, Julia, Isaac ^lonroe, 
Guernsey and Desire. 

George Harmon Townsend was born in Yates county. New York, June 
II, 181 1, came with his parents to Clark county in 1817, and grew up in 
the Blue Lick ccunti'y. He became cjuite wealthy and was one of the first 
trustees of Union township. He was married September 13, 1832, to Sarah 
Maria Thompson. The children of George Harmon and Sarah Maria Town- 
send were: Phila Ann Townsend, born June 27, 1833; married to John S. 
Dunlevy February 9, 1857. They settled in INIonroe township and had three 
children — Ann Eliza, George Townsend, and Simeon Craw'ford Dunlevy. 
Burritt Leroy Townsend, born April 15, 1835: married to Hilary E. Biggs, 
March 22, i860. Their children are; Ida, Emma, Annie, Hobart, Robert, 
Franklin, Byron and Pauline. They live in Cumberland county, Illinois. 
Isaac Franklin Townsend was born January 31. 1837; married to Julia F. 
Hart, March, 1861. They live in Smith county, Kansas, and have four chil- 
dren: William B., Charles Hart, Lelah ^I., and George Franklin. Angeline 
Townsend was born May 31, 1842: married to John King, October 22, 1862. 
They located in Carr township and their children are : George Washington, 
John Franklin, Thomas Leroy, Lafayette Sampson, Charles Walter, Clela 
Dailey, Hamilton Ferguson, and Annie Ella. 

Sarah Marie Townsend died June 10, 1845, and on August 31, 1847, 
George Harmon Townsend was again married, to Elizabeth Hart, of Barthol- 
omew county. The children of George Hamion and Elizabeth Townsend are : 
Lenora Jane Townsend was born June 7, 1849: married to Henry H. Carr, 
November 3, 1866. He died and she was married a second time to John 
W. Batty. They live in the Blue Lick country and have four children — Ralph 
Covert, John Byron, Estelle Pink, and Helen Townsend. Thomas Matsnn 
Townsend was born March 7, 1851 ; married to ]\latilda Reed, September 30, 
1869. They live in Silver Creek township and their children are — Henry 
Augustus, Annie Laura, Cora Alice, Thomas Lafayette, George Harmon, 
Ella Reed, Frank Smith, and Martha Rave. Lafayette Dem.arcus Townsend 
was born December 2j, 1852; married to Mary M. Buehler, September 9, 
1875. They live in the Blue Lick country', and their children are — Nora 
Elizabeth, Annie Blanche, Lelah Belle, Paul Vernon, James Edwin, Charles 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IXD. 82I 

B., Lucy Forest, Herman Ray. Ruth J-. Elmer L., and Hazel M. 
Sarah Addie Townsend was born August 30. 1859: married to James Fred- 
erick W'hitesides, September 14. 1876. They reside near Memphis and their 
children are — Nora America. Catherine Ella, Goldie Lillie, Homer Townsend, 
Pearl Indiana. Mabel Elizabeth. James Otto. Mary Addie. and Daisy Grace. 
Ella Elizabeth T(.i\vnsend was born September 2. 1861 : married to Edwin 
Onnlle Green. May 3. 1888. They reside in Cleveland. Ohio, and their chil- 
dren are — Florence Catherine. Bernice Edna, and Amos Townsend Green. 
Lillie Alice Townsend was bfirn November 24. 1863 ; married to James Madi- 
son Hawes. September 6. 1882. They live in Jeffersonville. and their children 
are — Bessie Beatrice. Edith Nathan. Blanche Townsend. ]\Iyrtle Foster, and 
Katharine Jeanette. Laura Pink Townsend was born February 23. 1868; 
married to Alarcellus Mayfield, July i. 1888. They live in Royal Center, In- 
diana, and their children are — Clyde Townsend. HoUis Earl, and Lecta Geneva. 
Daisy Forest Townsend, born June 19, 1870: married to Alvin E. Green, 
March 3, 1889. They reside in New Albany, Indiana, and have no children. 

George Harmon Townsend died February 22. 1889, after a long and use- 
ful life. His wife, Elizabeth. ha\-ing preceded him. died April 23. 1879. They 
with the first wife are buried in Mountain Grove cemetery. 

Of the other children of Isaac and Meliscent Townsend : Elizabeth Town- 
send married Almond Roberts and located in IMonroe township. Their chil- 
dren were — \^'esley. Millie. Emily. Julia. ]\Iarintha. Huldah, and Nancy. 

L^riah Townsend married Elizabeth . and settled in L'nion township. 

Their children were — Nancv. Miner\-a, and Elizabeth. Julia Townsend mar- 
ried Joseph Johnson and lived in the Blue Lick country. They left no de- 
scendants. Isaac Monroe Townsend married Julia Ann Harris and lived in 
L'nion township. Their children were — James Allen. Huldah and Elam. 
Dr. Teriy Monroe Townsend. formerly of Jefi:ersonville. but now living in 
New York City, is a son of Elam Townsend. Desire Townsend married 
Joseph Biggs and lived in Monroe township. They left no descendants. 
Guernsey Townsend married and mo\-ed to Clinton count}'. Indiana, where 
he brought up a large family, and lived to a good, ripe old age. He is the 
only one of the children' not buried in Mountain Gro\'e cemetery. 

Other members of the Townsend family in the Blue Lick country are of 
the same lineage, through John Townsend. a brother of Isaac Townsend. 
They are: Sophia Townsend. who married Parady Payne, and li\'ed in Mon- 
roe township. Their children are — \\'illiam. James. Lillie. George F., Blanche. 
Charles, Arthur, Kate, and John. James Townsend married Serena Trotter, 
and resided in Monroe township. Their children are — Albert. James, and 
Charles Townsend. Rexie Townsend married Thompson !\L Dietz. and lived 
in the Blue Lick country. Their children are — -Florence. Ruth. Grace. Fanny, 
Thompson M.. \\"alter. and Bryan Deitz. 



822 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

JACOB P. BARE. 

Jacob P. Bare was for many years prior to his death a skilled agricul- 
turist and a well-to-do resident of Charlestown township, Clark county. He 
was one of those unassuming men who find ample scope for their abilities in 
performing" industriously and consistently the duties which providence placed 
before them. He lived to a ripe age, conscious of a life well spent in an effort 
to rightly rear and to enrich his family, and enjojang the friendship and un- 
failing loyalty of a large circle of friends. He was bom on the 17th of Sep- 
tember, 1823, near Washington, Indiana. His father was a Virginian. In 
his sixth year our subject came with his parents to Owen township, Clark 
county, in which county the remainder of his life was spent. He married Ann 
M. Baird on the 24th of December, 1846. She was the daughter of John and 
Sarah (Martin) Baird. Jacob and his wife were the parents of nine children. 
In regular order they were: John H., born on May 13, 184S; Almira M. on 
September 24, 1849; William H. on the 25th of May, 1851 ; H. T., born May 
20, 1853 ; Sarah A. on the 13th of April, 1855 ; Robert A. and Charles (twins), 
born August 23, 1857; Ida V., born September 13, 1859, and Harriet E. De- 
cember 27, 1862. Our subject and his wife on their marriage settled on the 
farm where Mrs. Bare still lives and where he afterwards died on the 4th of 
October, 1891. The farm contains two hundred acres of choice land. Jacob 
Bare was a deeply religious man through life and \vas a deacon of the local 
Presbyterian congregation ; his entire family also belong to that faith. In 
politics he was a Republican. His death was a loss to the community at large 
as well as to his family, and an overwhelming blow to his sorrowing wife, on 
whom the duty developed of caring for her children. From her husband's 
death in 1891 to the present day, Mrs. Anna M. Bare has admirably demon- 
strated her fitness as the head of the family. During that time she has shown 
herself to be possessed of a natural ability and talent to deal with all the prob- 
lems which have faced her. She is now past the age of eighty-two years, and 
lives a life of much less strenuousness than was her custom hitherto. She 
was born near Lexington, Kentucky, on August 30, 1826, and was, as we have 
stated, the daughter of John and Sarah (Martin) Baird. Her father was 
born near Coleraine, Londonderry county, Ireland, in 1789. In the year 1810, 
at the age of twenty-one, he crossed the intervening ocean to the LTnited States 
and landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where for some time he worked 
in a factory, and in that city married Sarah Martin, a native of the place. 
They then came to Tennessee and later to Kentucky, resided for some time 
in Ohio and finally came to Clark county, where they settled in Owen town- 
ship. Here he erected a building for a woolen factory, and was in his ninety- 
third year at the time of his death. John Baird and his wife were the parents 
of the following children : William, John, Henry, Sarah, Eliza, Ann M., 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 823 

George \\'., James A., Robert and ^^lartha H. The only survivors of the fam- 
ily in 1908 were Ann M. and Martha H. Ann i\I. was sixteen years old when 
she came to Owen township and she obtained a good common school educa- 
tion. On her marriage to Jacob P. Bare, the subject of our sketch, she went 
to live on her present farmstead. Here her family, whom we have already 
enumerated, grew up and here her husband died. 

Mrs. Ann M. Bare is widely known and respected and lives peaceably 
in her advanced years with her son, Charles E., and her daughter, Elizabeth. 
Three of her children, Sarah, William H. and Harrison F., are deceased. 



JOHN M. BOWER. 



It is a rare privilege to spend one's life in the house in which one was 
born. The subject of this sketch has lived under the same roof for a period 
of sixty-two years, and judging from the success he has made in his life work, 
he was wise in remaining at home, rather than seek uncertain fortune in other 
states as so many of his contemporaries did, many of them to their regret. 

John M. Bower was born in Washington township, Clark county, Indiana, 
February 17, 1847, the son of Tobias and Mary A. (Piercy) Bower, the for- 
mer a native of North Carolina, and the latter of Virginia. Tobias Bower 
came from the old Tar state with his father, and located in section i, Wash- 
ington township, this county, in 1810, and here he was reared and worked on 
a farm attending such schools as there were in those pioneer days. The Piercy 
family came to this county in an early day, settling on Fourteen Mile creek. 
Tobias Bower and Maiy A. Piercy were married in Washington township, 
and here they lived and died, the fomrer at the age of sixty-eight years, the 
latter sun-iving until she was ninety-four. They were the parents of the fol- 
lowing children : Edward T. was a soldier in Company I, Eighty-first Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, having been wounded at the battle of Nashville, living only 
twenty-one days afterward when he died in the service of his country : Wd- 
liam A. was in the same company and was wounded at the battle of Stone 
River, Tennessee, and also died in twenty-one days after, while in the service 
of the Union; James S. was the next in order of birth; Carrie is the wife of 
Benton Wilson; Julia became the wife of William Snider, of Utica; Jennie 
is the wife of J. C. Lewman, of Louisville, Kentucky; Belle is the wife of 
John W. Bottorfif ; Alice A. married P. F. Shilling and they live at New \\'ash- 
ington, Clark county. 

John M. Bower, of this review, was born and reared upon the farm where 
he now lives, as already intimated. He worked about the place in his b<3y- 
hood and attended the neighboring schools in the meantime, having remained 



824 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

with his parents until he married Emma J. Bottorff in 1878. She was called 
to her rest in May. 1903, after becoming the mother of three children, two 
of whom are living, namely: May died when ten years old; Jennie is the wife 
of Ed Patterson ; Sudie is single ; both she and Jennie graduated in the com- 
mon schools. 

Mr. Bower has been a successful farmer and is regarded as a very capable 
manager, and a good judge of live stock. He is the owner of a valuable landed 
estate consisting of three hundred acres. It is well improved and everything 
about the place shows careful management and thrift. The old home is beau- 
tifully located, surrounded by fine old trees, and everything to make home 
pleasant and attractive. Mr. Bower always keeps some good stock on the 
place, and he carries on a general farming with much satisfaction. He is fond 
of all kinds of stock and keeps good horses, cattle and sheep. Mr. Bower is 
a stockholder in the First National Bank of Charlestown. He has shipped 
many horses from time to time. He has found time to travel some and is 
a man of good judgment and well informed on general topics. 

In his political relations Mr. Bower is a loyal Democrat and he very ably 
served his township as Trustee for a term of five years. He is one of the sub- 
stantial and well known citizens of this part of the county. 



WILLIAIM H. LONG. 



Among the representative citizens of Oregon township, Clark county, 
few have attained as distinctive prestige as Mr. Long, who is carrying on a 
general merchandise business at New Market, and in a perusal of the follow- 
ing biography it will be seen that he is a man of proper ideals regarding pri- 
vate, social and civic life, and that the esteem in which he is held and the suc- 
cess which he has won, are due rewards for the consistent life he has led. 

William H. Long was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, Sep- 
tember 15, 1847, the son of Morgan and Isabelle (^lartin) Long, the former 
having been born in Virginia, but was reared in Kentucky, his ancestors having 
come to America from Ireland. 

\\'illiam H. Long was reared in Charlestown township, this county, where 
he worked on the farm and attended the common schools, receiving such edu- 
cation as was possible in these early days. When the dark clouds of Civil war 
darkened our national horizon, he was not satisfied to let his fellow country- 
men alone defend the flag consequently in the spring of 1864, before he was 
eighteen years old, he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh 
Indiana Regiment, and did guard duty, never ha\-ing an occasion to engage 
in any of the great battles. He recei\-es a pension. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8_>5 

Mr. Long" married Samantha Cortner, the youngest of a family of thirteen 
children. She was born in Oregon township, where she received her earh' 
schooHng. To this union four children have been Ijorn. namely : Edmund E. 
is married and lives at Prather, Indiana, where he is clerking in the I'nion 
National Bank. He is a graduate of the Borden high school, and of a business 
college in Louisville. Kentucky ; Maggie is the wife of William Cartright. of 
Charlestown township; Ada, the third child,' who became the wife of Morgan 
Bower, is deceased; Harrison R., who was born in 1892, is living at home. 

Mr. Long is a faithful member of the Presbyterian church at New Mar- 
ket, being one of the deacons in the same. Mrs. Long was also a member of 
this church. In politics he is a Republican, and in 1904 was elected Trustee 
of Oregon township, in a township that is about ninety Democratic. He took 
office January i. 1905. and he retired January i. 1909. He made one of the 
best local officials the township has ever had, according to his constituents. 
\Mren Mr. Long came into office the township was in debt seven hundred dol- 
lars. This has been paid and he built a good school-house at Nn. i. in the 
township, which is also paid for. and the rate is lower now than it has been. 

Mr. Long has been a general merchant at New Market for the past 
thirteen years, during which time he has built up a good trade with the sur- 
rounding country, for he is honest in his dealings with his fellow men. and he 
keeps a good quality of goods. He has a fine home in New Market, well fur- 
nished and modern, where he lives with his boy, Mrs. Long having passed to 
her rest in February, 1908. 



BENTON B. BOWER. 



The subject of this sketch has enjoyed the pri\-ilege of li\-ing nearly his en- 
tire life under the same roof, having devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, be- 
ing the owner of a good farm in W'ashington township, while he is honored 
as one of the useful citizens of the same and as an able exponent of its farm- 
ing interests. 

Benton B. Bower was born in Washington township. Clark county. May 
8. 1857. the son of John A. and Mary (Coombs) Bower, the former being the 
son of Col. Daniel W. Bov^'er, an officer in the Wav of 181 2. Col. Daniel W. 
Bower was a native of North Carolina, who came to Indiana and purchased 
one thousand acres of land when it was cheap, entering most of it from the 
government. He married Elizabeth Hostettler, who was a native of North 
Carolina. 

There were eight children in this family, namely : Adam, John A., 
Corvdon C, Daniel, George B., Mary A.. Elizabeth and Catherine B. John 



826 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

A. Bower, fatlier of the subject, was reareil in Washington township, this coun- 
ty, where he married jMary J. Coombs, the daughter of William and ]Mar- 
garet (Myers) Coombs. They settled in Silver Creek township in which they 
lived until 1858, when they moved to Coles county, Illinois, in which place 
they lived the remainder of their lives. 

John A. Bower attended the early schools in his boyhood days in his na- 
tive vicinity. He married INIary Coombs, the daughter of a prosperous farmer, 
her parents being members of the Christian church, the former being an elder 
in the same. He was a strong Democrat. He died November 16, 1903. and 
she passed to her rest in October, 1903. Three children were born to them. 
Orrie D., who becariie the wife of F. J- Stutsman, is now deceased. They re- 
sided in Chicago. Benton B., our subject, was the second in order of birth, and 
Daniel W. was the youngest. Benton B. was reared on the old home place 
on which he worked when a boy attending the district schools in the mean- 
time, later, took a course in the Charlestown Academy, where he received a 
sufficient education to enable him to teach, and he taught with success in this 
county for two years. He was in the merchandise business at New Washing- 
ton for five years during which time he built up a good trade. Disposing of 
his goods here he was in the merchandise business at Indianapolis for two 
years, but tiring of the exacting life of a large city he preferred to live in the 
country and returned to his native community, buying a good farm of ninety- 
one acres, which he now owns and on which he carries on a general farming 
with much success, being the owner of the old homestead which he has greatly 
enhanced in value by is careful management and extensive improvemnts. 

Mr. Bower was united in marriage in Alay, 1893, with Laura A. Jackson, 
and to this union one child, Harold M., was born in February, 1894. Mrs. 
Bower passed to her rest in 1897, and Mr. Bower was married a second time 
October 19, 1906, his last wife being Leora Blackford, who was born in Jeffer- 
son county, Missouri, December 9, 1870, the daughter of John W. Blackford. 
She was educated in the district schools and the normal school at Indianapolis, 
and also at Danville, Indiana. She was a teacher in the district schools and 
later in the primary schools at Hanover, Utica and New Washington. No 
children have been born to this union. 

Mr. Bower is a member of the Christian church. In politics he is a Demo- 
crat, and has long taken considerable interest in his party's affairs. He was 
postmaster at New Washington during one of Cleveland's administrations, 
and he proved to be a very faithful public servant. He finds time to devote 
some attention to music, having been a student of this art while in Indianapo- 
lis, and he is regarded as an excellent performer on musical instruments, hav- 
ing- tausrht music with success. He has made several instruments. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Bower are intelligent and friendly people, and they are highly re- 
spected by all who know them. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 827 

GEORGE W. SWENGEL. 

Among the representative citizens of Clark county. Indiana, the subject 
of this sketcli has long been prominent, being a well known and successful 
business man and a factor of value in the development of the section of the 
county in which he lives, having formerly been engaged in the mercantile 
business, but of late years he has devoted his energies to farming pursuits, but 
whatever he has turned his hand to he has made a marked success. 

George W. Swengel was born in Jackson county, Indiana, March 19, 
1850, the son of Charles and Catherine (Kiser) Swengel. Charles Swengel, 
grandfather of the subject, was a native of Mai-yland, having come from that 
state to Circleville, Ohio. He married Virginia Kensel. They were the parents 
of these children : Michael, John, Samuel. Charles, Elizabeth, Sophia and 
Catherine. 

Charles Swengel, father of the subject, was reared on a farm in Pickawajr 
county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood, attending what schools there were 
in his neighborhood in that early day. He married Sarah Kiser in 1848. To 
that union three children were born. Charles Swengel was first married to 
Katherine Kiser, to which union five children were born. This wife died and 
he married her sister. One of Charles Swengel's children, Mary, is the wife 
of Joseph Ryan, a resident of Elizabethtown, Bartholomew county, Indiana. 

George W. Swengel was born and reared in Jackson county, this state, 
having grown to manhood on the farm and he attended the district schools of 
that county, being enabled to teach at the age of seventeen. He successfully 
followed this line of work for four years. He then engaged in the mercantile 
business until 1901, building up an extensive trade in the same, but desiring 
to lead the freer life of the husbandman, he then went on a farm in Wash- 
ington township, where he has since resided. He has a good farm which he 
manages with success, carrying on general farming and keeping about him 
some good stock. 

Mr. Swengel was married to Rose I. Haymaker September 2^. 1879, 
who was born at New Market, Indiana, in 1857, the daughter of Dr. George 
W. Haymaker, brother of Capt. Isaac N., Joseph M. and J. W. Haymaker. 
Dr. George Haymaker married Foster Henley, daughter of Noah and Lous- 
ana (Munday) Henley. Noah was the son of Jesse Henley, who came to In- 
diana in 1806 from North Carolina. Jesse Henley married Catherine Fonts. 
He was the owner of twenty-eight hundred acres of land in Clark county. He 
died in 1829, his wife having died in 1806. He again married a Miss Bower. 

Mr. and Mrs. George W. Swengel are the parents of the following chil- 
dren: Carl H., born January 28, 1881 ; Lulu B., born July 20, 1884: Jessie F., 
bom March 26, 1887; Margaret R., born April 16, 1890; George W., Jr., bonT 
December 25, 1891 : Helen T., bom April 21. 1895: Kenneth, bom August i, 
1897. Five of these children are living at this writing (1909). 



828 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IND. 

The Kiser family emigrated to Indiana from Brownsville. Pennsylvania, 
where the subject's maternal grandfather was engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness, having moved from there to Ohio. Grandmother Kiser, whose maiden 
name was Landis, was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

]\Ir. and Mrs. Swengel are members of the Christian church. In politics 
Mr. Swenger is a Democrat, and has long taken considerable interest in the 
afifairs of his party. He at one time sen-ed as postmaster of Sellersburg, In- 
diana, during Cleveland's administration. His father was also interested in 
political afifairs and was Commissioner of Jackson county, Indiana. Our sub- 
ject is known as a man of sound practical ideas, honest in his purpose and is 
regarded as an excellent neighbor and citizen. 



F. M. CARR, ^I. D. 



The venerable and honored physician whose name initiates this review, is 
one of the best known and useful men in Oregon township, Clark count}', his 
practice having long ago pervaded the entire county, his fame having been 
augmented as the years increased until today his name is a household word 
throughout the locality. 

Dr. F. M. Carr was born in Charlestnwn township, Clark county, Indiana, 
January- 3. 183 1, the son of Absalom and Jane (Weir) Carr. Thomas and 
Hannah (Coombs) Carr were the grandparents of the subject, Thomas Carr 
having come to this country from Fayette county, Pennsylvania in 1806, and 
settled on Sinking Fork of Silver creek, in Charlestown township. He was 
of Irish descent. The subject's great-grandfather came from Ireland and 
landed at Annapolis, Maryland, with one sister and one brother, this being 
the first advent of the Carr family in America : one of these brothers went to 
Tennessee and the other remained in Maryland. Doctor Carr is a' descendant 
of the Carr who settled in Pennsylvania. Jane Weir was born in Virginia 
May I, 1792, and was reared in Kentucky. She came to Indiana in 1810. 

Absalom Carr and Jane ^^'eir were married in Union township in October, 
1812, and they resided in Charlestown township until in the thirties, then moved 
to W'ashington county, Indiana, where they lived until about 1838, when they 
moved to Washington township, Clark county, where they remained the rest 
of their days, the father of the subject dying in 1876, and his wife preceded 
him to the silent land in 1862. They were the parents of ten children, namely : 
Thomas J. lived to be eighty-one years old and died in Missouri : Hulda, who 
became the wife of Felix Huston, died in Illinois in 1857: Julia married 
Thomas McClosky in 1836; Susan became the second wife of Phelix Huston; 
Martha died early in life, having remained single; Mary, who also remained 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 829 

single, is deceased ; A. W'., who died in Scipio, Indiana, married Martlia Go- 
forth ; F. 'SI., our subject, was the next in order of birth : Joseph married Ehza- 
beth Gartner, Ijoth deceased; John married Nancy J. Amick, both deceased. 

Dr. F. M. Garr was born in Charlestown township, and he went with his 
parents to Washington county, this state, and back to Glark county when they 
returned. He worked on his father's farm until 1852. He attended school 
at Gharlestown, read medicine in New Washington, Indiana, having early de- 
cided that his talents lay along the lines of medical science, and he made rapid 
progress in the same from the first. He attended a medical college at Louis- 
ville, Kentucky, graduating in 1855. In the same year he commenced pmctice 
in New Market, Glark county, and practiced continuously until 1906, when he 
retired. During those long years of faithful service, he built up an extensive 
patronage, as already indicated, and became known as one of the most suc- 
cessful practitioners in the county. . 

Doctor Garr was united in marriage with ^lartha E. Cortner, December 
25. 1854. They are the parents of seven sons, all living, namely: J. P., super- 
intendent of schools at \'icksburg, Mississippi; J. W., who is a telegraph op- 
erator at Golwich. Kansas; ^I. W. lives in Gorydon. Indiana; S. E. is a drug 
clerk in Jeffersonville, this state; F. W. is a lawyer in Gharlestown, Indiana; 
G. L. lives at home ; Manton M. lives in Gorydon, this state. 

Doctor Garr is a member of the Presbyterian church and has been an 
elder in the same for many years. In politics he has always been a Democrat, 
and he cast his first vote for President Franklin Pierce in 1852. He served 
as Trustee of Oregon township for five years. J. P. Garr served as Superin- 
tendent of county schools from 1883 to 1887. S. E. Garr served in the same 
capacity for four years. F. W. Garr also served as Glerk of Glark county for 
a period of four years. 

Doctor Garr is a man of wonderful memory and it is interesting to hear 
his instructive and entertaining conversation on the development of this local- 
ity, and scenes and conditions as they existed in the early days and he is the 
historian of Oregon township. Doctor Garr has a comfortable home with 
beautiful surroundings. 



HENRY H. RATTS. 



Among the enterprising and progressive men of Washington township, 
Glark county, whose efforts have been lent to the prestige of the agricultural 
industry of this locality, is the subject of this review, whose long life has been 
passed within her borders. 

Henrv H. Ratts was born in \\'ashington township, Glark county, In- 
diana, March 9, 1S42, the son of Jacob and Lucintha (Fonts) Ratts. the for- 



830 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

mer a native of North Carolina, who came with his father, Henr_v Ratts, when 
Jacob was eighteen years old. Jacob Ratts married Lucintha Fonts. Grand- 
father Fonts also came from North Carolina. Jacob Ratts and wife were the 
parents of seven children, three boys and three girls growing to maturity, 
namely: Thomas L., David F.. Mary A., Sarah J., Henry H. and Margaret 
E. The three living in 1909 are David F., Henry H. and Margaret E. 

Our subject was reared on the fami on which he worked when a young 
man and attended the district schools in the meantime until he was eighteen 
years old, when he quit school, but remained at home until he was thirty. 

He rented the farm and was married in 1872 to Anna Rodgers, who was 
born and reared in this county. They at once mo\-ed to where they now live, 
and have since remained in the same home, being the owners of a valuable 
fann consisting of two hundred and thirty acres of land, which is well im- 
proved. The land has always jdelded rich harvests of various kinds. Mr. 
Ratts has a substantial and comfortable dwelling and con\enient out buildings. 
He always keeps plenty of good stock on the place, and he is regarded by his 
neighbors as an up-to-date farmer in every respect. 

To IMr. and Mrs. Ratts six children have been born, namely: Hariy, 
Thomas, Olive, Jacob, Roy and Cynthia. Thomas was killed. 

The subject and wife are members of the Christian church at New \\'ash- 
ington, this county, and the former is one of the trustees of the same. They 
take considerable interest in church work. In politics Mr. Ratts is a Demo- 
crat, but he has never taken a very active part in political movements. He is 
a man of much force of personality and stability of character, and he has made 
a success as a result of his close application to his farm work. 



JOSIAH C. CRAWFORD. 

Among those of the farming element in Clark county whose labors have 
been rewarded with proportionate fruits is he whose name appears above, who 
is the owner of a well improved landed estate in Owen township. 

Josiah C. Crawford was born in Owen township, Clark county, Indiana, 
January 26, 1861, the son of Josiah and Phoebe H. (Crosby) Crawford, the 
former a native of this county. William Crawford, grandfather of the subject, 
was a native of Virginia and one of the early settlers of Clark county, Indiana. 
He was the father of five children, all deceased. The Crosbys were natives of 
Massachusetts, from which state they emigrated to the \\'est. The family 
originated in England. Josiah Crawford, the subject's father, was a man of 
considerable prominence in his day. having been a graduate from Hanover 
College, and a Presbyterian preacher, traveling over a large circuit in Southern 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 83 1 

Indiana. He passed to his rest in 1892. He and his noble wife were'the parents 
of seven children, all now deceased but the subject of this sketch, Josiah C, 
who was reared on grants Nos. 104 and 105, and he began working on the 
farm at an early age, in the meantime attending the district schools. Not being 
satisfied with a common school education, he entered Hanover College and 
graduated with the class of 1896, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, 
having made a splendid record in that institution. 

Our subject was united in marriage with Anna Bowyer, a native of this 
township, the date of their wedding occuring October 9, 1887. She is a grad- 
uate of the common schools. They have farmed continuously since their mar- 
riage, their fine farm of twc) hundred acres being located in Owen township, 
which is well managed and highly improved under the direction of our subject, 
who is one of the most progressive agriculturists of this locality, carrying on 
general fanning with that energy and sound judgment that always insures 
success. 

To JMr. and Mrs. Crawford nine children have been born, one of whom is 
deceased, namely: Sophronia, Xellie, Mary, deceased: Alma and Alice are 
twins : Charles. Helen, Esther and Margaret. \ 

Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are faithful members of the Presbyterian church. 
In politics our subject is a loyal Republican, but he prefers to devote his at- 
tention to his farm rather than seek political preferment at the hands of his 
fellow citizens. He is a member of several college orders, and is known in his 
community as a man of excellent mental endowment, integrity and industry, 
and his nicely furnished home is a place of generous hospitality. 



ED^^^'\RD M. GRAVES. 



Edward I\I. Graves first saw the light of day February 5, 1865, on the 
fertile acres which he now owns in Owen township, Clark county, and he is 
regarded as one of the most progressive agriculturists in that community. He 
is a man of advanced ideas, and his farm is occupied with the most modern 
machinery. As a lad he showed a great aptitude for learning, and his ad- 
vancement in such studies as he pursued in the township schools was rapid, 
although in connection with his studies he did much work upon the farm. He 
settled down in the old homestead, and as a result of his energy can today 
point with pride to a fine farm. 

He is the son of Charles and Elvira A. (Rogers) Graves. Charles Graves 
was born in Washington township in 1821, while his wife came into the world 
in 1823. David Graves, the father of Charles, came to Indiana in the days 
when the southern portion of the Hnosier state was practically a wilderness. 



83-2 BAIKD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Charles Graves and Eh'ira A. Rogers were married in Washington township. 
After a short residence in (Iregon they retumed to their old home, and pur- 
chased a farm in the west half of section 22. Here they lived happily until 
1894, when Mrs. Graves died. Ten children were bom to them, six of whom 
are living, namely: James M., John O., \\'illie, Samuel D., Thomas, Cyrus, 
Lottie, Rhoda, Laura and Edward M. 

Edward M. Graves was united in marriage July 24 1892, to Hattie L. 
Moore, the daughter of William Moore, who was a native of England. To 
them were born four children, three of whom survive, viz: Isoline. Alzena 
and Alberta. 

Ever since he attained manhood's estate Mr. Graves has been a staunch 
adherent of the Republican party, but that he is popular with the voters of the 
community in which he has so long resided is evidenced by the substantial 
plurality that he received in the fall election of 1908, when he was the candidate 
of his party for the office of Township Trustee, and received several votes 
over the regular majorit\'. He entered upon the duties of this office January 
I, 1909. 

Mr. Graves not only gives close attention to the cultivation of his land, 
producing some of the finest corn and wheat that is shipped out of Clark 
county, but is also extensively engaged in the stock business, which in the last 
few years he has found very profitable. He has made a close study of this 
line of business, and has the reputation of being one of the best judges of live 
stock in Owen township. Therefore Mr. Graves experiences no difficulty in 
finding a readv market for the products of his stock farm, which is well drained 
and consists of one hundred forty-eight acres. 



lOHN W. CLAPP. 



John W. Clapp is a native of Clark county, Lidiana, where he first saw 
the light of day Alarch 7, 1849, the son of William and Catherine (Amick) 
Clapp, the former wh6 was a native of Indiana, was the son of Valentine 
Clapp, who emigrated to the Hoosier state from North Carolina, from which 
state the Amick family also came, being among the first settlers in this part of 
the state. William Clapp and Catharine Amick were married in Clark county, 
having lived and died on the farm where the subject now lives. They were 
the parents of the following children: J. W., Lois M., James V., \\'illiam W., 
L. M,, Henry P., Robert A., Sarah, the wife of J. D. Robinson: IMaggie A., 
the wife of O. G. Thomas ; Zella, the wife of :\I. Mosser, lives in Illinois. 

John W. Clapp was reared on the farm adjoining the one on which he now 
lives, having been born there, and he early began working on the same, at- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IX D. 833 

tending- the district schools in the meantime, for a few months each winter, 
having remained with his parents until lie was twenty-four years old. He 
was married February 27, 1873, to Margaret A. Searles, and five children 
were born to the subject and wife, namely: Lulu M., the wife of Fon Jones; 
Ira D. was killed; Clarence V. lives in Illinois; Julia F. is the wife of Ira 
Bowles, of Illinois. The subject's wife passed to her rest December 18, 1885, 
and Mr. Clapp was married again, his second wife having been known in her 
maidenhood as Emma J. Himnlhever, whom he married June 10, 1886. Three 
children have Ijeen born to this union, namely: Amza R., Clyde C, and Ine E., 
all single. This wife was called- to her rest September 18, 1906, and the 
subject was married to Lillie B. Sanders, widow of John M. Sanders. She 
was born in Clark county, November 29, 1861. 

Mrs. Clapp is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while the 
subject belongs to the United Brethren church. In politics he is a Democrat. 

yir. Clapp is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and seventeen acres 
of land in grant No. 213, which he has improved until it ranks with the best 
farms in the county. In fact he has devoted his life to the improvement and 
cultivation of this one farm and he has been amply repaid for his labor. He 
has a good old substantial dwelling and convenient barns, sheds, etc. Besides 
managing his farm he runs a threshing machine and busker with much success, 
and no man in Oregon township keeps better stock than he, especially cattle 
and hogs,' the latter being the Poland-China breed. In 1901 he met with an 
unfortunate accident which resulted in losing his left hand in a shredder. He 
is 'well known throughout this locality and is regarded as a man of excellent 
business abilitv. 



ANDREW 11. FISHER. 



The subject has spent his long life in Clark county, where he has labored 
for the o-eneral good of his community as well as for his own interests. He 
is the owner of a very valuable farm in Washington township, and is classed 
among the prosperous, self-made men of this county. 

Andrew M. Fisher was born in Washington township, Clark county, this 
state, December 8, 1841, the son of John and Elizabeth (Fonts) Fisher. Jacob 
Fonts, the grandfather of the subject, came to Clark county prior to 1800, from 
North Carolina. He married Mary Dugan, and to that union four boys and 
five girls were born, Elizabeth being one of their number, she being the mother 
of our subject. John Fisher, father of Andrew M., was born in North Caro- 
lina in 1802. He was the son of George Fisher, who came to Clark county, 
Indiana, in 1813, settling in Washington township, living neighbors to the 
Fouts family. John Fisher and Elizabeth Fonts were married in 1828, and 

53 



834 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

they became the parents of these children: William, Sarah J., James L., Isa- 
bell'e A., Jacob H., Allen, Andrew M. and Mary C. Five of these children 
are living in 1909. 

Andrew M. Fisher was reared on the farm where he now lives in section 
19, township 2, range 9 east, assisting with the work about the place in his 
youth and attending the district schools of Washington township during the 
winter months. He assisted in clearing the land and improving the home 
place until he was twenty years of age. He obtained a fairly good schooling 
for those early days. 

Our subject was married to Ellen Taff, who was a daughter of James 
Taff. She was a native of Jefferson county, Indiana, and was educated in the 
common schools of that county, and to this union six children were born : 
Frank M., born November 9, 1884, a graduate of Hanover College: Emery 
L.. born in 1893, is a graduate of the common schools. 

;\Ir. Fisher owns five hundred acres of land, all in Washington township, 
where he carries on farming and stock raising in a general way. He is regard- 
ed by his neighbors as one of the leading agriculturists of this localit)-, keeping 
his farm in splendid condition and stocked with various kinds of live stock 
of excellent grade. He has a beautiful home, an excellent barn, and in fact, 
everything about the place shows thrift. At the organization of the New 
Washington Bank in 1907, Mr. Fisher was made vice-president and one of 
the directors, and he is performing his duties with rare care and foresight. 
He is a fine type of the modern business man, alert, progressive and honorable. 



W. A. BRITAN. 



The subject of this sketch, who has lived in Clark county ft)r more than 
half a century, in fact all his life, has l:)een a witness of the great development 
which has characterized this section, and indeed has borne his full part in mak- 
ing the community in which he resides one of the choice sections in this part 
of the state. 

W. A. Britan first saw the light of day in Clark county, Indiana, May 15, 
1853, the son of Dr. W. W. and Jane A. (Dickey) Britan. the latter a daugh- 
ter of Rev. John M. Dickey, a pioneer preacher in the Presbyterian church 
of Indiana. Dr. W. W. Britan was a native of Massachusetts, having grad- 
uated from a medical school and he was also a student at Andover. He prac- 
ticed medicine and also engaged in farming, owning the old Dickey farm of 
one hundred and ten acres. To the subject's parents eleven children were 
born, six of whom are now living, \\'. A., our subject, being the sixth in order 
of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Britan were people of much sterling worth. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 835 

Our subject was reared on the farm where he assisted with the work about 
the place and acquired many valuable attributes of mind and character, in the 
meantime attending the comon schools in that vicinity until he received enough 
education to enable him to begin teaching in the common schools, having 
taught several terms with much success. 

In 1878 Mr. Britan was married to Emma Taylor, daughter of Simpson 
Taylor and six children have been born to this union, three of whom are living 
at this writing, 1909, namely: Charles D., Leroy T. and Elizabeth J., all 
single. Elizabeth J. is a student at Hanover Colleg-e, where she is making a 
splendid record. 

Mr. Britan is the owner of a fine farm, which he has greatly improved 
by hard work and careful management, carrying on general farming in a most 
successful manner, keeping some good stock and poultry about the place from 
year to year. He has a commodious and comfortable residence, surrounded 
by an attractive lawn. He is regarded as a wide-awake farmer, a careful 
manager. 

The subject's wife passed to her rest October 10, 1905. Mr. Britan takes 
quite an active part in religious movements, also educational, being a member 
and an elder of the New ^\'ashington Presbyterian church. He has long been 
an active worker in the Sunday school, and is now vice-president of the Clark 
County Sunday School Association, in which he does a commendable work, 
making his influence felt throughout the county. He is also active in the 
farmers' institute work, being regarded as one of the leading spirits in that 
plausible movement in the county. He is held in high esteem by all who 
know him, for his educational abilitv, his integritv and industry. 



THOMAS W. SAMPLE. 



Among the honored veterans of the Civil war and the leading farmers of 
Washington township, Clark county, the subject of this sketch is numbered. 

Thomas W. Sample was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, July 12, 1848, 
the son of John F. and Mary (Pender) Sample. Jacob Sample, grandfather 
of the subject, was a native of either Kentucky or Virginia, and he came to 
Jefferson count}-, Indiana, in an early day. He had married Rachael Harber- 
son, and they were the parents of these children : Elizabeth, Mary, Nancy, John 
F. and Jacob. John F., the subject's father, was born and reared, married and 
died injefiferson county. He was a farmer, and married Mary Pender and 
lived on the same farm until his death. He was born November 19, 1818, and 
died January 16, 1902. His wife was born October 28, 1817, and died Jan- 
uary "27. 1896. John F. Sample was a prosperous farmer and left some prop- 



836 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

ei'ty. His wife was a member of the ]\Ietlindist Episcopal church. He was a 
Whig- and later a Republican. He enlisted in Company K, Sixth Indiana 
Regiment, in 1861. and served for three years. Seven children were born to 
the subject's parents, namely: Alex, born February 23, 1841, died Februai-y 15, 
1847; Jacob, born February 8, 1843, d'^d December 29, 1870, having sei-ved 
one hundred days in the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Indiana Regiment 
in the Civil war, and he re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-sixth In- 
diana and seiwed until the close of the war; Martha J. was born December 15, 
1845, 'I'ld died August 26, 1866 ; Thomas W., the subject of this sketch ; James 
O., born April 2, 1851, died December 21, 1872; Nancy A., born December 
I, 1853, died June 19, 1883 ; Jessie B., born October 13, 1857, died February 
16, 1875. All these children are now deceased except Thomas W., who was 
reared on the old farm in Jefferson county, where he assisted with the work 
about the place, and where he attended the district schools, receiving as good 
an education as possible in those early days in the common schools. He was 
one of the patriotic men who followed the footsteps of his father and enlisted 
in Company E, Twenty-second Indiana Regiment, December 16. 1863, when 
only fifteen years and six months old and he served faithfully until the close 
of the war, having taken part in the following battles : Tunnel Hill, Georgia, 
May 7, 1864; Resaca, Georgia, May 14, 1864, where he was wounded in the 
right shoulder; Rome, Georgia, May 17, 1864; Dallas, Georgia, May 27 1864; 
Big Shanty, June 16, 1864; Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864; Vining Hill, 
July 7, 1864; Chattahoochee River, July 12th; Peach Tree Creek, July 19th; 
Sandtown Road, August 7th and 8th: Jonesboro, September ist; Savannah, 
December 21st, all in 1864; Black River, North Carolina, May 10, 1865 ; Ben- 
tonville. May 19, 1865. He was with Sherman in his march to the sea. He 
receives a pension of twenty-four dollars. 

At the close of the war the subject returned to Jefferson county and re- 
sumed farming, also worked as a carpenter, and he gained some notoriety as 
a violinist, having possessed natural talent from youth. Mr. Sample was mar- 
ried January i, 1874, to Delilah Montgomery, who was born in Clark county, 
Indiana. October 21, 1849, th^ daughter of Alexander and Catherine (Baker) 
Montgomery. The Montgomery people were pioneers of Washington town- 
ship where the grandfather of the subject's wife entered a large tract of land. 
She attended graded schools after graduating from the common schools and 
followed teaching for some time with success. Part of her education was 
gained in the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. Jacob Baker was the 
grandfather of Mrs. Sample. He came here from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 
William MontgomeiT, her grandfather, was bom in Virginia. Alexander 
Montgomery was the son of William Montgomer}\ whose children are given 
as follows: John, born April 16, 1782: ]\Iay, born December 28, 1783; Wil- 
liam, born September 5, 1785; James, born September i, 1787: Robert, bom 
July 23, 1789; Thomas, bom May 21. 1791 : Jane, born ^March 16, 1793 : Ag- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND 837 

nes, born February J5, 1795: Johnson, born January 26, 1798: David, bom 
August I, 1800; Samuel, born October i, 1803 ; IMathew, born March 3, 1805 ; 
Alexander, born August 2, 1808. 

The following children were born to Alexander Montgomery and wife : 
Joseph, \^^illiam, Johnson, Jacob, Mary J., Nathaniel, Catherine, Alexander 
and Delilah. 

Jacob Baker was the grandfather of Mrs. Sample. He died September 
I, 1840. His children were : Catherine, born June 2, 1807, died January, 1887 : 
Henry, born April 27, 1809, died in 1891 : Mary, born October 6, 181 1, died 
in 1865; Joseph, born September 15, 1813, died November 10, 1905; Fred- 
erick, born January 18, 1816, died December 4, 1904; Charles, born ]\Iay 14, 
1818, died in 1894; Susana, born December 25, 1820: John B. was born June 
19, 1823; Hannah, born January 18, 1826, and died in 1866. 

^^'hen Mr. and Mrs. Sample were married they moved to \\'ashington 
township in March, 1875, locating on a part of the old Montgomery home- 
stead, which was then in the woods. He has cleared and improved this land 
until he has one of the best farms in the neighborhood which yields good crops 
from year to year under Mr. Sample's skillful management. He has sixty- 
three acres. He is regarded as a first class mechanic and fixes all kinds of 
musical instruments, and is regarded by all who know him as a man of rare 
talent. 

His children are: Sylvia B., who was born December 3, 1874. and who 
graduated in music, is the wife of Lambert E. Barnes, of Owensville, Indiana: 
Mary A., born July i, 1877, is a teacher in the Gibson county, Indiana schools 
at Owensville; James M., born December 4, 1880, graduated in medicine at 
the Medical College of Louisville, Kentucky, in June, 1907, and he is married 
to Pearl Reed, and is located at Austin, Scott county, Indiana. 

Mr. and ]\Irs. Sample are members of the Universalist church. The for- 
mer is a member of the New \\'ashington Lodge, No. 167, Free and Accepted 
Masons being past master of the same. He is also a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic and Sons of Veterans. He was a social member of the 
Woodmen lodge. In politics he is a Republican and he served in a very able 
manner as postmaster of New Washington from 189S to 1904. 



JOHN L. MAGRUDER. 



The subject of this sketch is now engaged in the banking business at New- 
Washington, Clark county, where he has maintained his home for some time. 
He has been prominently identified with industrial enterprises of importance 
and the name which he liears has long been one which has stood for progres- 



838 BAIRd'S history of CLARK CO., IND. 

siveness wliile lie is a scion of an old and inflnential southern family, being a 
native of the Blue Grass state. 

John Magruder, cashier of the new Washington State Bank, was born 
in Bullitt county, Kentucky, August 2, 1868, the son of Levi and Mary 
(Straney) ]\Iagruder. He was reared on the farm in that state and received 
his early educational training in a log school-house near his home. Later he 
entered the Pitt's Point Academy, where he took an academic course and made 
a splendid record for scholarship. Believing that the profession of teaching 
held peculiar advantages for him, he left that institution in 1888 and began 
teaching, having taught one term of school in his own town and county, when 
he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked for six months, then going 
to Pleasureville, Kentucky, and entered a normal school, remaining there for 
ten months, during a part of 1889 and 1890. In June, of the latter year, he 
began farming and in 1891 he entered the National Normal School at Leba- 
non, Ohio, where he remained for two years, having graduated from the scien- 
tific course with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He was then principal 
of the schools at Smithville, Kentucky, for two years, rendering high grade 
services, for which he was heartily thanked by the board. He then taught 
with equal success for two years in New Haven, Nelson county, Kentucky ; also 
for two years at Lotus, that state. 

Our subject then turned his attention to farming, which he followed with 
great satisfaction for several years, and for three years engaged in trading 
on an extensive scale. In 1903 he sold his farm and moved to Grant county, 
Kentucky, and in 1904 he bought a hotel, which he ran in connection with the 
agency for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and Adams Express Company 
for four years, when he sold out and moved to Clark county, Indiana, locating 
in New Washington, where he at once began making preparations for the 
organization of the New Washington State Bank, which he succeeded in or- 
ganizing and forming a strong board of directors, August 17, 1907, with a 
capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars, with the following officers as di- 
rectors: H. F. Schowe, president; A. M. Fisher, vice president: John L. Ma- 
gruder, the subject, cashier: Dr. R. S. Taggart, S. K. Pech, A. R. Miles, J. C. 
Bower, N. H. Linthicun, T. R. Stevens and T. N. Manaugh. Lender the direc- 
tion of the subject this bank has become popular in the community of New 
Washington, and is regarded as one of the strongest institutions of its kind 
in the southern part of the state and it is well patronized. 

The happy domestic life of Mr. Magruder began in 1900, when he mar- 
ried Minnie Powell, a native of Dry Ridge, Grant county, Kentucky, the 
representative 'of a well known family in that community. To this union one 
wdnsome daughter, Lucille, was born in 1902. 

Mr. ]\Iagruder is a member of the Catholic church, while Mrs. Magruder 
attends the Methodist Episcopal church, of which she is a member. In his 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 839 

political relations Mr. ]\Iagruder affiliates with the Democratic party, how- 
ever, he has not aspired to office nor taken a very active part in his party's af- 
fairs, but he is interested in the political, moral and material development of 
his comnninitv and lends wliat aid he can in movements looking to such ends. 



WILLIAAI P. CORTNER. 

There is much that is commendable in the life record of Mr. Cortner, for 
he has been found true to duty in every relation, whether it was in following 
the stars and stripes on many a sanguinary battle field of the South ; or in the 
every day affairs of private life. 

William P. Cortner was born in Oregiin township, Clark county, Indiana, 
February 24, 1842, the son of Elias and Lucy (Amick) Cortner, the former 
a native of Guilford. Xorth Carolina, where he was born in 1821. John Cort- 
ner, the grandfather of the subject, was also born in North Carolina. He 
came to Clark county, Indiana, in 1823, settling in Oregon township, where 
he farmed and spent the remainder of his days, and was buried at New Market. 
Elias Cortner was reared on the farm. When he reached his majority he 
married Lucy Amick, who was born in Oregon township, September 24, 1821, 
the daughter of Peter Amick, a native of North Carolina, and who married 
Margaret Black, also a native of the old Tar state, and to them the following 
children were born: Levi, Gideon, Riley, Alfred, Elizabeth, Polly, Peggy, 
Sarah, Catharine. Nancy and Lucy. 

John Cortner married Elizabeth Amick and they were the parents of 
these children : Abraham, Daniel. George, Elias, Phama and Polly. To Elias 
and Lucy (Amick) Cortner the following children were born : \\'illiam P., our 
subject and John M., who died when a small boy. 

The subject of this sketch was reared in Oregon township, working on 
the home place and attending the district schools during the winter months, 
having worked on the farm until he was twenty years old, when he felt the 
call to sen-e his country during the dark days of the sixties, and he enlisted 
in Company G. Ninety-third Indiana Regiment, August 28, 1862. His first 
battle of importance was the Siege and fall of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863. He 
was in the battle at Jackson, Mississippi, July 17, 1863. He was never wound- 
ed but suffered from being overheated. He gets a pension. On May 10, 

1864, he was disabled and he went into Missouri. He was discharged in June, 

1865. After the war he returned to Clark county and resumed farm wi^rk. 
The subject was married to Angeline D. Turner in 1866, and to thi!i 

union five children were born, namely: William ]\I., born December i. 1867, 
died September 13, 1900, having been killed by an accident: Alonzo B. was 



840 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

born April 7. 1870. and he married Effie M. Carr; Clella B. was born June 
24, 1872; Harley H. was born July 9. 1881 : Alma M. was bom November 
16, 1885. and died in 1887. Mrs. Cortner passed to her rest November 15, 
1903. 

Mr. Cortner is a member of the Presbyterian church, being an elder in 
the same. In politics he is a Republican and sen-ed as Trustee of Oregon 
township from 1886 to 1890, having been elected when the township was sev- 
enty Democratic. This shows his unquestioned popularitv in his own com- 
munity. The township was in debt when he assumed this office, but after four 
years and three months of service he turned the township over to his successor 
free from debt. 

Mr. Cortner is the owner of one hundred and eighty acres of good land 
in grant No. 197 in Oregon township. It has been well improved by the sub- 
ject who is regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of this communitv. 
He has a good dwelling house, barn and other buildings, and he always keeps 
good stock. He is well known in Oregon and adjoining townships as an in- 
dustrious and straightforward citizen. 



JOHN V. CLAPP. 



This representative citizen of Oregon township is a native of Clark 
county, Indiana, and has passed here his entire life, aiding in whatever way 
possible in the moral, civic and material development of this communitv. He 
is the owner of- a well improved farm, and he is one of the prominent man in 
this part of the county. 

John V. Clapp was born in Oregon township, Clark county, near New 
Market, May 10, 1853, the son of Henry and Nancy J. (Smith) Clapp, the 
former a native of North Carolina, who came from that state to Oregon town- 
ship, settling near New Market. The subject's parents had each been married 
before their wedding, Nancy Smith having been married to a Mr. Jerard, by 
whom she became the mother of two children. Henry Clapp had been mar- 
ried to a Miss Amick. two children having been born to this union. Fourteen 
children were born to the subject's parents which made them a family of 
eighteen children including those they had by former marriages. Daniel and 
Riley were the children of Henry Clapp by his first wife. Sarah and Tilford 
Jerard were the children born to Mrs. Clapp by her first husband. The fol- 
lowing children were born to the subject's parents: James H., \\"illiam P., 
Elijah. Uriah, Alex, Alfred, deceased; John V., ;\Iary J., Elizabeth. Julia, 
Charity, Joseph. James F. and William L. were soldiers in the Union army, 
and Riley died in the service. The parents of the subject finally located near 
Marysville, where they both died. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 84I 

John y., the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm and assisted 
his father with the work about the place, attending the district schools of 
Oregon township. 

Our subject was married to Mrs. Mattie \\'. Ramsey, of Lexington, In- 
diana, who was born near that city, the daughter of James Pattison, of near 
Lexington. She is a graduate of the State Normal of Indiana. She became 
a competent teacher and is still following this profession in the local schools, 
where she is regarded as a woman of excellent attainments, and she gives en- 
tire satisfaction to all concerned. One child was born to her by her first mar- 
riage, who is named Georgia Ramsey, who married Melville Rice. 

John V. Clapp has been crippled for the past twenty-five years. Both he 
and his wife are members of the Christian church at Marysville, Indiana, the 
subject being one of the trustee of the same, and a member of the official 
board. He is a member of the Marysville Lodge No. 714, Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, being the organizer of the lodge here, being past noble grand, 
having been the first in this lodge and also the first representative to the Grand 
Lodge. This lodge now has one hundred members. The members own the 
property in which the lodge is housed and it is in good condition. In his 
political relations Mr. Clapp is a Democrat, having long been interested in the 
success of his party and was twice County Recorder, having served in this 
capacity in a most able and praiseworthy manner. He was elected Trustee of 
Oregon township and sen-ed as such from 1884 to 1888. He was postmaster 
of Marysville during President Cleveland's administration. 

Mr. Clapp has been a successful man financially. He served as agent for 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for nine years, having been agent at Nabb for 
a period of two years. This road regarded him as one of their most faithful 
and able employees. Tilr. Clapp is one of the well known men of this section 
of Clark countv. 



ALLEN A. HUTSEL. 



The subject of this review is a gentleman of high standing in Bethlehem 
township, Clark county, where he manages a well imi:in;)\-ed farm and to whom 
has not been denied a fair measure of success. 

Allen A. Hutsel has spent his life in this communit)-. being a native of 
Bethlehem township. Clark county, where he was born, September 4, 1863, 
the son of Chesterfield and Sarilda ( Giltner) Hutsel. both natives of Bethle- 
hem township. It is believed that Jacob Hutsel, grandfather of the subject, 
emigrated to Indiana from Virginia. The subject's parents were married in 
Bethlehem township, and they lived in this township until about 1878 when 
they moved to adjoining county of Floyd where they still reside*. To them 



842 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

eight children were born, six of whom are still living, Allen A. being the 
only one living in Clark county. Chesterfield Hutsel was in the saw-mill 
business for many years, finally his mill burnel and he lost all. 

Allen A. remained with his father until he was twenty-one years of 
age, assisting him with his work and attending the common schools in the 
meantime until he receix'ed a fairly good education. When he was tw^enty- 
one years old the wife of his uncle, Allen H. Giltner, died and the subject 
went to live with him where he remained for several years. 

Allen A. Hutsel married Frances Burkett, a native of Harrison county, 
Indiana, who passed to her rest July 13, 1891. To this union one child was 
born who died in infancy. On November i, 1892, Mr. Hutsel was again 
married, his last wnfe being Lillian Taff, daughter of James S. and Ellen Taff, 
of Washington township. Xo children have been born to this union. 

Mr. Hutsel bought the Bohney farm of one hundred acres, which was cun- 
siderably depleted when he took possession of it, but being an excellent man- 
ager and a hard worker he has built it up until the soil now produces excel- 
lent crops of all kinds and the place presents a fine appearance, showing that 
a man of excellent ability as an agriculturist has its management in hand. 
Mr. Hutsel is also a stock raiser, always keeping about him some excel- 
lent breeds, his short horn cattle being especially noted in this vicinity. He is 
also a breeder in Percheron horses and has an interest in a fine stallion. He 
also has charge of the Allan A. Giltner farm which he successfully manages. 

Politically Mr. Hutsel is a strong Republican but he does not find time to 
take an active part in political afifairs very largely, being a very busy man 
with his land and stock. In religious matters he is a supporter of the Chris- 
tian church, holding his membership at Bethel in the congregation of which he 
is held in high favor. 



MRS. ADDIE BOWER. 



Mrs. Addie Bower, of Bethlehem township, Clark county, is a woman pos- 
sessed of remarkable executive powers and this has been demonstrated by the 
w^ay she has handled the affairs of herself and family wdien the two life com- 
panions she had chosen at different times were taken from her. Mrs. Bower 
comes of an old family, the Mclntires, of Virginia, and, doubtless, many of 
the prominent traits of character she possesses are inherited from a sturdy 
Virginian source. ]\Irs. Bower manages her farm of one hundred and sixty- 
one acres with admirable skill. She has a very imposing home in which she 
lives as happily as her duties and the cares w'hich fall upon the head of a fam- 
ily will allow her. She is surrounded and helped by her children whose pres- 
ence is a soflrce of much comfort to her. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 843 

Mrs. Addie Bower was born in Bethleliem township in 1856, and was a 
daughter of Shedrick and Nancy ( Brenton) Mclntire. Her father was born 
and reared in the township, his father having come from Virginia to Indiana 
in the earlv years of Clark county. The elder jMcIntire reared a large family. 
Shedrick Alclntire and Nancy Brenton married in Bethlehem township, and 
there they lived the greater part of their lives. Shedrick died at the age of 
seventy-two, and his wife at the age of seventy-four. Their marriage brought 
them twelve children. They were: Isabella, Harland W., Charles M., Addie, 
William A., Eliza, Luella, Alvira, Florence, Emma, Annie and Jesse. Nine 
are still living. 

Addie Mclntire was born within two miles of where she now resides. In 
her young days she attended the district school, but her education was of a 
limited description, as she had been needed at home. On ^larch i, 1881, she 
married Jacob Schlichter and their union resulted in the birth of three children : 
Jacob, Lawrence and Edith, who married William Ross, and lives in this 
township. Jacob Schlichter died in the year 1887. Three years afterwards 
the subject of our sketch married secondly William A. Bower, the marriage 
ceremony taking place on August 2y, 1890. Her husband was born in New 
Washington township in 1861, and was educated in the district school of that 
township. Her second marriage brought her three more children : Vallie, 
born in 1891. Vada H., born in 1892, and Eva, in 1895. 

All the members of Mrs. Addie Bower's family are members of some 
Protestant church, four Methodists and one a Presbyterian, and one a member 
of the Christian church. Her late husband was a trustee of the local church 
as well as a steward. William A. Bower's death occurred in Bethlehem on 
July 27, 1908, and was of a tragic nature, as he was killed by two men named 
Wilson. In politics,, Mrs. Bower's late husband was a Democrat. He was 
a popular member of the community and his death was lamented by a large 
number of friends and acquaintances 

At the present time Mrs. Bower's three young daughters are at home 
with her. She is a hard-working woman and one who has earned the gotxl 
will of all with whom she has come in contact. 



THO:\IAS R. STEVENS. 

Thomas R. Stevens is a native born resident of Bethlehem township, Clark 
county. He has carried on farming operations on an extensive and modern 
scale for the last eleven years. To his avocation he brought natural talents of 
a high order which had been tested, developed, and fortified by a classical and 
scientific education obtained in some of the best institutions in the country. 



844 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 

At the time he started on his farm it was in a rather run-down condition and 
it owes its present high state of cultivation and improvement directly to his 
masterful and skilled super\'ision. Thomas R. Stevens raises much stock of 
a high quality and which it is his custom to ship, when they reach the proper 
state of perfection, direct to the markets in Louisville and Cincinnati. 

He was born in Bethlehem township. Clark count)', Indiana, on the 23d 
of July, 1871, and was the son of A. T. and Mary (Ray) Stevens. A. T. 
Stevens was also a native of Bethlehem township. Thomas Stevens, the grand- 
father of our subject, was born and reared in London, England. He married 
Mary Stevens, a native of the same country and city, and he and his wife 
emigrated to the L'nited States about the year 1818. and in the course of a short 
time bought a farm in Bethlehem township, Clark county, Indiana. The re- 
mainder of his life was spent in different places in Clark county, and his death 
occurred in Louisville, Kentucky. His son, A. T. Stevens, married Mary Ray 
at Louisville, and afterwards came to Bethlehem township where he built a 
house on the land on which he still lives. Two children were born to A. 
T. Stevens; Alfred G., who died at the age of seven months, and Thomas R. 
Stevens, of this review. 

Thomas R. Stevens was reared by a stepmother and grew to manhood 
on the family farm. He attended the district school and at the age of sixteen, 
entered Hanover College, graduating with the degree of A. B. in the 
classic course in the year 1893, being then in his twenty-second year. He 
thereupon entered the School of Pharmacy at Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, in 
1894, and graduated in 1896; he held a position in a drug store while studying 
in Philadelphia. In ]\Iay, 1897, he retired from his position in Philadelphia 
and returned to his native township in Indiana. In the year 1899 he mar- 
ried Mattie \\'ilson, of Louisville. His wife, who was a daughter of James 
Buford Wilson, of Lebanon, Kentucky, was born on the i6th of October, 
1880. Her father was for many years, after leaving Lebanon high school 
teacher in Louisville. 

To Thomas R. Stevens and wife four children have been born. They are : 
Thomas R., Junior, born on the 12th of November, 1904: Dorothy E., born 
July 18, 1908: the two other children died in infancy. 

Shortly after his marriage the subject of our notice moved to his farm 
which contained one hundred and eight3--five acres. He is a scientific farmer, 
modern and progressi\'e in every respect, who has concentrated and devoted 
all his energies to obtain the best results from his agricultural labors. He has 
accomplished this to his own satisfaction and profit. 

Thomas R. Stevens is an important man in the affairs of the locality. 
He lias a large circle of friends whose confidences he has succeeded in win- 
ning. He is a Republican in his political sympathies though he has not been 
very active as a party man. He is a member of the Pythian and Red Men 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 845 

lodges, being a charter member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He is 
a member of the Xew Washington ^lasonic Lodge, No. 167. He is 
a deacon of the local Presbyterian church and a religious and moral man. In 
March. 1907, at the organization of the State Bank at Xew W^ashington he be- 
came a stock holder and a member of its directorate. 



JOHN A. GLASS. 

John A. Glass, of Bethlehem township, Clark county, is a well educated 
and cultured citizen as well as a farmer of prominence in the community in 
which he resides. Jointly with his sister, Clara, he is the owner of five hun- 
dred and thirty acres of land as good as any in the township, and on which 
the paternal homestead stands. The Glass family were originally of North 
Carolina, and were for many generations prominently identified with that his- 
toric southern state. John A. Glass has the reputation in his native township 
of industriousness and temperate habits. Had he followed the teaching pro- 
fession to which he devoted some years of his life, it is probable that he would 
have made a name for himself as an educator of note. As it is he is content 
to lead the life of a farmer. 

John A. Glass was born in Bethlehem township and was the son of John 
A. and Eliza (Cortner) Glass. John A. Glass, senior, was born near 
New Washington, Clark county, Indiana, on the nth of January, 1827. His 
father, David Glass, was a settler in Clark count}-, having migrated to Indiana 
from North Carolina at an early date. Our subject's mother, Eliza (Cortner) 
Glass, was born August 11, 1837. The Cortners were also of North Caro- 
lina, and were neighbors of the Glass family in that state, who afterwards also 
migrated to Indiana. John A. Glass, senior, and Eliza Cortner married on 
May 31. 1857, at New Market, in Oregon township. They came to Bethlehem 
township about the year 1861, where they farmed. Thev moved to Charles- 
town in 1877, as they desired to have better educational advantages for their 
children. Five children were bom to them, two of whom are now living. 
Two. Edward and Alice, died in infancy : David died at the age of twenty 
years, and the two survivors are the subject of our review, and his sister, 
Clara. John A. Glass, senior, died on May 10, 1895, while his wife died pre- 
viously on July 27, 1880. John A. Glass was known over Clark county in his 
lifetime as an excellent farmer. He was a Democrat in politics and belonged 
to the Christian church, of which he was an influential member. Altogether, 
he was an admirable citizen, an affectionate father and a man with a large 
number of friends. 

John A. Glass and his sister, Clara, passed through the Charlestown 



846 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

schools together. John A. took the Bible course and graduated at the Ken- 
tucky University at Lexington. He was reared upon the family farm and at- 
tended the district schools. He studied at the Charlestown schools and then 
attended the Butler University for two years, at the end of which time he had 
to give up on account of a breakdown in his health. He afterwards taught 
school for two years in Bethlehem tovmship and attended the Lexington ( Ken- 
tucky) Bible College, graduating in 1897. 

On April 12, 1899, Clara H. Glass married Dr. ^^'. H. Willyard, and has 
one daughter, Dorcas H. Willyard. Mrs. Willyard lives with her brother, the 
subject of our sketch, in the old homestead on the family acres. Dr. \\'. H. 
Willyard is now in Peru, Indiana, and engaged in the practice of medicine, 
where he expects to move his family. 

John A. Glass is a Prohibitionist in politics and adheres to the tenets of 
his party in evei7day life and is a consistent voter on the ticket at election 
time. He is a member of the Christian churcli and is influential and active in 
relieious affairs. 



JOHN BYRN. 



John Byrn, well known farmer, of Bethlehem township. Clark county, is 
a man now well advanced in life wdio has ever been a valuable asset in the 
community in which he has resided. An industrious farmer, he has e^-er worked 
assiduously for the family wdiich has been his prix'ilege to raise. He has 
given his children a good education, and has brought them to maturity con- 
scious of their duties in life and well equipped to take their part as citizens. 
John Byrn is a man of strong religious convictions and his activity in religious 
work has often been felt in the local Methodist Episcopal church of which 
he is a trustee. It has been his privilege, also, to fight for his countiy in the 
Civil war. In the fight at Vicksburg he was wounded. He is a Grand Army 
man. 

Mr. Byrn was born in New Albany, Floyd county. Indiana, on January 2, 
1844, and was the son of Michael and Amelia A. (Hay) Byrn. Michael Byrn 
was a native of Ireland who came to America when a boy and, when old enough, 
worked on a farm and learned the carpenter business in which he became pro- 
ficient at an early age. Adaron Hay, the father of Mrs. Byrn, was an English- 
man who came to this country and followed farming pursuits during his life. 
He owned a large tract of land in Floyd county, Indiana. 

Michael Byrn and Amelia Hay were the parents of three children : John, 
of this review, Joseph H., and a child that died in infancy. Joseph H. Byrn 
enlisted as a soldier in the Thirteenth Cavalry in which he remained for two 
years. He is now dead. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 847 

John Byrn was reared on a farm in Floyd connty, Indiana, and on arriving 
at the proper age helped his parents. He attended school and at the age of eigh- 
teen he joined Company D of the Fifty-ninth Indiana Regiment on February 20, 
1862. They camped at New Albany. Indiana, from where they were trans- 
ported to New Madrid, Missouri, where the regiment engaged the enemy for 
the first time. From that time forth our subject participated in several of 
the big fights. He was at Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, and was 
wounded at the siege of Vicksburg. He suffered from the effects of the in- 
jury for about five months, at the end of which time he rejoined his regiment. 
He was then detailed for special duty on the staff at General AlcPherson's head- 
quarters and thus spent the remaining two years of his militarv life. At the 
close of the war he returned to Floyd county, Indiana, where he remained for 
a very short time coming to Clark county, Indiana, where his mother had 
located, and there he farmed for two years. He then married Susan M. 
Varble on the 22d of October, 1867. She was born in Clark county, Indiana, 
on the 29th of December, 1849, and was the daughter of George Varble. She 
spent all her life, with the exception of one year, in the county. She was 
educated in the district school and was left motherless at an earlv age. 

John Byrn and his wife became the parents of five children : George D., 
born June 11, 1871, died November 26, 1903: Minnie, born May 22, 1875, 
is the wife of O. W. Simonton : Mary, born November 12, 1877, died July 
30, 1901 ; she was the wife of George B. Headley and left one daughter, Edith, 
born November 20, 1882, is unmarried as is also Maime. born November 30, 
1886. At his marriage, not being able to purchase a farm, John Byrn rented 
land for several years and then bought the farm owned by George Varble 
which consisted of one hundred and eighty-three acres, twenty acres of which 
has been sold. The Byrn farm lies in section No. 6. Our subject and his wife 
have been prosperous in their farming pursuits. In religion they are mem- 
bers of the [Methodist Episcopal church. The Byrn family attend the local 
New Hope church. Jnhn Byrn is a Repulalican in politics and has for many 
years followed the fortunes of his chosen party. 



H. C. FORWARD. 



H. C. Forward, Civil war veteran and prosperous farmer, of Bethlehem 
township, Clark county, has been connected with the district in which he lives 
all through life. He has now reached the age of sixty-six years and is in a 
position to lead a life of leisure and enjoy the fruits of his labors. \Mien the 
spectre of war spread itself over the land H. C. Forward was among the first 
in his township to volunteer for action and passed through the thick of that 



848 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

dread conflict \aloroiisly briiiging credit on liimself. At the close of the war 
he returned to his native township and resumed his work, and his prospei-ity 
has increased with his years. 

He was born in Bethlehem township, Clark county, on the 8th of Feb- 
ruary, 1842, and was the son of J. Nathan and Elizabeth (Long) Forward. 
His father was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, and came to Clark county in 
1833, where he settled in Bethlehem township. He was a carpenter by trade 
and married Elizabeth Long, who was a native nf Kentucky. He was the 
father of the followdng children : H. C, Francis, Ellen, Chancy R., Urshel died 
August, 1908; Samuel, Abigail, Walter, Laura, Jane, Alwilta and Huldah ; 
one child died in infancy. 

H. C. Forward was reared upon, the farm in Bethlehem township and 
when old enough helped on the farm. He had but little chance of education, 
and on the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the Thirteenth Lidiana 
Cavalry on the 18th of November, 1863. The engagement at Nashville was 
the largest in which he took part though his term of service extended until the 
close of the war. His brother, Samuel, also took part in the conflict, as a 
soldier. He died in the Andersonville prison. 

On his discharge from the army our subject returned home, and since 
that time has engaged in farming operations in his native township. On April 
8, 1869, his marriage took place. He took for his wife Anna E. Allen, also 
a native of Clark county. They have not, however, had any children. H. C. 
Forward is a member of the local post, Grand Army of the Republic, in which 
he is a prominent member. In politics he is a Republican though not a stren- 
uous party man. He receives a pension from the government for his war 
services. He ow-ns fifty-six acres of land, which he has brought to its present 
state of cultivation and improvement through his own efiforts. 



^lORDICAI B. COLE. 



The family of this name settled in Maryland at a very early date, the gene- 
alogv extending back to the middle of the eighteenth century. We first hear 
of Thomas Cole, w-ho was born in Baltimore county, ^klarydand, December 25, 
1754, and died September 12, 1808. He married Aletha Ford, born February 
15. 1768, in Maryland, and died March 16, 1848. By this union, which oc- 
curred in May, 1786, there were several children: Mordicai Cole, the oldest, 
end son, was born March 6, 1802, and died October 6, 1889; Thomas Cole, 
the third son, was born October 8, 1803, and died February 25, 1823. Chris- 
topher Cole married Mary Fonts, one of the twelve children of Lewis and Sa- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 849 

rah (Doiigan) Fonts, the foriiier burn April lo. 1778, and died March 28, 
1864. His wife was born July 25, 1783, and died August 12, 1852. Their 
children were : Thomas. Isabel. .Mary. Elizabeth, Eleanor, Jane, Sarah. Cath- 
erine, Andrew. Harriet. Thomas, Douglas and Rebecca. Their births oc- 
curred during the years 1801-27 and all of them have long since passed away. 
The marriage of Christopher Cole and Mary Fonts occurred in 1822, 
and they were the parents of Mordicai B. Cole, who was born after 
his fathe and mother had removed to Clark county. Christopher Cole 
was a native of Maryland, and removed with his parents to near Steubensville, 
Ohio, and later to Clark county, where he was married. He became a pioneer 
merchant at Mew Washington, engaging in this line of business for many 
years during the early history of Clark county. In 1841 he was appointed to 
the office of sergeant-at-arms at \\'ashington. D. C, and he served in that ca- 
pacity until i860. He then returned to Charlestown, Indiana, where his fam- 
ily had resided during his absence at the national capital. He lived in retire- 
ment after this until his death in 1889. 

Mordicai B. Cole was born in Xew \\'ashington. Indiana, July 7. 1825. 
the son of Christopher Cole. He was reared in that town and when young 
his parents located in Charlestown, where he received a common school educa- 
tion. \\'hen twenty years old he engaged in the mercantile business at 
Charlestown. He built up a large trade and in a few years became one of the 
leading merchants of Clark county, as well as one of the best known men in 
this locality. In later years he was associated with his sons and still later his 
son-in-law. G. T. Beeler, became a partner and after the death of Mr. Cole 
continued the business. Mr. Cole was continuously in business in Charlestown 
for fifty-nine years at the time of his death, July 7, 1904, probably the longest 
record of any man in die county in this respect. He was prominent in busi- 
ness circles, and his name was known to all classes throughout the county. 
He was one of the organizers of the Bank of Charlestown in 1891, and was 
elected as first president and he very ably served in the same capacity until 
his death. He was a public-spirited man and always contributed to the up- 
building of the town in any way possible. He was the most successful mer- 
chant Charlestown ever had. He started with a small capital and became 
wealthy through the skillful management of his business aflairs. He was a 
member of the Christian church and for many years an official in the same 
and one of its most liberal supporters. He was a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, at Charlestown, during his entire mature life, and was 
prominent in the same. In politics he was formerly a Whig, later a Repub- 
lican. He never held office or aspired to positions of public trust, preferring 
to devote his time exclusively to his business affairs. 

Mordicai B. Cole married Margaret E. Long, a native of Clark county. 
the accomplished, cultured daughter of John Long, and the representative of 
54 



850 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

an old and influential family here. Mr. and Mrs. Cole were the parents of 
five children,- who g-rew to maturity, namely: John Christopher, Edward W., 
Eva, James L. and Albert M. Mrs. Cole, a very estimable lady, survives her 
husband, making her home at the old family residence at Charlestown. 



FRANK F. DEAN. 



Frank F. Dean has been located on his present farm in Owen township 
since the vear 1900, coming from Bethlehem township, where he had been 
located since 1884. He is widely known throughout Clark county as an expert 
fruit grower and an agriculturist of merit. He passed through the Civil war 
and emerged unscathed from the conflict. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, on the 
25th of April. 1843. He was the son of Argus and Abigail ( Stowe) Dean. 
Argus Dean, a man of broad culture and the writer of several books on river 
ancl harbor topics, was born in Ohio in 1810. He engaged in the quarry busi- 
ness and was later a large fruit grower. He was appointed at one time on the 
Harbor and Ri\'er Commission by Governor Porter, of Indiana, and according- 
Iv wrote upon the subject. Argus Dean and his wife were the parents of the 
following children: \\'i!liam S.. Frank F., Charles E.. Mary L.. Hiram P. 
and Abbie J. 

Frank F. was raised on a farm in Jefl'erson and Clark counties, near Beth- 
lehem, and at the proper age he attended school. He enlisted in Company H, 
Thirty-ninth Indiana Regiment, in October, 1861. This regiment was after- 
wards known as the Eighth Indiana Cavalry. Our subject served all through 
the Civil war and was mustered out in the year 1865, receiving a commission 
as second lieutenant. He participated in the following engagements: Middle- 
town. Stone River. Shilnh, Cumberland Gap. Chickamauga, Jonesboro, 
Waynesboro, Averysboro, Brown's Cross Road, and a number of other bat- 
tles of minor importance. At the close of the war he returned to Clark county 
and afterwards went to Missouri, where he engaged in the fruit business for 
fi\-e years. Idiere he married Eliza Zumault, of Missouri. He then moved to 
Cincinnati and engaged in selling peaches for his father and brother during 
the season, and there he obtained an appointment as postal clerk in the railway 
mail sen-ice on the road from Cincinnati. Ohio, to Grafton, West Virginia, 
on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which he held for eleven years. He re- 
signed in 1884 and located in Bethlehem township, and in 1900 moved to 
Owen township, where he has engaged in the fruit raising business, raising 
peaches and apples. He and his wife are the parents of two children. Thev 
are: Minnie A., the wife of Charles E. Pernett. of Bethlehem township, and 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 85 1 

Frank, who married a daughter of J. F. Rice, of Owen township, named Lucy. 
Both children are well settled and prosperous. 

The subject of our sketch was a prominent member of the local Grand 
Army of the Republic Post at Otto, now disbanded. In politics he is a Repub- 
lican, his earliest vote for the Presidency being cast for General Grant, and 
his latest for William Howard Taft. Frank F. Dean enjoys a peaceful do- 
mestic life, where he has all the comforts suitable to his advanced years. He 
was Justice of the Peace from 1886 to 1900. In 1900 he was nominated for 
Representative on the Republican ticket against Reuben Daily, and ran about 
two hundred ahead of most of the ticket. In 1892 he was a candidate for 
Joint Senator of Clark and Jefferson counties. In 1904 he was Republican 
candidate for County Commissioner. All these nominations came to him un- 
solicited. 



JOHX CHRISTOPHER COLE. 

John Christopher Cole was born at Charlestown, Indiana, October 7, 
1849. He was educated in the place of his nativity. His father conducted a 
dry goods store at Charlestown, and in this he got his business training as a 
clerk. He remained under the parental roof until February, 1882, when he 
removed to Bloomington. Illinois, in company with his brother, Edward W. 
Cole. In partnership they purchased the diy goods and carpet business of J. 
E. Houtz & Company, which they proceeded to enlarge and extend. The Cole 
brothers became well known as merchants throughout that part of Illinois, and 
for over twenty-seven years conducted a successful business. In January, 
1909, the Cole brothers sold their stock of merchandise and retired from active 
business, but they continued to reside in Bloomington, Illinois. 

On December 9, 1874, John Christopher Cole was married to Cora E. 
Bottorff, who was born March 9, 1855, in Clark county. Indiana. Her parents 
were John T. and IMargaret Bottorff, members of the old and well established 
families of this section. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Cole are William 
Gordon, Margaret Thomas, Nina and Louise. 



FRANK W. CARR. 



In an analysis of the character of this well known citizen of Charlestown, 
Clark county. Indiana, who has for many years stood at the forefront of the 
legal profession, we find the qualities of reliability in business, and consci- 
entiousness in the discharge of the duties of private and public life. 



852 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

Frank W. Carr was born in Oregon townsliip, Clark county, July 17, 1866, 
the son of Dr. F. M. Carr, long a prominent physician of this locality. After 
practicing medicine in Oregon township for fifty years, he is now living in re- 
tirement. Frank W. Carr is a member of a family of seven living at this 
writing. J. P. was a student at Hanover College and the University of 
Indiana. He served for five years as superintendent of Clark county 
schools. He is at present superintendent of schools of Vicksburg, Mississip- 
pi. J. \\\ is a telegraph operator in Kansas. M. \Y. is a barber at Corydon, 
Indiana. S. E. was a student at Hartsville University and at the school 
at Danville. He served as county superintendent of schools of Clark county 
for two terms. He is now a druggist. C. L. is a resident of Oregon town- 
ship. j\I. M. is a barber at Corydon. Frank W., our subject, attended the 
public schools and later attended the Danville (Indiana) Central Normal 
School, where he graduated from the teacher's course. He later took a partial 
course in the scientific department and later graduated from the law depart- 
ment with high honors. 

Mr. Carr taught school in a very acceptable manner for several terms in 
a town school and began the practice of law in 1896 in Charlestown, Indiana, 
where he practiced with marked success for a period of two years, when he 
was elected Circuit Clerk of Clark county by the Democratic party and served 
one term from 1900 to 1904 in a manner that elicited nothing but words of 
commendation from everyone. 

On October 11, 1904, the happy domestic life of ]Mr. Carr began, when he 
was united in marriage with Nevada Bottorff, who was a native of Clark 
county, having been born in Oregon township, the representative of an in- 
fluential family. One child has brightened the home of the subject and wife, 
Marion B., who was born June 14, 1907. 

Mr. Carr has made a pronounced success of his profession, his office is 
always a busy place and he is known as an able counselor and advisor, his name 
having become known throughout Southern Indiana as one that stands at the 
head of the legal profession. 

Our subject is a member of the Presbyterian church, being one of the el- 
ders in the same. He served as a commissioner to the Presbyterian general 
assembly in 1909. 

Mr. Carr is a member of the old and honored Masonic fraternity, the 
lodge at New Washington, Indiana. Also the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, having passed the chairs of the same and represented his lodge in the 
Grand Lodge. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and 
has represented this district at the head camp, Dubuque, Iowa. He was 
made permanent chairman of the first state camp at Indianapolis. Shortly 
after the expiration of his term of office as Circuit Clerk, Mr. Carr removed to 
Charlestown where he resumed the practice of law, maintaining an office by 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 853 

himself. Alive to all that interests and benefits the public or makes for the 
benefit of his fellowmen. Mr. Carr's eft'orts have been strenuous and fruitful 
of happy results. 



JAMES LEE COLE. 

A well known and influential business man of Charlestown, Clark county, 
Indiana, is James Lee Cole, who was born here March i". 1861, the son of 
Mordicai B. Cole, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this \-i)lume. He 
was reared in Charlestown, his native town, educated in the public schools, 
and at Barnett Academy, one of the old and well known private educational 
institutions of Charlestown in the early days. After he finished school he pur- 
chased his father's farm adjoining Charlestown, and he has carried on general 
farming veiy successfully ever since. He owns two hundred and twenty 
acres under excellent improvements, and which has been so skillfully managed 
that it is just as productive as when he first took possession of it. He has a 
fine and commodious residence, good out buildings and he keeps some excel- 
lent stock of various kinds, dealing extensively in Jersey cattle, and no small 
part of his yearly income is derived from his successful handling of live stock, 
of which he is regarded by his neighbors as a splendid judge. 

In 1885 Mr. Cole established a creamery on his farm and it soon grew into 
an extensive business. He purchased large quantities of cream in addition 
to that furnished by his own cattle. This was operated Cjuite successfully by 
Mr. Cole until 1900, when he closed his creamer}-. He also engaged in the 
farm implement business in Charlestown for a period of ten years, under the 
firm name of Cole & McAIillin. 

In August, 1906, Mr. Cole was elected president of the Bank of Charles- 
town, and he continues in this position, ably managing the affairs of this, one 
of the soundest institutions of its kind in the state. He is also a director and 
stockholder in the same. 

Mr. Cole's domestic life began March 20, 1883, when he married Ella S. 
Barnett, who was born in 1862, in Charlestown township, the daughter of 
Allen and Edith (Jacobs) Barnett, also natives of Clark county, and represen- 
tatives of old and well established families. To Mr. and Mrs. Cole two daugh- 
ters have been bom : Laura, the wife of Cortland S. Hughes, a well known and 
extensive contractor: Nita, the second child, a graduate of Butler University, 
Indianapolis, is still a member of the home circle. 

In politics Mr. Cole is a Republican, but he has never taken much interest 
in party affairs, preferring to devote his time exclusively to business. In his 
fraternal relations he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the ■Modern 
Woodmen of America, at Charlestown. 



854 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Personally Mr. Cole is a gentleman of unblemished reputation. He is 
essentially cosmopolitan in his ideas, a man of the people, and in the best sense 
of the word a representative type of the strong, virile American manhood, 
which commands and retains respect by reason of inherent merit, sound sense 
and correct conduct. He has so impressed his individuality upon the com- 
munity where his life ha« been spent as to win the confidence and esteem of 
his fellow citizens. Measured by the accepted standard of excellence, his 
career, though strenuous, has been eminently honorable and useful, and his life 
fraught with great good to the people of Clark county, according to those who 
know him best, although he is unconscious of this, being unostentatious and 
unassuming, at the same time courteous and kind, and always considerate of 
the welfare of others, and ever ready to aid in any manner possible the up- 
building of his native community. 



; WILLIA:\I J. BOTTORFF. 

More than eighty-five years have dissolved in the mists of the past since 
the well known and representative citizen whose name appears above, first saw 
the light, during all of which time he has lived in Clark county, and the greater 
part of the time figured pr(iminently in the afifairs of the community in which 
he resides. The BottorfTs were among the early pioneers of this part of the 
state, the subject's grandfather migrating from Pennsylvania to Jefferson 
county, Kentucky in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was a Pres- 
byterian minister, and settled near Louisville. It is supposed that he was killed 
by wild beasts while on a journey through the wilderness to perform a mar- 
riage ceremony, as his horse returned and portions of his clothing were after- 
ward found. John Bottorff, the subject's father, a Pennsylvanian by birth, 
was seventeen years old when the family moved to Kentucky and in the year 
1800 he came to Clark county, settling <in a farm in what is now Charlestown 
township, and from that time until his death, a number of years later, he was 
one of the leading fanners and influential citizens of Clark county. He was 
a true type of the sturdy pioneer of the period in which he spent his early 
manhood, strong, industrious and energetic, and took an active interest in the 
improvement of the country, and the development of its resources. To him 
belongs the credit of literally fulfilling the scriptural injunction to "multiply 
and replenish the earth," having been twice married, and the father of twenty- 
three children, nine by the first and fourteen by the second wife. 

John Bortorft with his two companions has long been sleeping the sleep 
of the just, and of the large and interesting family that fomierly gathered 
around the hearthstone, eight suiwive, all except one brother and two sisters 
living within two miles of Charlestown, and five of the number having passed 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 855 

the ripe old age of eighty years. This is certainly a remarkable record, and 
it is doubtful whether another family in the state can produce as many living 
representatives, ranging in age from seventy to ninety years. 

The following are the names and dates of birth of the survi\-ing children 
of John BottortT: Louis, born in the year 1817: Gabriel, March 29, 1819; 
Sophia, November 5, 1820; William J., of this review, May 3, 1824; L. D., 
February 17, 1826; Joshua, January i-j, 1831 ; Lucinda A., August 20, 1833, 
and Alary A., who was born on June 21, of the year 1834. 

William J. Bottorff whose birth is noted above is a son of his father's 
second wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Stonecipber. He was born on 
the family homestead in Charlestnwn township and like the majority of boys in 
a new and sparsely settled country was reared to habits of industry antl at an 
early age learned by practical experience the true meaning of hard work. 
When old enough to wield an axe he was assigned his task in the woods, and 
from early morn until late in the evening, labored at clearing away the forest 
and undergrowth and tilling the soil for cultivaticin. Blessed with strong, 
vigorous physical powers and splendid health he nobly did his share in clearing 
and developing the farm and being an adept with the axe he was enabled while 
still a youth to do a man's part at any kind of labor in which that implement 
was required. Owing to his laborious duties he had little leisure to attend 
school, nevertheless he made the most of his opportunities and in due time 
obtained the rudiments of an education which supplemented by reading and 
close observation in later years made him an intelligent and well informed man. 

In addition to farming the subject's father operated for some years a com- 
bination saw and grist mill, in and about which young William was required 
to work during the wdnter months, devoting the rest of the year to labor in 
the clearing and cultivating of the fields. Although deprived of many privi- 
leges and obliged to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow, he grew up to 
strong and well developed young manhood. He not only passed his minority 
on the home farm assisting in its cultivation but remained with his father five 
years longer and it was not until he chose a wife and helpmeet and set up a do- 
mestic establishment of his own that he left the parental roof. This important 
event occurred in the spring of 1850, and the one who agreed to take his 
name, preside over his home, and share his life and fortune was a most es- 
timable and popular young lady by the name of Eliza J. Nett, a native of Jef- 
ferson county, Kentucky, where she was born in the year 1834. ^Meantime Air. 
Bottorff had' entered a tract of land in Jackson county, Indiana, and some 
months previous to his marriage he erected a log cabin of the conventional type 
to W'hich in due time he brought his bride and began life for himself, his father 
assisting him in the momentous undertaking to the extent of one cow and 
four sheep. After clearing twenty acres of his land he sold it and purchased 
a place in Owen township, Clark county, where in due time he cleared about 



856 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

one hundred and fifty acres and developed one of the finest and most pro- 
ductive farms in the locahty. He not only cut the timber and spht the rails 
to enclose the three hundred and sixty acre tract which he now owns, but at odd 
times made rails for a number of his neighbors having become an expert in 
this particular kind of work as well as skilled in all lines of labor in which 
implements of woodcraft were required. 

By industry and excellent management Mr. Bottorff succeeded in making 
his farm one of the best in the county and his reputation as a successful and 
enterprising agriculturist soon made his name widely and favorably known. 
In connection with tilling the soil he has devoted considerable attention to live 
stock and always made it a rule to keep on a sufficient number of cattle and 
hogs to consume the produce of his farm, besides buying and shipping from 
time to time to Cincinnati and other leading markets of the Middle ^^'est. He 
has worked hard in his time frequently form sixteen to eighteen hours a 
day. but of recent years has been in a situation to enjoy the fruits of his many 
years of toil and take life easy, being at this time not only in independent 
circumstances but the possessor of a handsome fortune which places him in 
the front ranks of the financially solid and well-to-do men of Clark county. His 
beautiful and attractive homestead in Owen township, one of the most valuable 
farms in the county, nearly all of which was cleared and made ready fol 
tillage by the labor of his own hands, represents a value considerably in 
excess of twenty thousand dollars in addition to which he owns a comfortable 
and commodious modern residence in Charlestown where he moved in 1897, 
and where he is now spending the evening of a long and useful life in honorable 
retirement. 

On state and national issues he has always been an unwavering supporter 
of the Democratic party, but in local affairs he votes for the best qualified 
candidates irrespective of political ties. 

Mr. Bottorff and his good wife are the parents of eight children, four 
of whom are living and whose names and dates of birth are as follows : 
Columbus, February 13, 1851 ; ^^'iIliam E., ]May 19, 1857: INIattie, April 19, 
1865; Lettie, August 8, 1867. 

Mr. Bottorff gave his children the best educational advantages the schools 
of the county afforded. Mr. and Mrs. Bottorff have lived to see their descend- 
ants to the fourth generation and now rejoice in a happy family circle of four 
children, thirteen grandchildren and their five great-grandchildren, in all of 
whom are reproduced many of the amiable qualities and sterling character- 
istics of the venerable old couple whom they delight to love and honor. Re- 
ligiously Mr. Bottorff' and wife have been active members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church since the year 1865. He has held at intervals important of- 
ficial positions in the local church to which he belongs and for a number of 
years has been one of the pillars of the same. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 857 

LEWIS C. BAIRD. 

Lewis C. Baird was born in Jeffersonville. Indiana, July 3, 1869. The 
Baird family is one of the older ones in the city of Jeffersonville, being resi- 
dents here in 1837. The material side, the Howard family, were resi- 
dents in Jeffersonville in 1835. The early youth of the subject of this sketch 
was passed in Louisville, Kentucky, Augusta, Georgia, in West Virginia, and 
in Dallas and Waxahatchie, Texas. He was educated in the public schools of 
Jeffersonville until the spring of 1887 when he withdrew, being a junior in the 
high school at the time, to prepare for admission to the United States Naval 
Academy at Annapolis. He entered the class of '92, U. S N. A., and re- 
mained a midshipman until June, 1891, when he resigned. In 1892 he was com- 
missioned captain in the First Regiment Indiana National Guard, serving at 
such until 1895, commanding his company in the field during the miners' riots 
in Sullivan county in 1894. In 1898 he was commissioned captain in the 
One Hundred Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, war with Spain, and 
served with his regiment in the Army of Occupation of the Province of Havana. 

Captain Baird was made a Mason in Clark Lodge No. 40, Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons, at Jeffersonville September 19, 1895, and was raised to the 
sublime degree of a ]\Iaster Mason November 21, 1895. He was master of 
Clark Lodge in 1900, igoi, and 1902. and is at present secretary. For thirteen 
years he was lay reader of St. Paul's Episcopal church, of which he is a mem- 
ber, and is at present a member of and the clerk of the vestry. For a number 
of years he has been engaged in the practice of his profession of civil and 
landscape engineering in Louisville, being the civil engineer at Cave Hill 
cemetery at the present time. On Jvme i, 1896, he was united in marriage 
with ]\Iiss Martha H. Johnson, the eldest daughter of the Hon. S. S. Johnson 
of the Clark County Bar. 

Captain Baird is a member of the Jeffersonville Commercial Club and 
takes a keen interest in the de\-elopment of the city and county. 



THE SHARPLESS FAMILY. 

John Sharpless was baptized August 15, 1624: died April, 1685 : mar- 
ried April 27, 1662, to Jane Moor. He was the first of the Heaton ances- 
tors in this country, and was the son of Jeffrey Sharpless. of Wybunbury, 
Chester, England. He died near Chester, Pennsylvania. He had a grant 
of land from William Penn on April 5, 1682, paying twenty pounds, or Sioo, 
for one thousand acres. John Sharpless, with a forethought unusual in 
American immigrants of that period, instead of disposing of all his posses- 



858 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.j IND. 

sioiis, reserved the lease of the house and lands which he held at Blakenhall, 
probably with the idea that, if dissatisfied with his new home he would have one 
to return to in England. He, therefore, made his will before emigrating and 
left it behind him in the custody of his executors. He was a tenant of Sir 
Thomas Delves, the lord of the manor, from whom he held a lease for nine- 
ty-nine years, and that he was able to retain this after the purchase he had 
made in Pennsylvania and the necessarily considerable expense of transporting 
so large a family there, speaks well for his thrift and proves conclusively that 
he was in comfortable circumstances. Although he called himself a "yeoman" 
he was entitled to a coat-of-arms and was born to command. His will, dis- 
posing of a large amount of property, is still extant. 

James Sharpless, born in England, first month. 5th day, 1670-1, died in 
Chester, Pennsylvania, about 1746, married Mary Edge first montli. 3d day, 
1697-8; then married ]\Iary Lewis twelfth month, 20th day, 1699-1700; died 
in 1753. The certificate of his marriage to Alary Lewis is still in existence — 
also his will. The ideas in those days of distributing much property does 
not accord with our times. 

Rachael Sharpless, born the 9th day of the stii month, 1708, was married 
8th month, 17th day, to James Dell. He also had much property, land and 
money. Her daughter, Sarah Dell, married Isaac Weaver 7th nidnth, 20th 
day, 1750. She died aged eighty-two years; he died aged eighty-nine years. 

Isaac Weaver was assessed in Nether Providence, 1764, with one hundred 
ninety acres and buildings, seventy acres of uncultivated land, nine horses, six 
cattle and five sheep. 

Isaac \\'eaver, Jr., born in Xether Providence, 3d month, ist day, 1756, 
died in Green county, Pennsylvania, 5th month, 22d day, 1830, and was 
buried upon his own farm upon Sactile Run. He married Abigail Price. 
Isaac Weaver, Jr., was educated in Philadelphia and while a young man 
taught school for several years. He also fought in the Revolutionary war. 
He received a good education for that day and was a very fine penman. In 
person he was large, being six feet four inches in height and weighing about 
two hundred forty pounds. He possessed great physical strength, was very 
erect and in appearance handsome, stately and dignified. He was a man of un- 
swerving integrity and served in both houses of the State Legislature of 
Pennsylvania. In 1800 he was Speaker of the Assembly, in 1802 State Treas- 
urer and carried money from Lancaster to Washington City on horseback, 
filling the office with credit to himself and honor to the state. He was four 
times elected Senator from the district composed of Washington and Green 
counties, in 1806, 1812, 1816, 1820 and in 1817 was Speaker of the Senate. 
His wife, Abigail Price, was the daughter of David Price and Ann Husband 
Price, of Cecil county, Alaryland, and was descended from Barnabas Wilcox, 
who gave three of his daughters to colonial mayors of Philadelphia. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 859 

His daughter. Xancy Weaver, daughter of Isaac Weaver. Jr., born Tune 
I J, 1797, married Jolin Heaton. 



WYATT EMORY WILLEY. 

Tlie family of which the suljject of this review is an honoraljle representa- 
tive has figured for over a century in the annals of Clark county and before 
migrating to Indiana was well known in the colony of Connecticut where 
the original ancestors settled a number of years prior to the W'ar of Independ- 
ence. Brazilla Willey, the first of the name to seek a home in the West 
was a native of Connecticut and when a young man served two terms of 
enlistment in the War of the Revolution, at the close of which he located 
in his native state where he remained until migrating to Southern Indiana 
nearly one hundred years ago. Arriving at his destination in 1811 he settled 
a short distance above Jefifersonville near the site now occupied by the Zulauf 
residence, but the following year moved to the tract of land northwest of 
]\Iemphis where he built his cabin and stockade to which he Ijrought his family 
the same year. Air. Willey was a tine mechanic and made three trips to New 
Orleans making the return journey on foot and meeting with not a few thrilling 
experiences on the way. Owing to the failure of his partner, a Mr. Bowman 
of Jefifersonville, his last trip was far from being successful, but to reimburse 
him for the loss sustained that gentleman subsequently deeded him the two 
hundred acres northwest of Memphis referred to which at that time was valued 
at a little more than the government price per acre but which in the end proved 
fortunate indeed to the possessor. Southern Indiana being on the frontier 
and exposed to the depredations of hostile Indians, the settlers took the pre- 
caution to protect their cabins by surrounding them with well constructed stock- 
ades and well it was that they did so for it was not long after the completion 
of Mr. Willey's fortification that the terrible Pigeon Roost massacre occurred 
in which so many settlers and their families fell victims to the ruthless savages 
and which for a long time caused great uneasiness on the frontier. When 
Mr. Willey moved to his possession it was a wilderness but with the energy 
characteristic of the true pioneer he resolutely addressed himself to the task 
of its improvement and in the course of a few years had a goodly portion 
cleared and under cultivation. Meantime as opportunities permitted he con- 
tinued his mechanical work which consisted principally of building Ijoats for the 
river trade, the material used in the construction of these crafts being whip- 
sawed and but little iron required. In 1813 he built a l>oat sixty-feet in 
length on Silver creek which he floated to the river when the water rose, and 
sold at a good price. Several years later he constructed another boat near 



86o BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

the mouth of the same creek which was propelled by steam forced through a 
pipe projecting from the stern into the water, this being one of the earHest at- 
tempts to utiHze steam as a motive power on water. In addition to boats, a 
number of which he constructed and disposed of Mr. Willey built a grist and 
saw mill combined on the Blue river which burned when nearing completion 
but he immediately rebuilt it which he operated about two years and then sold 
the same. He furnished the lumber for the Collins Mill on the Kentuckv side 
of the Falls. He was a man of great energy and ability and his mechanical 
skill proved of immense service to his own and other localities. When 
quite young he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and not 
long after moving to Indiana entered the ministry of the same and discharged 
the duties of his holy office for many years first as a local preacher and later 
on the regular work of the circuit. 

Brazilla ^^'illey died in 185 1 and is buried in the cemetery at Bowery 
Chapel, a church about one mile west of Memphis which he organized and 
to which he ministered from time to time for a number of years besides erect- 
ing the building in which the society worships. The children of Mr. Willey 
were as follows: Allen, Brazilla, Elam, Dennis, John W., John F., Martha A., 
Clarissa Ann, who married James S. Tricker; Mary Elizabeth, wife of Lewis 
Tuttle ; and Damrus who died in childhood. At the breaking out of the War 
of 1812, Allen the oldest son, who was in Canada, was conscripted into the 
British army and for a time forced to serve against his own country. When 
a favorable opportunity presented itself, however, he deserted, crossing Lake 
Erie in a canoe, a hazardous trip of three days, and after a long journey and 
somewhat strenuous experience in the wilderness on foot finally arrived at the 
family home where a royal welcome awaited him. He was a well educated 
man for those days and was a rival for the nomination as first Governor of In- 
diana against Jonathan Jennings. 

For many years the Willeys were quite numerous in Clark county and 
prominent in the afifairs of their respective communities, but some time prior 
to the War of the Rebellion all of the name except John Fletcher Willey 
moved to other parts and are now with their descendants scattered over various 
states. 

John Fletcher Willey, who was the youngest son of Brazilla Willey, was 
born in Cincinnati in 1809 and was brought to Clark county when an infant 
two years old. Like his father he was a man of intelligence and great energ}\ 
a believer in progress and few citizens of Clark county have done so much 
as he to promote the material interest of their places of residence or been 
more influential in advancing the moral and social condition of the people. He 
was one of the first men in the county to engage in horticulture on more than 
a nominal scale and for a number of years he ranked among the largest and 
most successful fruit growers of Southern Indiana besides earning a wide repu- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 86l 

tatioii among horticulturists of his own and other states. He was a pubHc 
spirited man and a representative citizen and ever endeavored to keep bright 
and untarnished the escutcheon of the esteemed old family of which he was for 
many years the honored head. He died in \\'ocd township in 1899, at the 
age of ninety years. 



WYATT E. \MLLEY. 



to 



This enterprising farmer and gallant ex-soldier of one of the great wars in 
the annals of time is a son of John F. and Pauline (Gamer) Willey, the 
latter a daughter of Shieveral Garner, whose antecedents came to America 
many years ago from France. 

Wyatt Willey is a native of Clark county, Indiana, born March 2. 1841, 
in Utica township, and combines many of the estimable qualities and sterling- 
characteristics for wdiich his family for many generations have been distin- 
2'uished. He was reared on the farm. In the fields in the summer seasons 
and attending the district schools in the winter he spent his time until the 
breaking out of the great rebellion, when with the spirit of patriotic zeal which 
characterized so many of the loyal young men throughout the north he laid 
aside his implements of husbandry for the death dealing weapons of war. In 
the month of December, 1861, when but a few months past his twentieth year 
he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry, which in due time 
was attached to the Fourteenth Arm Corps and with his comrades he was soon 
experiencing all the realties of war on the march, in camp and on the field of bat- 
tle. The first engagement in which he participated was fought near Louisville, 
Kentucky, following which he took part in some of the most noted battles which 
made his period of service historic including Perryville, Stone River, Hoover's 
Gap. Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, the various engagements of the Atlanta 
campaign following which he marched with Sherman to the sea, thence to 
Goldsboro, North Carolina, and on March 19 and 20, 1865, took part in the 
battle of Bentonville. After the surrender of Johnston's force at Raleigh he 
proceeded with his command to Washington. D. C, where in the presence of 
President and other high officials of the civil and military departments of the 
government, he took part in the grand review, the closing scene in the long and 
sanguinary struggle which it is hoped will make rebellion in the country here- 
after forever impossible. 

From the national capitol Mr. \\'illey was sent with his regiment to 
Louisville, Kentucky, where, on July 23, 1865, he received an honorable dis- 
charge after three vears, seven months and seventeen davs of strenuous and 
honorable service in defense of the National L'nion. 

On leaving the army yh. Willey returned to Clark county, and shortly 



862 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

thereafter resumed the peaceful pursuits of civil life in Utica township where he 
has since lived and prospered devoting his attention the meanwhile to the 
ancient and honorable vocation of husbandry in which he has achieved most 
gratifying success. He has a beautiful and well improved farm of one hun- 
dred seventy-four acres, the greater part in a high state of cultivation and he 
also gives considerable time to horticulture which returns him no small part 
of his income. Mr. Willey cultivates the soil according to modern methods and 
is a man of practical ideas. He has broadened his mind and added very ma- 
terially to his mental discipline by reading and intelligent observation in 
addition to which he has also traveled Cjuite extensively over various parts 
of the United States visiting many interesting places. In politics he is a 
Republican but has never asked for office, nevertheless he is well read on 
the questions of the day and keeps abreast of the times on all matters of 
public interest. 

Mr. Willey on January 24, 1866, was united in the bonds of wedlock with 
Eleanora T. Steelman, the marriage resulting in the following children: 
Charles E., born May 5. 1868: Paulina, August 30, 1870, and James F.. who 
first saw the light of day on April 26. 1874: Charles E., the oldest of the 
family, married May Cooper and lives in Louisville, Kentucky. James F. 
chose a wife in the person of Sue Watts, and resides in the city of Jefferson- 
ville. Paulina is now Mrs. John F. Crum, and makes her home in Utica 
township where she was born and reared. Mr. \\'illey is a Methodist in his 
religious faith and from early life has been an earnest and devout member of 
the church and a liberal contributor to its support. He has held the office 
of steward, class leader and trustee and for some years has been the superin- 
tendent of the Sunday school, besides being interested in various lines of 
relig-ious and charitable work. Mrs. \\'illev is also a member of the church 
and a leader in some of its departments. 



HENRY J. LUTZ. 



Few families in Clark county can trace so old a genealog}^ as that of which 
the above named gentleman is descendant in the third generation. Henry 
Lutz, the original founder, was born in Germany, but came to America during 
the later part of the eighteenth century. He settled first in North Carolina, but 
before 1800 joined the tide then setting in toward the Northwest Territory, 
and reached Clark county in the vanguard of the early pioneers. He located 
in Utica township, entered a tract of wild land which by dint of hard work 
incident to settlers in the wilderness he eventually converted into a respectable 
farm. This property has ever since been in possession of his descendants, 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 863 

until recently, who by intermarriages with otlier offshoots of the first comers, 
now constitute a wide and influential family connection. Joseph A. Lutz, 
one of the sons of Henry, married Mary I., daughter of Jacob Daly, and 
niece of D. ^^'. Daly, of Charlestown. Henry J. Lutz, a child by this union, 
was born in Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, in 1847. As he grew 
up he attained an elementary education in the neighborhood schools, supple- 
mented by courses at Hanover College and the Kentucky State University, in 
Lexington. The death of his parents compelled a shortening of his college 
career and a return home where he took charge of the farm. Li 1886 he 
bought a farm of two hundred twenty acres a mile northwest of Charlestown 
to which he moved after a commodious house and suitable out-buildings had 
been erected. To the cultivation and care of this place he gave his attention 
until 1908, when he retired from active work and located at Charlestown to 
spend the rest of his days in a beautiful concrete house, designed and con- 
structed under his own directions. He is a member of the Christian church, 
and the Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows, being regarded as one of the 
county's substantial citizens in all the relations of life. 

Li 1870 Mr. Lutz married Rhoda B., daughter of ^\'illiam and Mary 
Gibson, of LTica township, whose family history will be found in the sketch 
of Jacob Gibson. They have seven children ; Adella, Burdette C, Harry, Nora, 
Clarence P., Fred and Carl. Burdette. who is practicing law in Jefferson- 
ville, was elected to the State Legislature in 1906 on the Democratic ticket. 
Harry, who married Pearl Huffstetter, lives on a farm in Charlestown town- 
ship on the Bethlehem pike. He has three bright little daughters and is re- 
garded as a progressive young farmer. Clarence married Mamie Harris and 
is traveling through the South for the Bell Telephone Company. Fred mar- 
ried Maggie, daughter of \\'illiam Duesser, and Carl took for his wife. Ma}', 
daughter of Alois Bastian. Fred and Carl are living on the farm northeast 
of Charlestown, which their father bought some years ago and recently 
turned over to their management. 



GEORGE T. JACOBS. 



The present solid prosperity enjoyed by Clark county may be attributed 
largely to the early settlers, who became later the prosperous and honored citi- 
zens of this locality and prepared the way for those who should come after 
them, leaving a rich inheritance to their children. Among those who have 
continued the great work brought to a high state by these pioneers, those of the 
aftermath, is the subject of this sketch. 

George T. Jacobs was l>orn Xo\-ember 14. 1852, in Clark county, the repre- 



864 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

sentative uf an old and highly respected family who was identified with the 
pioneer work of this section. He received his education in the local schools 
after which he began farming and has continued this line of work up to the 
present in a most satisfactory manner. He is the owner of a fine farm of three 
hundred and ten acres, which he has improved until it ranks with any in the 
county. He has a good dwelling and outbuildings, and on his place may be 
found stock of various kinds, in fact, Mr. Jacobs is a modern farmer in every 
respect and he owes his success to his indomitaljle energy and close application 
to business. 

Our subject was united in marriage to ^Irs. Kate H. Peet on September 
21, 1876. She is a native of Silver Creek township, where she was born 
in 1853 and where she received her education in the common schools. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs has been blessed by the birth of three 
children, namely : ]\Irs. Dr. E. O. Sage, of Louisville, Kentucky ; Ivan A., who 
lives in Jefferson township on a farm: Katie E.. who is still a member of the 
home circle. 

Air. and 'Shs. Jacobs are ^Methodists in their religious affiliations. Fra- 
ternally the subject is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
He is independent in politics and has never aspired to public ofiice, although 
he takes a keen interest in all matters pertaining to the good of his communi- 
ty and county wdiether political, material, educational or moral, and he and his 
wife are regarded as people of excellent worth whom everybody properly re- 
spects. 



JAMES A. JOHNSON. 



The family of this name in Clark county is descended on the paternal side 
from old North Carolina stock, and like all true sons of the old Tar State, 
are justly proud of their lineage. We first hear of Baker Johnson, a native 
of Rowan county. North Carolina, who caught the western fever in early life 
and reached Southern Indiana in 1820. He first located in Utica township, 
but in 1828 moved to a place in grant /2)< ^ rni'^ ^"d a half south of Charles- 
town. Tilghman Johnson, his son, was born in Rowan county. North Caro- 
lina, and was but an infant when brought by his father to the wilds of lower 
Ohio. He became a man of prominence, accumulated property and owned the 
first government bond amounting to one thousand dollars ever purchased in 
Clark county. He was a first cousin of President Andrew Johnson, and 
a good type of the rugged characters who did the work of development in this 
state during the trying days of the pioneer period. He lived to an advanced 
age, his death occurring September 3. 1907, after a useful and strenuous 
life. 



BAIRDS HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 865 

In early manhood he married Mary Xeely. a woman of indivichiahty, and 
marked strengtli of character, whose career covered the period of early settle- 
ment, concerning which she talked most entertainingly. Her father was Alex- 
ander Xeely. a native of Maine, who made the long trip to the West at a time 
when it involved many hardships, as well as many dangers. His wife, Sarah 
Lanard, was horn in 1792, and was one of the first wdiite babies born in I'tica 
township. She was fond of telling how she w'ent over the Ohio Falls in a 
skiff when there was (inly one log hnuse to be seen on either side of the river. 

James A. Johnson, a grandson of this worthy conple, was born on his 
father's farm in Charlestown township. Clark county, in October. 1846. He 
made his home with his parents until the completion of his twenty-fourth year, 
when he spent considerable time in traveling through the West and other parts 
of the country. Eventually he settled down in his native county as a farmer 
and he has devoted all of his adult life to agricultural pursuits. He has. 
howe\-er. figured considerably in local politics and the record he made is one 
to be proud of. In 1894 he was elected County Commissioner on the Re- 
publican ticket and served three years so acceptably that on his retirement in 
1898. he received an unusual testimonial from his official associates. This 
was in the shape of a resolution passed by his fellow-ofticers in the court-house, 
commending Mr. Johnson for his honest and fearless devotion to the interests 
of the people. This was ordered to be spread of record in the Commissioners" 
Court and constitutes a personal tribute which falls to but few men, under 
similar subjects. It was. of course, a gratifying surprise to the recipient and 
\vi\\ be a proud inheritance for his descendants to the remotest generations. 
Mr. Johnson's party twice gave him the nomination of County Treasurer, and 
he has held several minor offices such as Justice of the Peace and others. 

In 1872 Mr. Johnson married Alice, daughter of Felix C. and Sophia L. 
(Haas) Young. The grandparents were Alexander and Elizabeth (Blizzard) 
Young, being old residents of Utica township. 'Sir. and INIrs. Johnson have 
two children, Olive and Clare. The former is married to G. C. Martin, and 
lives in Charlestown, and has two children. Clare is a member of the home 
circle. Mr. Johnson is trustee of the Methodist church. 



HOX. LOUIS SPRIESTERSBACH. 

The subject of this review enjoys distinctive prestige among the enter- 
prising and public spirited citizens of Clark county. Indiana, and who has 
earned the right to be called one of the progressive men of this locality, is 
the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch at this writing 
performing the duties of ^tlayor of Charlestown. 
55 



866 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Louis Spriestersbach is a native of the town where he has spent liis Hfe, 
and where his useful talents have been employed, having been born in Charles- 
town, this county, December lo, 1864, the son of George and Catherine (Wag- 
ner) Spriestersbach. His father was born in Germany and immigrated to 
America in 1852. He first settled in Louisville. Kentucky, and two years later 
came to Charlestown, Lidiana. where he was married. He started a black- 
smith shop, which he conducted in a very successful manner. He is living in 
Charlestown at this writing, retired from business. His wife was called to 
her reward in 1896. after a faithful and worthy career. They were the parents 
of ten children, six of whom are still living. 

Our subject was reared in Charlestown, where he attended the public 
schools, later attending the Barnett Academy, where he applied himself in a 
manner that resulted in a fairly good education. After leaving school he de- 
cided to follow the footsteps of his father and become a blacksmith, conse- 
quently he set about learning this trade under his father's able instruction, and 
when his father retired Louis took over the shop and conducted it with marked 
success until 1897 when he associated with his brother, Julius, in the imple- 
ment and hardware business. The store continued to grow in magnitude and 
was patronized from all parts of the county resulting in a very lucrative busi- 
ness. Our subject has made a financial success all unaided and in an honorable 
manner. He is a stockholder and one nf the directors of the Bank of Charles- 
town. 

Our subject was married September 21, 1899, to Lottie Leonora Jacobs, 
of Jefifersonville. Lidiana, a native of Greencastle, this state. She is a grad- 
uate of the Jeffersonville high school. She was bom in 1876. One son has 
been born to this union. George Gordon, whose date of birth is recorded as 
]\Iarch 22, 1908. Both our subject and wife are members of the Presbyterian 
church, and are liberal contributors to the same. 

Mr. Spriestersbach in his fraternal relations is a member of the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows Xo. 94. having passed the chairs of the same and 
represented this lodge in the Grand Lodge of Indiana. 

In politics he is a Democrat and is well grounded in his convictions, be- 
ing ever ready to further the interests of his party by lending his aid in placing 
the best possible men in local offices. He was elected Mayor of Charlestown 
in 1904, having taken charge of the office January i, 1905. He has done a 
very great deal in improving the town. Among the many things he secured 
for Charlestown was the building- of uniform sidewalks of the best cement for 
the principal streets. 

Our subject is honest in all his business dealings and always ready to do 
his part in promoting the well-being of the community at large and because 
of his sterling attributes of character he is held in high regard in the county 
where his useful life has been spent. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 867 

JAMES D. KIGER. 

During the last century one of the most significant facts in tlie move- 
ments among civilized nations was the great influx of immigrants into America 
from European shores. One condition in many of the European countries that 
led to this movement of their citizens to other lands was the strict military 
requirements made necessary by the war-like attitude of the powers toward 
each other. Many of the best people made it a point to bid farewell to the 
home-land in order to avoid a long tenn of militaiy service either in active 
warfare or in the regular militia. Among other countries thus affected, Aus- 
tria was one, being often engaged in open warfare with neighboring powers. 
or continuing for the most part under hostile relations with some one of them. 
One of their citizens that emigrated to America early in the century was Joseph 
Kiger, the grandfather of the subject of the present review, James D. Kiger, 
of Clark county. Indiana. Joseph Kiger was bom on June lo, 1783. near 
Vienna, Austria, and after coming to America, was joined in marriage, Feb- 
ruary 22. 1820, to Maria B. Calfshead, who was born in Bourbon county, Ken- 
tucky, August 15, 1795. They were the parents of the following children: 
Casper, Catherine L., Christina, John P., James D.. Sarah A. and Mary J. 
Of this family Christina attained the greatest age. having reached her eighty- 
third year before death overtook her. 

James D. Kiger, our subject, was born in Charlestown township, Clark 
county, Indiana, on the 24th of November, 1857. His father, James D., was 
born in Utica township, same county, on the 14th of March, 1829. His 
mother, Lucy J. (Bottorff) Kiger. became a widow before our subject was 
born, and later she was again married. 

James remained at home until he was nineteen years of age, and received 
a common school education. He was a boy of steady habits, industrious and 
economical. Whenever opportunity offered, he worked out and saved his earn- 
ings, and in this way as he grew to manhood he acquired the habit of frugality. 
which has characterized him in his later years. 

On May 3. 1882, he was married to Elizabeth K. Spriestersbach, daugh- 
ter of George Spriestersbach. Elizabeth was bom in Charlestown, on the 13th 
of July, 1861, and received her education in the public schools of her native 
city. They began their married life on the farm where they now live, which 
embraces two hundred eighty-eight and one-half acres. This farm shows the 
fruits of good management and close application to work. The improvements 
are all first class, the soil is kept in excellent condition and the crops are such 
as any producer may well be proud of. 

In conjunction with the farming of the lands, Mr. Kiger has devoted 
some attention to stock raising. In this he has also had singular success, for 
he has given close study to the problem of getting good results with the mini- 
mum of expense. 



868 baird's history of clark co.^ ind. 

Four children have been born of this union, viz: Georgia B., born Febru- 
ary 28, 1883: Jessie ]M.. born June 8. 1885. Claude 'SI., born December 23. 
1887. and John P., l5orn August 15, 1891. Jesse and Claude graduated from 
the Charlestown high school, the former in 1905 and the latter in 1907. Claude 
is now at Purdue University taking the agricultural course, having shown an 
aptitude for this branch of study, an<l a strong desire to do research work. 
John P. died October 17, 1893. and Georgia B. died April 8, 1896. 

]Mr. and ]\Irs. Kiger are members oi the Presbyterian church, and are 
loyal supporters (if the cause, giving freely not only of their means but their 
time, as well. Mr. Kiger has for many years been one of the deacons in the 
church. Although politically a Democrat. i\Ir. Kiger does not place party 
above principle, and stands first of all for a just and economic administration 
of all public affairs. 



\\'ILLIAM \\'. FARIS. 



The gentleman whose name furnishes the caption for this article is one 
who is well known in Clark county, and is held in high esteem for his sterling 
characteristics and unassuming demeanor. I\Ir. Faris was bom in Charles- 
town township, on the 22d of September, 1872. He was the son of Dr. W. 
W. and Sarah (Coombs) Faris. and the grandson of Capt. John Faris. The 
latter was a participant in the Indian wars of the ^Middle West, and became 
famous as an Indian fighter. He took part in the battle of Tippecanoe, under 
Gen. William Heiuy Harrison, and was an efficient sharp-shooter and frontier 
scout. He married Rebecca Work and to them were born Willis, Mrs. Dr. John 
Baird. Mrs. Faris, of Princeton, Indiana; Robert (deceased) and Dr. W. W. 
Faris. father of our subject. Doctor Faris attended the Chestnut Street 
]\Iedical College of Louisville, Kentucky, having previously graduated from 
the Sturgus Academy of Charlestown. He followed teaching for several years, 
and became interested in civil engineering. This latter subject became so at- 
tractive to him that he began to make it a special study, and in time gave up 
the practice of medicine almost entirely. He served as County Surveyor of 
Clark county for twenty years, and took up the management of a farm in con- 
junction with his official duties. He became the owner of about six hundred 
acres of land and became well fixed financially. His death occurred March 5, 
1895. He is still sui-vived by his wife. The three children of this family 
were: John M.. Jesse C, and our subject. William W. was educated in the 
neighboring district schools and later attended the Charlestown high school, 
from which he graduated in 1891. He then entered Hanover College, and 
was in attendance there until he reached the sophomore year. 

August 14, 1895, our subject was married to Nannie Barnes, daughter of 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 869 

Hon. Willis L. Barnes. She was born on the 4th of June. 1876. and is a 
woman of excellent tastes and good education. Two children have been born 
of this nnion. viz: Jesse C, born June 25. 1896, and Arthnr \\'.. born August 
13, 1902. The memliers of this family are affiliated with the Christian de- 
nomination. 

Mr. Faris operates his own farm of one hundred eighty acres, and also 
the parental estate upon wliich his mother still resides. His home is a splen- 
did illustration of what can be accomplished by judicious management and un- 
tiring energv. and is recognized as a model farm by his friends and neighbors. 
He is a man of few words and affiliates with the Democratic party, but has 
never had any aspirations for political prominence. As a citizen, his conduct 
has been that of a loyal patriot, standing at all times for those views that make 
for the welfare of the commnnity at large. 

Mr. Faris's brother, John M., is connected with the United States War 
Department, and is storekeeper, now stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison at 
Indianapolis. 



THOMAS JEFFERSOX LEWMAN. 

Descended from a line of hard}- pioneers, Thomas J. Lewman is an excel- 
lent representative of that type of men who have made themselves masters 
over circumstances. He was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, In- 
diana, on the 26th of October, 1846, being the son of IMilas and Xancy ( Pra- 
ther) Lewman, and grandson of Moses Lewman. Milas Lewman was born in 
X'orth Carolina in 1807, and was twelve years old when he came to Indiana, 
with his parents, making his home in Utica township, this connty. The means 
of the familv were quite limited, their only worldly possessions being the few 
things that were brought in the wagon in which they made their overland 
journey. 

The familv of INIoses Lewman consisted of four boys, John, Silas, Milas 
and Isaiah, and three girls, Celia, Elizabeth and Xancy. These children were 
thrown largely upon their own responsibility, Moses Lewman having died two 
years after arriving in Clark county, and were thus made to stand face to face 
with the problem of making their own way in the world. In this way they all 
made a most commendable showing, as the mother was permitted to see the day 
when all of her children were comfortably settled in homes of their own. This 
did not come easy, as anyone familiar with such undertakings will admit, for it 
meant years of hard work, steady application and untiring grit. The mother, 
Elizabeth (Cash) Lewman, died in Utica, at the advanced age of ninety-five 
years. 

]\Iilas Lewman, father of our subject, was especially known among his 



8/0 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

neighbors as industrious and economical, mal<ing every move count and wast- 
ing no time on theories or speculations. He was a man of considerable inde- 
pendence of thought, and after making up his mind as to what he deemed 
right, did not hesitate to stand upon his own convictions. Up to the time of 
the Civil war, he had been a Democrat in politics, but he then saw fit to change 
his views, and cast his influence from that time on with the Republican party. 
He passed to his reward on November 19. 1887, having been preceded by his 
wife in 1886. The latter was the daughter of Judge Samuel Prather, a man 
widely known for his efficiency on the bench. 

Milas and Nancy Lewman were the parents of five children, viz : Samuel 
P., deceased; Thomas J., our subject; Elizabeth R., wife of Phestus Bowen, 
of Charlestown township; Edith, wife of William P. Hughes, and Nancy, 
widow of James Smith. 

Our subject was reared on the farm where he now lives. He helped to 
clear much of the land and had a hand in bringing a large part of it under cul- 
tivation. His boyhood experiences were not unlike those common to the times. 
He attended the district school in_ the winter time, and received a good com- 
mon school education. Upon reaching maturity he was married to Man,' E. 
Steelman, daughter of James Steelman. She was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, 
in 1854 and came to Indiana in 1856. Her father died May 5, 1909, in 
Charlestown township, having acquired the advanced age of ninety-five years. 

Mr. Lewman and wife are the parents of two children: Cash A., born 
March 7, 1885, and Frank S., born October 14, 1887. The former has been 
joined in marriage to Susan M. Bottorff. 

The religious affiliations of this family have been with the Christian 
denomination. Mr. Lewman is an elder in the Bethany church of Charlestown 
township, and has been for years superintendent of the Sunday school. In 
politics he is identified with the Republican party, but he has never aspired to 
office, feeling that his time was all needed in giving proper attention to his 
business affairs. He takes great pride in his home, making that the chief 
object of his thought and care. A visit to his residence will convince one at 
once that he has succeeded in this to a most satisfactoi-y degree, having all the 
conveniences and improvements that are needed for the comforts of his remain- 



EDWARD COVERT. 



The history of this family presents the characteristics of industry, honesty, 
frugality and patriotism, all of which are strongly marked in Edward Covert, 
who is a native of Clark county, Indiana, where he was born November 20, 
1843, being descended from a line of ancestors noted for an enterprising 
spirit that hesitated at no difficulties, however numerous and formidable. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8jl 

Luke Covert, great-great-grandfather of onr subject, was bom in New 
Jersey, whither his ancestors had come when emigrating to America from 
Northern Holland. They sailed aboard the Puritan, which name was given the 
bay and river where the passengers landed in 1650 and founded the little 
town which afterward assumed the same name. Luke Covert ended his 
days in New Jersey, and was laid away in the land of his adoption. His son, 
Daniel Covert, great-grandfather of Dur subject, was a gunsmith in Washing- 
ton's army, and contributed Icjyal and patriotic service to the cause of conti- 
nental independence. His home lay in the neighborhood of historic Mon- 
mouth, famous as one of the spots upon which was waged the conflict in 
behalf of the American cause. In fact Daniel Covert owned part of the land 
on which the battle was fought. 

After the close of the Revnlutionarv war the familv removed to the West, 
emigrating first to Ohio, later to Kentucky, and finally coming to Clark county, 
Indiana, in 1797, where Daniel Covert died in 1803. His son, Peter Covert 
grandfather of our subject, resided in Clark county as a farmer for many years. 
He reached a ripe old age, going to his reward on April 15, 1857. He reared 
a large family, one of whom, Henry, was the father of our subject, and was 
married to !Mary Cortner, January 5, 1843. To this union were born six 
children, ,as follows: Edward: Sarah, wlio became the wife of S. W. Evans; 
Elijah, of Jennings county, Indiana; Emaline, deceased wife of John W. 
Hanlin ; Addie, born in 1856, wife of James W. Hart, living now in Scott 
county, and Julia, now deputy post mistress at Otisco. Indiana. 

Our subject was reared upon the farm and received such education as was 
afforded by the district schools of the vicinity, taking later some work at the 
Sturgus Academy. While at the academy the Civil war was in progress and 
Edward joined the cause of the Union, in 1865 becoming a member of the 
One Hundred Forty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He remained in 
the service till the close of the war, his principal duties consisting of guard- 
ing railroad bridges and sharing the vicissitudes incident to the life of the men 
who took up their station in behalf of the flag. The war being concluded, Mr. 
Covert returned to his home and embraced the opportunity afforded to con- 
tinue his education at the Charlestown high school. 

On December 26, 1872, our subject was joined in marriage to Mary C. 
Beckett, a most estimable young lady, members of whose family were pioneers 
in the county. She was called to her reward December ig, 1906, and was 
without children. 

Mr. Covert has afliliated with the Demi:>cratic party and for many years 
had charge of the local post-office. He has also served as Justice of the 
Peace, for seven years. For twenty years he has had charge of the loca/ 
railroad agency, and express agent for twenty-eight years. In connection 
with these duties he has carried on to a limited extent his trade as a cobbler. 



872 BAIKD's history of CLARK CO.^ IND. 

He is a meml)er of the Methodist churcli, taking- an active part in tlie church 
and Sunday scliool \vorl\. He is es])eciallv fond nf music, and <in accnunt nf 
natural talent lias lieen called on to look after the musical affairs pertaining 
to the chiu'ch activities. 



TOSEPH M. HAAS. 



The hiographies of the \'eterans of the Civil war are always interesting. 
This is due in part, no donht, to the share they had in one of the mightiest con- 
flicts of modern times, and also to the period of our country's history in which 
they grew to manhood. Here in the Middle West the life of the times preced- 
ing the rehellion seems more romantic and full of \ariety and incident than 
the years following the war and since those (la\s are fast receding into the 
perspective of time, they are rapidly becoming surrounded with the twilight 
effect that lends charm to even the most commonplace of incidents. 

On November 24, 1836, there was born in Lexington, Scott county, Indi- 
ana, Joseph M. Haas. His father, Ezra Haas, was born at Woodstock, Vir- 
ginia, and came to Scott county, Indiana, when c|uite a young man. He was 
a tanner liy trade and a very industrious citizen. He removed later, about 
1850, to Clark county, where he ended his days. Joseph's mother, Mary 
(Schwitzer) Haas, was of Irish descent, and was the mother of nine children, 
only two of wliom, our subject and a brother, James A., are surviving. Both 
of these .sons participated in the Civil war, Josei)h joining the Fourth Indiana 
Cavalry and James enlisting in the Twelfth Indiana Battery. 

Our subject enlisted in 1862 and served until the close of the war. The 
pioneer experiences of his boyhood had develoi)ed in him the spirit of cotu'age 
and presence of mind under danger and he went into the field of battle without 
liesitancy or thought of personal concern. He participated in many of the 
historic conflicts, among others being the ones at Chattanooga and Ch.icka- 
mauga. At Nashville he received a com])(innd fracture in the left limlj. which 
disabled him for a while, but he took his place among his comrades as soon as 
able. The cavalry to which he belonged became a part of the Army of the 
Cumberlan<I and e\])erienced the vicissitudes incident to the menioral.)le cam- 
paigns waged liy that noted liody of men. 

.\fter the w.nr closefl Mr. Haas returned to the family honiestead in 
Clark county and de\'oted himself to fanning and sti:ck nusing. Through 
untiring industry and diligent a])plication he has made for himself an attrac- 
tive home in Ch.arlestown townshi]). This, with a small go\ernment pension. 
places within his reach the comforts of life and he is content t(^ li\'e out the 
remainder of his days in the sunshine of the ild I hiosier state 

Mr, Haas was never married and for nian\' vears made his home with 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 873 

one of his sisters. Although a Republican, he has made no effort to enter 
the political arena, being content to live the life of an exemplary citizen. He 
has always had a fondness for hunting- and in early days when wild game was 
still al)undant nothing gave him more satisfaction than to shoulder his rilfe 
and take to the woods. At one time he made an overland trip to Missouri, and 
Iowa, and made hunting one of the features of the excursion. This exi)erience 
afforded him much enjoyment, and one over which he delights to reflect. 

As a member of the Grand Army of the Repul)lic, Mr. Haas has shown the 
same genuine loyalty that has characterized him in all of his associations, 
and he holds a secure iilace in the esteem of neighbors and associates. 



WILLIAM M. DEUSER. 



William M. Denser, of Charlestown, Clark county, is a man of some 
sixty-five years. All his life has Ijeen associated with the township in which 
he lives, and it is no exaggeration to say that he knows every nook and corner 
of it and every one of the older inhabitants. Through life he has worked hard 
and industriously and can now enjoy the eventide of life at the expense of 
very little energy. He is still robust and hearty, allowing for the advance of 
age. 

William M. Denser was born in Charlestown on June 6, 1843, Ijeing 
the son of Jacob and Barbara (Schleichten) Denser. Both were native born 
Germans who about the year 1833 settled in Charlestown. and here they met 
one another and married. Jacob Denser helped to build the Charlestown court 
house and upon its completion he moved onto a farm in the township a short 
distance from Charlestown. Here he and his wife lived the remainder of 
their lives. Mrs. Denser survived her husband, her death taking place two 
years later. Ten children were born to them, of whom there are nine living, 
and all but one live in the vicinity of Charlestown. They are; George, W^il- 
liam M., Christenia. Amelia, IMaggie, Jacob, Jr., Charles, Joseph. Eva. and 
Maggie, the latter (deceased). Jacob Denser was a man who had the rq)u- 
tation of being a money maker. He owned at one time about three hundred 
acres of land. He afterwards went to Missom^i but later returned to Charles- 
town, where he died. In religion he was a member of the Presbyterian church 
while his wife was a member of the Catholic faith. Jacob Denser was all 
through life a Democrat in politics. 

William M. Denser was reared in and around Charlestown and lal)ured 
there on his father's farm. He attended the countiy school and also school 
at Louisville and obtained a fair education. On reaching manhood he mar- 
ried Mary Lori, and one child, ^^'illiam, resulted from the marriage. \\'il- 



874 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Ham has now entered upon a successful career in the hardware business in 
Louisville, Kentucky. In after years he married secondly, Barbara Deutchman 
and to this union were born the following children: George, now in the 
flour business in Charlestown ; Charles, a barber, in Chattanooga, Tennessee ; 
Lillian ]\Iargaret, wife of Fred Lutz, of Charlestown ; and Dortha. All belong 
to the Presbyterian church. 

In politics our subject is a Democrat and an active and faithful party 
worker. During the Civil war period he was not inactive When war was 
declared he volunteered and went into service as a carpenter in which capacity 
he served for about two years. 

William M. Denser owns fourteen acres of choice land just outside of 
Charlestown on which he resides. He has the reputation, as had his father 
before him, of being a good business man. He is a man of means and has 
been quite successful in his farming pursuits. He is an intelligent type of 
farmer. He has traveled extensively, and the impressions made upon him 
bv the outside world have been turned to good account by his observant mind. 
The fact that his children are coming to the front in their vocations has added 
much to the happiness of his later years. ]\Irs. Denser is a constant companion 
to her husband and her attention and help have been of much importance to him. 



S. P. KELLY. 



S. P. Kelly, farmer and notary public of Bethlehem township, Clark 
county, is a man of much influence and a widely respected resident of the dis- 
trict in which he lives. He is the descendant of an old Virginia family, one of 
whom in the person of his grandfather, Samuel Kelly, migrated to Kentucky, 
coming thence to Clark county, Lidiana, where he settled and was the first 
man buried in Ross cemetery ; his interment taking place on the 6th of Novem- 
ber, 1806. The Kelly family were militant Whigs until the birth of the Re- 
publican party. Since that time all members of the family have consistently 
followed the fortunes of the party at present in power. S. P. Kelly has 
traveled outside his own state, is of an observant disposition, and, consequently, 
a cultured and well posted citizen. He has for many years been prominently 
connected with the most influential fraternal organizations of the state, and has 
a host of friends in fraternal circles and throughout Clark county. 

The subject of our notice was born in Bethlehem township in the house 
in which he now lives on the 22d of November, 1850. He was the son 
of Samuel and Harriett Kelly, the latter a cousin of her husband. Samuel 
Kelly was born in Bethlehem township, Clark county, Indiana, and he grew 
up in the immediate neighborhood of Bethlehem township. Grandfather 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 875 

Samuel Kelly was born in Virginia, and, as we have already stated, came to 
Kentucky and afterwards to Clark county. Indiana, where he entered land 
in quarter-section Xo. 35, southwest, township No. 2, range No. 9 east. 
Samuel and Harriett Kelly had the following children born to them : S. P. 
Kelly. John H., Emma and Harriett A. Our subject and his sister, Harriett 
A., are the only suniving members. 

S. P. Kelly was reared on the farm and helped his parents in the fann 
work. In wintertime he attended the district school and got a fair common 
school education. He married Sarah A. ]\Iatthews, who was bom in Bethle- 
hem township on the 25th of April, 1853. Five children were born of their 
marriage as follows : Ellen ]\I., who is the wife of Ira C. Dean, lives in Bethle- 
hem township: Clara E. is the wife of Charles Jameson, of Bethlehem town- 
ship : Hattie F. is unmarried and lives at home : Ira ^I. is also unmarried 
and lives at home. Hattie is a graduate of the district common school. 

For seventeen years after his marriage our subject conducted a flour 
mill. He then came back on the family farm of one hundred and sixty acres 
which he now owns. He has been most successful in his farming pursuits. 
He is a respected member of the community and a trustee of the local Presby- 
terian church of which he and his family are active members. He is a mem- 
ber of the New ^^'ashington lodge. Free and Accepted Alasons, No. 167. He 
belongs to Bethlehem Lodge. No. 498, Knights of Pythias, and the Red ]\Ien 
of the Abenaki Tribe. No. 367. S. P. Kelly and his wife are members of the 
Pocahontas Council. No. 260, and Airs. Kelly is a member of the Pythian 
Sisters, No. 325, of which she is the treasurer. Our subject is a charter mem- 
ber of all the lodges with which he has been associated with the exception 
of the Red Men. He is a member of the K. of R. and S. since its inception. 
He became chief of records of the local Red Alen lodge on the night of its 
initiation. 

In politics S. P. Kelly follows the example of his family and is a staunch 
Republican. In local affairs he is a member of the Advisory Board and its sec- 
retary. He has been a notary public since July i, 1890. 



F. V. HOLLOW AY. 



F. V. Holloway. of Bethlehem township, Clark county, is a well known 
farmer and a public man of worth and influence in the community. He has 
been for almost twenty-three years a resident of the county in wliich he lives, 
having come to Bethlehem township in the year 1885. Previous to that time 
he had spent his years in the state of Alissouri, where he made a name for 
himself both in private and public life. 



876 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

He was bom in Cass county, Missouri, on the 27th of October, 1837. the 
son of Thomas and Martha (Secrest) HoUoway. His father was born in 
Tennessee in 1809. and went to Missouri in 1834. remaining there until his 
death which occurred in 1895. Grandfather HoUoway was an upright and 
honorable man and a native of Virginia of Scotch descent. Our subject's 
mother's family, the Secrests. were of German extraction, and natives of 
North Carolina. Martha Secrest married in Blount county, Tennessee, and 
went from there with her husband to Cass county, Missouri in 1834. Eight 
children were born to them, seven of whom grew to maturity. The sub- 
ject of our sketch, and two sisters are the surviving members of the family: 
one sister is married to a Mr. Foster in Missouri. 

F. V. HoUoway was reared upon his father's farm and assisted on the 
farm until his marriage, which took place in his twenty-second year. He re- 
ceived a common school education in the schools of his township in Missouri. 
He married ]Mary J. Cooper, of Missouri, and had a family of eight children. 
Thev are : James T., who died at the age of eight years : Ella F., who is the wife 
of James Hocker, of Missouri : ]\Iinnie, the wife of D. K. Elder, of Chicago, 
Illinois; Charles W., a resident of Kansas City, Missouri; May, who is the 
wife of Harry King, of Louisville, Kentucky: B. F. HoUoway is a farmer 
in Bethlehem township: A. F. lives near New Washington, Clark county, and 
is a farmer: and W. G. is single and li\-es at the family residence. All 
received a good common school education. F. V. Holloway's first wife died 
in 1883, and he has since married three times. His second wife died in 
1899, and his third in 1903. He had no children by either. He married 
Anna M. Robertson, his present wife, oh the 14th of September, 1908. She 
was born in Jeffersonville. Indiana. 

In his religious life F. V. HoUoway has been a consistent member of 
the Presbyterian church since 1854. and is an elder in the local church in 
Bethlehem township. His wife is also a member of the same faith. Our sub- 
ject is well known in Masonic circles and is a member of New Washington 
Ludge, No. 164, Free and Accepted ]Masons, having been a member for forty- 
nine years. He is also a member of Arcana Cduncil, Harrisonville, Missouri, 
and is a member of the Royal Arch Chapter and the Gouley Commandery at 
Butler, :\Iissouri. He served as master of Lodge No. 254, Free and Accepted 
Masons, at Butler, Missouri, for three years, and was district deputy grand 
master of Missouri for two years. 

F. V. HoUoway came from Missouri to Clark county with his family in 
1885. In politics he has been a life-long Democrat. He was County Treas- 
urer of Bates county, Missouri, for four years, two terms. In 1898 he was 
elected Justice of the Peace of Bethlehem township and is serving in that ca- 
pacity at the present time. The township usually is known to go Republican 
by twenty-eight votes, but, nevertheless, our subject was elected by a majority 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IXD. 8/7 

of eighteen although a Democrat. This, needless to say, speaks well for his 
popularity and worth as a citizen. He owns four hundred and eighty-three 
acres of prime land in the tnwnship which is worth a good figure. He is 
a stockholder in the State Bank at New Washington. 

Turning back to the public record of our subject in ^Missouri, it might 
be mentioned that he was elected Treasurer of Bates county, Missouri, by a 
majority of two hundred votes on his first term. On his second term he 
got the appointment by a seven hundred and fifty majority. And this although 
the county is known to be Republican. He was candidate for Commissioner 
from the district on two occasions. 

F. V. HoIIoway is now advanced in ^•ears and he can point with pride to 
his record as a man. as a father of a family, and as a pulilic spirited citizen. 



JAMES A. BAIRD. 



James A. Baird. who was part owner of the Baird Woolen Alills, came 
to Owen township, Clark county, with his father as a boy. From that time 
onward, through the years of his life, he was the recipient of his neighbors' 
friendship and good will. He established himself firmly in the industrial 
life of the community, and was a man of uprightness and probity : and one 
who never swerved from the settled path of duty. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Lexington. Kentucky, in the year 
1828. At the time of their arrival in Clark county his father built a woolen 
mill at the juncture of the cross-roads a short distance from the present family 
residence. James A. assisted his father in running the mill from his boy- 
hood and made the venture a pronotmced success. The mill was known as the 
Baird woolen mill and, in later years, after the death of the elder Baird, 
it was changed to Baird Brothers, the name by which it went ever afterwards. 

James A. Baird married Alartha Burton on the 19th of February, 1868, 
and a very happy domestic life was entered upon. Mrs. Baird is still living 
and is a comparatively young woman. She comes of an old and respected 
family, the Burtons of Virginia. She was born in Henry county, Kentucky, 
on ]\Iay 9, 1852, and was the daughter of Laban and Sarah ( Harris) Burton. 
Her parent, Laban Burton, was born in Virginia in 1807, came with his family 
to Kentucky, and lived in Henry and Madison counties. He married Sarah 
Harris, of Henry county, Kentucky, and had eight children, four of whom were 
living in 1909. They are: Everrel, wife of Russel Brent, living in Owen 
county, Kentucky ; Sarah, wife of T. J. McMillin, living in Illinois ; Linzey, 
living in Rosedale, Lidiana, and the wife of the subject of our sketch. Mrs. 
Martha Baird was reared upon her father's farm and on arrival at a proper age 



878 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

attended private school and got a common school education. During her mar- 
ried life she has reared a family of nine children. Almost all are now married 
and in prosperous circumstances. They are : Sarah A., born January 14, 1869, 
who is the wife of Marshall Cravens and is living in North Carolina : Mary S., 
born July 22. 1870, is the wife of John Goforth, living in Clark county ; Maggie 
B., born December 22, 1871. married Jesse L. Roberts, of Henry county, 
Kentucky; Carrie G., born September 12. 1873, lives in Kentucky and is 
unmarried; Relda A., born September 17, 1875, is the wife of Frank Stroker, 
of Henry county, Kentucky; William A., born October 28, 1877, married 
Claudie Dellinger (Mrs. William A. Baird was the daughter of William 
S. Dellinger) ; Cora E. was born October 29, 1879, and married Joseph Green, 
of Henry county, Kentucky; Daisy H. was born September 9. 1882, and mar- 
ried ^\'illiam Dowden, of Henry county, Kentucky, and John G., born Decem- 
ber II, 1888, is unmarried and lives with his mother. All the girls, with the ex- 
ception of Carrie G. and Mary S. were teachers. Both the boys and the girls 
were high school graduates; John G. was a graduate of the common school. 
Mrs. Baird and her son attend the local Methodist Episcopal church. 

The Baird farm consists of one hundred and twenty acres of land in sec- 
tions No. 27 and 28, Owen township. Mrs. Baird is a woman of a charitable 
disposition and as a neighbor she is considerate for others and hospitable. 
James A. Baird died December 11. 1904. 



ED\\^\RD S. PERNETT. 



Edward S. Pernett, postmaster and well known business man of Bethle- 
hem, Bethlehem township, has made a name and a reputation both as a citizen 
and as a progressive business man. Born in the year i860 he is but forty-eight 
years of age and has been connected with the business life of Bethlehem since 
his twenty-third year. His career during the past twenty-five years might well 
be called a series of victories over the usual obstacles which face the business 
man relying on his own resources and with very little capital. Edward S. 
Pernett started with a capital of something like eighty dollars; he is today 
worth thousands. His success in life has been due to nothing beyond the 
efforts which he put forth and the success-making characteristics which have 
marked him. 

The subject of this notice was born on the 23d of January, i860, in Bethle- 
hem, and was the son of Samuel and Naomi (Bowman) Pernett. Samuel 
Pernett was born in Mount Sterling, Switzerland county, Indiana, and was 
brought at the age of four years to Bethlehem. He attended the common 
schools of the township and afterwards graduated at Hanover College. At 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 8/9 

the age of twenty-four he entered the merchandise business and remained in 
that business in Bethlehem until his death, which occurred on the 19th of Oc- 
tober. 1873. He was a successful man and became wealthy. His father, 
David Pernett, was a merchant and a hotel keeper. The business interests 
which he controlled were burned down in a disasterous conflagration which 
occurred in 1854. 

Samuel Pernett married Naomi Bowman in his twenty-second year and 
became the father of Edward S., David E., Charles E., John S., Emma, and 
Eva Pernett. 

Edward S. Pernett received a business training in his father's store and ob- 
tained a common school education. In the year 1883 he started in business 
in Bethlehem for himself in the general mercantile line on a shanty boat on 
the Ohio river with a stock worth eighty dollars. He prospered and added 
to his stock and later went into a building of his own with stock worth six 
thousand dollars. He was most successful in his new place of business and 
remained there until the 6th of November, 1908, when the place was destroyed 
by fire. 

In the year 1884 the subject of our sketch married Estella A. Stewart 
who was born in Bethlehem township. Mrs. Pernett in her young days had 
a common school education and got a good home rearing. She bore her 
husband two children. Nellie was born in 1886, and is the wife of Halstead 
Murret, of Indianapolis. Inez, born in the year 1894, is a graduate of the 
common school and is unmarried. Edward S. Pernett, his wife, and his 
family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are active in church 
work. He is trustee of the local Methodist Episcopal church. He is active 
also in fraternal affairs and is a member of the New Washington Lodge, No. 
167, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a mem- 
ber of the Red Men's lodge at Bethlehem. He built the local Pvthian hall 
in the year 1902, being a charter member of same. In political affairs he is 
a Republican and has been active in local affairs. He served three terms as 
Trustee of his township. He is the present postmaster of Bethlehem, an office 
which he has filled for the past sixteen years. 

Edward S. Pernett is part owner of the steamer "Alma" plying up and 
down the river, and at the organization of the State Bank at New \Vashing- 
ton he became a large stock holder. He owns real estate at Elwood, Indiana, 
and he has also invested money in other interests of a minor character. As 
an important and trustworthy citizen he has been called upon at various 
times to act as administrator of several substantial estates and he has always 
acted in this capacity in creditable and satisfactory manner. He is an ad- 
■ ministrator of the J. ]M. Stewart estate?, Mr. Stewart being our subject's father- 
in-law. 



8S0 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

ALLEX A. GILTXER. 

Allen A. Giltner, of Betlileliem townsliip, Clark county, needs no intro- 
duction to the people of the township in which he was born and reared and 
among whom he has livetl. and very little to the people of Clark county in 
general. He is now in the seventy-fifth year of his existence and his record as 
a farmer is one to be proud of. He came of a sturdy race of farmers, agri- 
culturists in Kentucky and Tennessee, and he brought from them all their 
tenacity of purpose and all their shrewdness and natural ability in grappling 
with land problems. Allen Giltner, living in semi-retirement under the roof 
that sheltered his father and mother before him, has the satisfaction of feeling 
that his present state of security has been obtained at the price of his own 
self-sacrificing efforts and in spite of obstacles that would dishearten one less 
courageous. 

The subject of our sketch was born on the farm on which he now li\es in 
Bethlehem township, section Xo. i, north range lo east, on the 6th of Febru- 
ary, 1833, .and was the son of Daniel and Elnora (Cummings) Giltner. 
Daniel Giltner was a native-born Iventuckian, the Giltner family coming from 
Pennsylvania to Kentucky, wdiere Daniel Giltner w^as born in the January of 
1802. ]\Irs. Giltner's family, the Cummings, came from Tennessee, and her 
mother and father married in Clark county and lived on the land wdiich now 
belongs to our subject. Mrs. Daniel Giltner was born in 1820. She and her 
husband reared six children, four of whom are now' living, in 1909. They 
are: Allen A., Xathan, Sarilda (deceased), Thomas, Huldahand Stephen. 
Allen A. Giltner was reared upon the farm on which he now resides and on 
arrival at the proper age he helped to clear and improve the family farm. His 
education was rather limited as there were no free schools, but he, however, 
managed to obtain a fair school education and studied algebra. He re- 
mained upon the farm until his twenty-first year with his parents, and at that 
time began to farm his share of the land. He married Margaret J. Alat- 
thews in May, 1857. Mrs. Giltner was born about September 28, 1836, and 
was a native of the township. She bore her husband one child that died in 
infancy. ]Mrs. Giltner died on the 2d of August, 1884. As their only child 
died in infancy they adopted ^lyra M. Conn, who is now the housekeeper and 
careful attendant of the subject of our sketch. Allen A. Giltner rented land 
for some time after his marriage and later Iwught the old homestead of one 
hundred and sixty acres which is worth sixty dollars an acre. He has been 
very prosperous ; in recent years he has rented his land. He is a Republican 
and has been somewhat active in politics. He served as Assessor of the town- 
ship for sixteen years. He is a man of well ordered life and religious con- 
victions, and, though he is not connected with any church, he favors the Pres- 
byterian belief. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. bol 

ALBERT R. MILES. 

Albert R. Miles is a prosperous farmer and an influential citizen of Beth- 
lehem township, Clark county, where he is known as a raiser of stock and a 
farmer wh(_i has made the most of the possibilities of his large farm. He comes 
of German stock, his father having come from the Fatherland in his young 
days to the L'nited States like hundreds of other German youths eager to be- 
come rich and opulent in this western land. On his mother's side our sub- 
ject is of French extraction, and, as he combines within him German and 
French ancestry, he inherits many of the welcome traits of both races. Albert 
R. Miles has reared a sturdy and intellectual family and in the person of 
his wife he has a life companion of even temperament and affability. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Jefiferson county, Indiana, on the 
22d of November, 1855, and was the son of John R. and Rebecca F. (Cough- 
lin) ililes. John R. Miles was born in Germany in 1822, and left his native 
land ostensibly to avoid sen' ice in the German army and came to America. He 
came up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and landed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and 
later came to Jefiferson county. Indiana, where he lived until his death. He 
was a blacksmith by trade and later in life became a prosperous farmer. Re- 
becca F. Coughlin was born in Louisville, Jefferson county, Georgia, on the 
13th of November, 1833. Airs. John R. Miles bore her husband ten children, 
seven of whom are now living in 1909. Mary is the wife of C. H. Jones, of 
Kentucky : Henry is deceased, having been killed by a train in California ; 
Albert R. is the subject of our sketch ; Louisa is the wife of Andrew MaNaugh, 
of Jefferson county, Indiana ; Fred ^^^ Allies is in Kansas and is unmarried ; 
Lana is the wife of N. D. Rankins, of Jefferson county, Indiana : Herman 
and Iva are deceased; L. B. Allies lives in Kansas, and C. H. Aliles lives 
in Clark county, Indiana. 

Albert R. Allies was reared on the farm in Jetterson county and helped his 
parents in the farm duties. At the proper age he entered the district school 
and got a good common school education. At the age of twenty-two years 
he started out for himself. He worked for some time by the month in a peach 
orchard and made seventy-five cents and a dollar a day. At the time of his 
marriage he had saved three hundred dollars. This event occurred in 1881, 
when he espoused Ellen Giltner, a daughter of Enoch and Alalinda ( Hutsel) 
Giltner. Airs. Miles was educated in the county schools and obtained a sound 
common school training. She and her husband have had three children born 
to them. They are: E. J. Allies, born January 9, 1886, who graduated from 
the common schools. No. 3, of Bethlehem township and from the Borden 
College, after which he entered the State L'niversity at Bloomington, graduat- 
ing at that institution with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then studied at 
Swathmore College, Pennsylvania, where he obtained the degree of Master of 
56 



882 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Arts. He is now entered at tlie Chicago University, and this is his first year 
at that institution. Irvin R. Miles, the third child, was born on March 31, 
1897; Earl S., second child, born July 29, 1888, is a graduate of the common 
schools. 

The subject of our sketch owns five hundred and fourteen acres of choice 
land in Bethlehem township situated on the banks of the picturesque Ohio 
river about twenty miles below Madison. He and his wife and family are 
members of the Christian church at Painville, Jefiferson county, Indiana. 
Albert R. is a member of the Pythian Lodge No. 13, at JefTersonville, Indiana. 
In politics he is a Democrat, ^^'hen the State Bank at New Washington was 
organized in 1908, our subject, who subscribed for a substantial amount of 
stock in the undertaking, was chosen to be a member of its first directorate, 
and is still director in the bank. 



STEPHEN H. GILTNER. 

Stephen H. Giltner, of Bethlehem township. Clark county, is a substantial 
farmer, and a member of the Giltner family, whose name has been entwined 
with the history of Bethlehem township and the county for many years. He 
owns one of the best stocked and most highly cultivated fanns in the town- 
ship, brought to its present high state of efficiency through his painstaking 
efforts. His farm embraces one hundred and ninety-eight acres in all. In 
everyday life Stephen H. Giltner is a simple and unassuming member of the 
community, who is content to labor as best he may for the interests of himself 
and his family. 

He was born in the township in which he still lives, on the 19th of Decem- 
ber, 1853, and was the son of Enoch and ]\Ialinda (Hutsel) Giltner. Enoch Gdt- 
ner was born in Kentucky in 1822, and came in 1826 with his parents to Bethle- 
hem township, where they settled in the vicinity of Otto, and where he was 
reared. Abraham Giltner, our subject's grandfather, bought the farm that is 
now owned by the Henry Giltner heirs. He married in Kentucky, in which state 
he afterwards died. His son, Enoch was raised in Bethlehem township, and 
received a common school education. In after years he married Malinda Hut- 
sel and their entire life was spent in Bethlehem township. Enoch Giltner 
was a devout and active member of the Christian church, and was an elder in 
the local congregation of that faith for many years. He was a Republican in 
politics and an industrious and wealthy farmer who. at one time owned two 
hundred and forty acres. He reared a family of eleven children: the li\-ing 
members, all of whom but two reside in Clark county, are: Jacob, Stephen H., 
subject of this review ; Ellen, John, Alvin and Stella. Enoch Giltner died 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 883 

in Bethlehem townsliip in 1899, in February of tliat year, and his wife in July, 
1905. 

Stephen H. Giltner was reared in the neighborhood in which he lives, and 
attended the district scliool in early life during the winter months and ob- 
tained a fair common school education, considering the school facilities of that 
the time. He remained at home until his twenty-second year, at which time 
he went to Illinois and worked for two years as a farm hand, after which he 
returned to his native township. On the ist of Alarch. 1882, he married 
Anna E. Taff, a native of Clark county. She was born on the 13th of Jan- 
uar}-, 1859, and was the daughter of J. S. Taff. who was by profession a 
school teacher. Mrs. Giltner attended the district school and passed through 
the Normal Training School at New Washington, and became a teacher. 
Their marriage brought Stephen and Mrs. Giltner two children, one of whom 
died in infancy, and the other, Frank L., born February 25. 1888. a graduate 
of the New Albany high school, is a teacher in the township. 

The Giltners are memliers of the Christian church of Bethel, Stephen H. 
being an elder in the same, as well as a liberal supporter. In politics Mr. Gilt- 
ner is a Republican, but he has always kept himself from active participation 
in political matters, contenting himself with giving his vote and his sympathies 
to the party of his choice. 

The Giltner family live in the comfortable farm house on their farm, 
where friends and acquaintances are ever assured of a warm welcome and 
genuine hospitality. 



FRANK X. KERN. 



Frank X. Kern, now of Indianapolis, Indiana, and a former merchant 
of Jeffersonville, this state, also of the former city, was born at W'urtemburg, 
Germany, December 3, 1850, a descendant of a prominent and honored old 
family of that province, where he remained under the parental roof in his 
youth, and where he received a good elementary education in his native lan- 
guage, remaining there until 1864, when he formed a small colony and sailed 
for the United States, leaving the old homestead and parents and friends be- 
hind to seek a home and live from under monarchial rule. He arrived at 
Louisville, Kentucky, the same year, where he commenced the struggle of life 
on his own account. He soon adopted the American ideas and grew to man- 
hood, enjoying the free privilege of an American boy, taking an interest in 
all that pertained to state and national affairs, and he has ever since been 
proud of his American home, his adopted countn,-, to which he has ever been 
loyal, and he has never since visited his Fatherland. His parents have since 
passed to their reward. His father, a well-to-do man, engaged in the manu- 



884 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

facturing of chinaware, having been in business for many years, and he was 
well known and highly respected by all. The original Kern family were 
Catholics in their religious belief, but the younger generations left that faith 
and became Presbyterians, Methodists and other denominational adherents. 

When Frank X. Kern arrived in Louisville, he was fourteen years old, 
and he first w'orked in a confectionary, where he had a splendid opportunity 
for picking up American ideas. Later he began the barber business, learning 
the trade thoroughly, becoming a proficient artist in this line, and he remained 
in Louisville until 1869, when he went to Jeifersonville and continued his 
business, soon building up a large practice. During that time he was patron- 
ized by many distinguished men, one particular customer being Hon. John 
Reed. Sr., who was a prominent lawyer for thirty years, and one of the lead- 
ing men of the state. Air. Kern continued his business at Jeffersonville in a 
most successful manner until 1882, when he engaged in the retail grocery 
business, building up a liberal patronage, continued until 1896, when he took 
a partner and embarked in the wholesale grocery business, which was con- 
tinued successfully for a period of two years, when he sold out and in the 
same year came to Indianapolis and again engaged in the retail groceiw busi- 
ness in which he continued a few years. 

When Mr. Kern came to Jeffersonville in 1869, he found a thrifty little 
town, which had just begun to develop, and being able to see the great future 
possibilities of the place, he joined the ranks of progressive citizens and 
helped push all enterprises. In politics he chose the principles of Democracy, 
of which he has ever since been a strong supporter, and while in Jeffersonville 
he was a conspicuous figure in all local organizations. He was elected and 
very ably served two terms as City Councilman, and later he was a candidate 
before the nominating convention for City Treasurer. He was regarded by 
the'leaders of the party as a strong supporter and good campaigner. Through 
his political activity and business enterprises he became well known through- 
out Clark county, where his integrity and honor are above reproach. 

Mr. Kern was married at Jeffersonville in 1873 ^o Louisa Pfau. She 
was born in the same province in Germany that Mr. Kern came from. She 
came to America with her brothers and sisters. Her parents died in the 
Fatherland. Her father was connected with lumbering and logging. He 
was well known in his community and highly respected there. Mrs. Kern's 
brothers and sisters are: George, William, Caroline, who married in this 
country, her husband being Herman Gallrein. These three children all re- 
side in Jeffersonville. Louisa, the fourth child, is the wife of our subject; 
Christian lives in Chicago, where Lewis also resides ; Jacob is a resident of 
Louisville, Kentucky. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Frank X. Kern five interesting children have been born, 
namely: John A. is in the money-lending business in Louisville; Otto P. is a 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 885 

bookkeeper in the Union National Bank, in Indianapolis : Louisa, now Mrs. 
Rlalcomb C. Porter. Mr. Porter is in the real estate business in Indianapolis ; 
Clara niiarried Lester Van Cleve, of the Indianapolis Star; Lillian is still a 
member of the family circle. 

Mr. Kern has given all his children a liberal education and they are all 
fairly well situated in reference to this world's affairs. 



\\^ILLIA]\I H. BARRATT. 

\\"illiam H. Barratt, of L'harlestown township. Clark county, is a native- 
born resident of the township in which he lives. He has been known all 
through his long life as an honest and industrious fanner. He passed through 
the Civil war and who, though wounded in the conflict, still lives in the ripe- 
ness of his years. 

He was born in Charlestown township on the 27th of February, 1840, 
the son of George and Anna (Hultz) Barratt. George Barratt came from 
England with his wife, who was also a native of that countr\'. He and his 
wife landed in New York and he began his career in the United States as a 
farmer. He finally came from New York to Indiana, and on a farm in 
Charlestown township he lived the remainder of his life. George Barratt and 
his wife were the parents of eleven children, six of whom are li\-ing at the 
present time. 

William H. Barratt was reared upon the farm in Charlestown township, 
where in summer time he helped his parents, and attended school in winter. 
He remained under the parental roof until 1862, at which time he enlisted in 
Company I, Eighty-first Indiana Volunteers, remaining with his regiment until 
1865 or the close of the war. His company was on the field at the battle of 
Perryville, Kentucky, but did not figure in the engagement. At Stone River, 
however, members of this company were active participants and again at At- 
lanta, Georgia. His regiment then returned to Nashville, Tennessee, where 
the}' engaged and dispersed the enemy. In one engagement Mr. Barratt was 
wounded on the second day of the fight, and had to be taken from the field, 
and was accordingly unable to join his regiment until their return to Nashville, 
Tennessee. He was discharged in June, 1865, and received a pension. Upon 
his discharge he returned home to Clark county and remained with his parents 
for two years. In 1868 he married Sarah Ann \\''eir, who was born in ^^^ash- 
ington county, Indiana, on the 6th of December, 1847. She was the daughter 
of David Weir, who was a farmer. To William H. Barratt and his wife were 
born the following children: John S., born December 14. 1869: Charles O., 
born April 15. 1871 ; Rosa, on April 18, 1874: William, on January 3, 1878; 



886 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Cora, on October i6. 1883, and Dora, November 13, 1887. Dora graduated 
from the common schools of Clark county in the year 1904. 

Mr. Barratt, his wife and the members of his family are all members of 
the IMethodist Episcopal church at Otisco. Politically William H. Barratt is 
a Republican and although a sincere admirer of his party, he has never been 
very active in local political affairs. He is a popular member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, Post No. 402, at Henryville, Indiana. His farm C(3n- 
sists of ninety-two acres and is in grant No. 93, Charlestown township. He 
has lived on this farm since his marriage, and it owes its present prosperous 
condition to his efforts. 



SAMUEL D. SULLIVAN. 

Samuel D. Sullivan, of Charlestown township, Clark county, is the 
owner of one hundred and nine acres of land, and a fanner whose reputation 
is of the highest. During the period of his life in Charlestown township he 
has achieved a high standing as a citizen. He was born in Scott county, In- 
diana, on the 4th of Februar}', 1861, being the son of William C. and Mary 
(Bridgewater) Sullivan. Grandfather Dennis Sullivan was a native of Mary- 
land, who emigrated to Trimble county, Kentucky. He sojourned for a few 
years in Indiana and later returned to Kentucky, where he died at the advanced 
age of eighty years. His son, our subject's father, William C. Sullivan, was 
bom in Kentucky, and on coming to Indiana, was bound to Elisha English, 
of Scott county, with whom he remained until his eighteenth year. From that 
time until his marriage he hired out by the month with neighboring farmers in 
Scott county. After his marriage he went to Missouri, traveling overland in 
a wagon, and sometime afterwards returned to Indiana. In 1871 he came to 
Clark county, where he settled and remained until his death. He and his wife 
reared a larg^e family of fourteen children, of whom eight boys and one girl 
grew to maturity. 

Samuel D. Sullivan was reared on the parental farm and attended the 
district school, receiving a common school education. At the age of twenty- 
one years he started out for himself as a carpenter and a farm worker. His 
marriage to Eveline Campbell, daughter of Richard and Priscilla (Barratt) 
Campbell, took place on December 21, 1892. Mrs. Sullivan was born in 
Charlestown township on grants Nos. 192 and 193, where she now lives, on 
October 26, 1869. She was educated in the district school and obtained a 
fair education. Samuel D. Sullivan and his wife have had two children, Elsie, 
born November 24, 1893, and Ruble, born May 23. 1899. All the family are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Otisco, of which our subject is 
one of the trustees. 



BAIRD^S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 887 

In politics Mr. Sullivan is an unswerving Republican, although he has 
never taken a hand in local politics preferring to lead a private life. His farm 
embraces the old homestead of Mrs. Sullivan's parents, and their land, which 
amounted to sixty-two acres. The farm land is as good as any in the town- 
ship, and is valued at ab(^ut forty dollars an acre. Under the supervision and 
painstaking efforts the land has been brought to the highest point of perfection. 



CHARLES P. AIELOY. M. D. 

Dr. Charles P. Aleloy, physician and surgeon, of Otisco, Clark county, 
Indiana, is but forty-eight years of age and a comparatively young man in the 
medical profession yet he has succeeded in building for himself a large and 
lucrative practice at Otisco. He is a man who is well equipped for his life work, 
having had the advantage of an education and training in medicine of the 
highest order. He is a college and university graduate and to his profession, 
apart from his training, he has brought inherent natural ability of a more than 
average depth. In public life he has not been inactive and he is a figure of some 
prominence in all township and county gatherings of a civic nature. He was 
bom on the 27th of September, i860, in Charlestown township. Clark county, 
the son of John O. and Cynthia (Campbell) ]\Ieloy. The Campbells, his 
mother's family, were prosperous pioneers in Clark county. 

Dr. Charles P. ]\Ieloy was the third member of a family of nine children, 
three boys and six girls. At the age of six years he became a resident of 
Charlestown, and here he entered upon his school studies. His teachers were 
Kate ]\Iitchell and Marion Leiter. Having completed iiis school course at 
Charlestown, he entered Hanover College in 1876, where he spent two years, 
leaving there in 1878. In 1879 he took a sophomore course at Depauw Uni- 
versity, and entered the oiifice of Dr. James E. Oldham in 1879. and there 
commenced the study of medicine. After one year with his preceptor he en- 
tered the Ohio Aledical College at Cincinnati for one term, 1880 to 1881. He 
then went into the grocery business to obtain money to pursue his medical 
studies and he later went west and finally completed his medical course at the 
Louisville Aledical College. In 1896-97 he began the practice of medicine and 
moved to Otisco, where he has practiced ever since. 

Doctor Melo}^ is well versed in fraternal work and believes in fraternal 
organization as a potent agency for good in the community. He is a member 
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythian lodges 
at Charlestown. He is a past grandmaster in the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He also belongs to the Modem Woodmen, and was the first head 
consul at its inception in 1903, and carries insurance in the organization. 



888 baird's history of clark co., ind. 

Being a Republican he has sen-ed as chairman and secretary of the Re- 
pubHcan Central Committee, and has been a candidate for Sheriff and Joint- 
Senatorship. As a Republican he is a man to be reckoned with in the political 
life of the party in Clark county. 

Doctor Meloy married Anna Seward and three children have been born 
to them. Cora M.. born November 24. 1897: Martin R., born September 
27, 1900, and Fay, who was born June 17, 1906. 

Doctor Meloy is a lover of outdoor sports and pastimes, and a good horse- 
man : he is the possessor of two good horses. 



SARGENT W. EVANS. 



Sargent ^^^ Evans is an old and respected native-born citizen of Otisco, 
Clark county. He comes of a Welsh family that settled in North Carolina in 
1806 in the personage of his grandfather and grandmother Evans. He owes 
his present wealth and social position solely to his own individual efforts. 

The citizen of Otisco, of whom we speak, was born in the town of which 
he is a resident on the i ith of October, 1843, and was the son of Absalom and 
Mary (Gunter) E\-ans. Samuel Evans, grandfather of our subject, married and 
brought his young wife from Wales, Britain, to North Carolina in 1806. They 
were not well supplied with worldly goods, and Samuel lived the remainder 
of his life in North Carolina. After his death his wife and family came to 
Clark county, Indiana, and settled in Charlestown in 183 1. ^Irs. Samuel Evans 
afterwards died in the neighborhood of what is now Otisco. To Grandfather 
Evans and his wife were born the following family : Sargent, Solomon, Ab- 
salom. Robert, Rachael, Elizabeth and Mary. 

Absalom Evans was single when he came to Clark county. Here he mar- 
ried Mar}' Gunter, who was born in Kanawha county. West Virginia, and who 
came with her father, William Gunter, when a child and settled in Charlestown 
township. Absalom Evans was a farmer and reared eleven children. They 
were: John, Sarah E., Eliza E.. Sargent \\'., Mary E., ]Martha A., James C, 
Zerilda C, Perlina, Hannah H. and Alice E. There are but four living in 
1909, all of whom live in Otisco. 

Sargent '\\'. Evans was reared on his father's farm on which when old 
enough he helped, occasionally going to school. His father died when he was 
but fourteen years old, and though he was not yet eighteen at the outbreak of 
the Civil war, he enlisted in Company B, Eighty-first Indiana Regiment, under 
Captain A. J. Howard, of Jeffersonville, Indiana. He received his baptism of 
fire at the engagement at Perrv'ville, Kentucky, on the 8th of October, 1862, 
and remained in the vicinity of the Cumberland district until May, 1863. when 
he was discharged, owing to disabilit)-. He returned home, where he remained 



EAIRD's history of CLARK CO.^ IXD. 889 

until Februan-. 1865, wlien lie re-enlisted, this time in the One Hundred and 
Forty-eighth Indiana Regiment, in which he sen-ed until the close of the war. 
He then returned to his native Clark county, where he still lives. On the 21st 
of Februan-. 1867. his marriage to Sarah E. Covert took place. His wife was 
born in Oregon township. June 22. 1845. and was the daughter of Henry and 
Man- Covert. Mrs. Evans went to the district school in her township and 
obtained a fair education. At the time of their marriage Sargent ^^'. Evans 
and his wife were not in good financial circumstances. He built a house pre- 
vious to his marriage on his father's farm, near Otisco. and there he and his 
wife lived until 1872. when he removed to Otisco. In Otisco he and his 
brother. James C, built the store building in 1872. where he now does business. 
and, having borrowed one thousand five hundred dollars to start them, they 
ran the store jointly until 1876. when our subject bought out his brother's in- 
terest. On November 26. 1908, Sargent W. Evans celebrated the thirty-sixth 
year of his business life in his store. To Mr. and Mrs. Evans the following 
children were born: Lillie D.. born on ]\Iay 16, 1870; Henry C, bom Decem- 
ber 19, 1871 ; \\'. W. Evans, born October 25. 1873: C. M. Evans, born Au- 
gust 19. 1875: Richard, on December 6. 1879; Harriett B., on April 6, 1881. 
and Julia on March i. 1883. Richard is the only deceased member of the 
family, his death occurring on the 3d of August. 1884. 

Sargent \\'. Evans since he became active in the life of Otisco has been 
a money maker and something of a benefactor to the town. He built a cooper 
shop, which in 1876 was destroyed by fire. In 1896 he built a fine flouring 
mill which ran successfully for nine years, at which time it was also destroyed 
by fire. In 1902 he erected a canning factory, in which tomatoes, principally, 
are canned, and which accordingly gives the neighboring farmers a local mar- 
ket for products of this kind. Our subject in addition to his own business con- 
cern superintends this industiy himself. He is a Knight of the Golden Cross 
in fraternal life, and carries insurance in the order of which he is a prominent 
local member. In politics he is a Democrat, though he has never held any 
political office. He was a candidate for the office of Sherifif of Clark county 
on his party's ticket, but was defeated for the nomination. At the November 
election of 1908 he supported \\'illiam Jennings Bryan for the third time for 
the Presidenc)'. 



CHARLES M. BOTTORFF, M. D. 

The name of Dr. Charles 'W. Bottorft", of Charlestown. Clark ccamty. is al- 
most synonymous with a high degree of medical skill and with accuracy in the 
compounding of drugs and in the making-up of prescriptions. Doctor Bottorfif 
has been a medical practitioner in Charlestown for very many years and the 



890 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

years in their onward course have seen him achieve a standard of success com- 
mensurate with liis ability. His drug-store, to which he has given much of 
his time and attention, is always replete with an up-to-date stocl< of merchan- 
dise. 

Dr. Charles M. Bottorff was born in Washington township, Clark county, 
Indiana, on the ist of October, i860, and was the son of Cyrus and Eliza Jo- 
sephine ( McGee) Bottorff. Cyrus Bottorff was also a native of Clark county, 
but his father, John Bottorff', was a native of Pennsylvania, who migrated to 
Kentucky, and thence to Clark county, Indiana, at a very early date. John 
Bottorff reared a large family and was twice married. His son, Cyrus, was 
born in Clark county. He had three children: \\'illiam P., a farmer of Wash- 
ington township; Charles M., and Nora, who is single, and who lives at the 
edge of Charlestown. 

Doctor Bottorff was reared upon the parental farm and received his edu- 
cation principally in winter time. In the summer months farm work demanded 
his attention. In this manner he attended the district school in Washington 
township until his nineteenth year. In 1880 he entered Hanover College, and 
emerged a graduate in 1886, with the Bachelor of Arts degree. In the spring 
of 1887, he entered the Kentucky School of Medicine from where he grad- 
uated in June, 1888, with the degree of Medical Doctor. In the fall of 1888 
he began the practice of medicine in two different places, and in 1890 bought 
a stock of drugs in Charlestown, and in connection with this store he practiced 
ever since, gradually devoting the greater part of his time to his drug business. 

On the 6th of June, 1890, he married Katie Piatt, a native of Boone 
county, Kentucky. Miss Piatt had formerly been a classmate and a co-gradu- 
ate of Doctor Bottorff, at the Hanover College. Eight children have been 
born to them, five of whom are now living. 

Doctor Bottorff and his wife and family are members of the Presbyterian 
church, and are actively interested in church work. He is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias. He was also a member of the United Order of the Golden 
Cross, an organization which has an insurance feature, and in which he carries 
a substantial policv on his life. In civic and social affairs he is well to the 
fore in Charlestown and vicinitv. 



D. H. coo:mbs, :\i. d. 



Dr. D. H. Coombs is a well known figure in the daily life of Charlestown, 
Clark county, Indiana, and, we might add that the name of Coombs has been 
inseparably associated with the medical profession in Charlestown for nearly 
sixty years. His father, whose death took place in 1896, was for many years 
Charlestown's premier physician, and an esteemed, respected and genial citizen. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 89I 

Dr. D. H. Coombs has inherited all the professional ability of his father and 
has also had the advantage of the rapid strides and advancement made in the 
therapeutic and surgical sciences in recent years. Doctor Coombs is a man 
well fitted in temperament and training for his life work, and he has already 
a reputation which extends beyond the borders of Clark county. 

He was bom in Charlestown, Indiana, on October 17, 1870, the son of 
Dr. D. H. and Sarah (Goodwin) Coombs. His father, Dr. D. H. Coombs, 
senior, was bom in the township in 1824 and died in the year 1896. The late 
Doctor Coombs was a graduate of Jeffersonville Medical College. He was a 
first-class doctor and was a practitioner in Charlestown for years. He 
was well-to-do and prominent in local affairs.. He w-as a Republican 
in politics and an influential member of the Masonic fraternity. Our sub- 
ject's mother's family were also old and esteemed residents of Clark 
county and prosperous citizens. Dr. D. H. Coombs was twice married. Seven 
children born of his first marriage survived infancy ; three of whom still live, 
namelv : Amos, who lives in Vincennes, is a traveling salesman : Jesse is the 
wife of Walter Bowen, of Charlestown, and D. H. is the third. 

Dr. D. H. Coombs attended the graded schools at Charlestown, and com- 
pleted the course there. He went from there to Hanover College, wdiere he 
took a three years' literary course in 1888. He then entered the Louisville 
Medical College, graduating in 1894. He at once began to practice as an as- 
sistant to his father, and remained in that role until 1896, w'hen his father died. 
Since then he has practiced with growing success on his own account. In 
igo2 his marriage to !Mayme Beeler took place. His wife is the daughter of 
a prominent merchant, George T. Beeler. Mrs. Coombs received her education 
at Oxford, Ohio, and in the schools of Charlestown. To their marriage has 
been born one child, Margaret, born February 26, 1906. Doctor and Mrs. 
Coombs and their little one lead a very happy domestic life, and are influential 
in social circles in Charlestown. 

Doctor Coombs has for years been active in fraternal work. He is a 
member df the ^Masonic fraternity: prominent in the Knights of Pythias, and 
a past chancellor of that influential order : he is also a member of the ^Modern 
Woodmen. In all the orders with which he is associated he has a great many 
staunch friends. In the political world the doctor as a member of the Repub- 
lican party has taken quite an animated interest in the local political arena, 
and were political preferment to hdld a place in his ambitions at any time, there 
is hardly a doubt but that they would be swiftly realized. Doctor Coombs is a 
member of the Christian church congregation. 'He is a very active man and 
popular in his profession, and one whose disposition gains for him the confi- 
dence of all. He is a member of the Clark County and American Medical 
societies, and is a past presdent of the former. He is as yet a young man, 
and judged by present standards, his future success seems to be assured. 



892 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

jA^iES HO^^^\RD. 

James Howard, of Charlestown, Clark county, Indiana, was a well known 
citizen of the community in which he lived a long and upright life, which has 
now closed. Few men in Charlestown were more widely known or had a wider 
circle of friends and acquaintances. His career was one in which the charac- 
teristics of industry and honesty were admirably blended, and in such a way 
as to command the respect of all classes. He died in Charlestown ]\Iay 7, 
1909, in his eighty-fourth year of his life, of which all but the first ten years 
were spent in Charlestown. 

He was born in Jefifer^on county, Kentucky, on the 22d of March. 1826. 
and was the son of George and Catherine (Hoke) Howard. George Howard 
was of English descent, and a native of Maryland. He came to Indiana with 
his family in the year 1836, where he remained ever afterwards. George 
Howard's wife's family, the Hokes, are presumed to be of Pennsylvanian 
origin. 

James Howard was reared on the family farm and was of much assistance 
to his parents, obtaining such education as was to be had at the neighboring 
schools in his day. In the year 1849 h^ married Marietta Fry, and after a happy 
married life his wife died in the year 1888. They had five children, namely: 
Amanda C. George F.. James N., Laura and Eva. Two years afterwards, on 
Januars' 8, 1890, our subject married Mrs. Anna Hikes, widow of George G. 
Hikes, and a member of an old and illustrious New England family. The sec- 
ond Mrs. Howard's maiden name was Putnam. She was the daughter of El- 
bridge G. and Eunice (Wolton) Putnam. The Putnam family came to Salem, 
Massachusetts, from across the broad Atlantic about the year 1634. The 
American descendant of the family was named John Putnam. The Putnam 
ancestry came down to Mrs. Howard through successive sons : Thomas Put- 
nam, who was a son of John ; Edward, a son of Thomas ; Isaac, a son of Ed- 
ward ; Nathan, a son of Isaac. Zadock Putnam was the great-grandfather of 
Mrs. Howard and was one of those who figured prominently in the Revolu- 
tionary war. and fought at the battle of Lexington. Elbridge, Mrs. Howard's 
father, was the son of John Putnam, and a grandson of Zadock. Mrs. How- 
ard came with her father to Louisville, Kentucky, in the year 1838, and lived 
there with him until his removal to Kankakee county. Illinois, where he farmed 
until his death. Mrs. Howard attended the schools in Louisville, where she 
obtained a good education and was afterwards a teacher for a short time. In 
1856 she married George G. Hikes. She had two children : Edwin, born De- 
cember 9. 1858, and Walter S., bom November 25. 1861. Edwin died on 
June 3. i860. George G. Hikes died October 27. 1877. January 8, 1890. 
Mrs. Howard entered upon her present married life. Mrs. Howard is now 
in her seventy-si.xth year, having been born on the 4th of November, 1832. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 893 

In politics James Howard was a Democrat and a man who took a great 
interest in the political progress of his party. In religious life he was a mem- 
ber of the Christian church and active in church affairs. His widow belongs 
to the Presbyterian faith. 



\\'. F. \^'ORK. AI. D. 

The subject of this sketch is among the leading representatives of the 
medical profession in Clark county. Indiana, for earnest, persistent labor and 
close application have been so co-ordinated with distinctive technical ability as 
to gain him marked prestige in his chosen profession, his residence being in 
the attractive and quiet little city of Charlestown. where his circle of friends 
is coincident with that of his acquaintance, having for many years successfully 
practiced medicine throughout the county in such a manner as to gain the un- 
qualified confidence and respect of everyone who knows him. 

Dr. W. F. \\'ork is a native of Clark county. Indiana, having been born 
here August 27, 1850, the son of ^^'i]liam and Mary (Fonts) Work, and he 
has spent his entire life in this county, where he has prospered. The Work 
family came to America from Ireland as early as 1720, settling in Philadelphia 
and Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The great-grandfather of the subject, 
Henry Work, came to Jefferson county. Kentucky, in 1800, and lived there 
until 1802, in which year his death occurred. The subject's great-grand- 
mother came to Clark county in 1802 and settled at Work's Landing, on the 
Ohio river, wdiich derived its name from the Work family. She was the 
mother of three children, Samuel, Henry and Sarah. The daughter was the 
wife of a Mr. Parr. Samuel was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 
He married Elizabeth Henley and they reared ten children. \\'illiam H. \\'ork. 
father of the subject: Andrew J.. Jesse H., Alexander C. and Samuel M. 
were their sons, and their daughters' names-follow: Clarissa, Malinda, Eliza- 
beth, Louisa and Sarah. All are now deceased but Sarah, who married a Mr. 
Eversole, and who now lives in Illinois. \A'illiam H. married Mary Fonts. 
They were the parents of Henry F., Mary Elizabeth, and W. F. Henry 
F. is a farmer in Washington township, Clark county ; ]\Iary E. is the wife of 
William H. Mcllvaine, of Henry county, Kentucky. William F. Work was 
reared on the farm, and at an early age he attended the district schools and in 
the summer months worked on the farm until he was about seventeen years old, 
when he entered Hanover College, taking a three years' literary course. Be- 
lieving that a medical profession was best suited to his tastes he began the 
study of medicine, making rapid progress from the first with Dr. S. M. Work, 
of Charlestown, Indiana. He entered the medical college at Cincinnati, Ohio, 



§94 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

from which he graduated in 1875. having made a splendid record there for 
scholarship. 

After leaving school our subject began practice in Charlestown, then he 
graduated from a medical college in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1885. He began 
practice in 1875, his success having been achieved from the very first and his 
business steadily grew until he had a very liberal patronage, taking high rank 
as a physician and surgeon. Doctor Work has not been in active practice 
since 1902. 

Doctor Work was happily married September 27, 1876, to Ella Dedrick, 
the daughter of Reuben Dedrick, a wholesale grocer of Jeffersonville. She 
was a graduate of St. Mary's College at Madison, Indiana. The date of her 
birth was March 19, 1859, and after a happy wedded life she was called to 
her rest in July, 1904. To Doctor W^ork and wife two children were born: 
Ruby, who is the wife of L. L. Robinson, of Jeft'erson\-ille, and William H.. 
who was born March 19, 1883, and was married to Leona Coombs, daughter 
of the late Dr. David Coombs, also of Charlestown. He is a graduate of the 
linotype school of Chicago, and is employed on The Louisville ( Kentucky) 
Herald. Our subject was married in 1905 to ]\Irs. Graham, widow of Dr. T. 
A. Graham, of Jeffersonville. 

Doctor Work in his fraternal relations is a member of Blazing Star, No. 
226, Horeb Chapter; Commandery, No. 66, at Jeffersonville; Jennings Lodge, 
Knights of Pythias. He is past master of the Free and Accepted Masons. In 
politics he is a Democrat, however, he has never taken a leading part in his 
party's affairs. He is a member of the Clark County Medical Society, the 
State Medical Society, also the Mississippi Medical Society, in all of which 
he holds high rank. He is a ver}' pleasing man to meet, bearing a reputation 
for honesty of purpose and always ready to do what he considers his just 
share in promoting the welfare of his county. 



HON. WILLIS L. BARNES. 

The Hon. Willis L. Barnes, of Charlestown, Clark county, needs very 
little introduction to the people of Southern Indiana. Situated as he is at 
present he is in a position to enjoy a leisurely existence and engage in pur- 
suits of a studious and scientific nature, which have always had an attraction 
for him, but which were necessarily denied him in the ceaseless activity of his 
public life. Success has crowned his business ventures, and his political aspira- 
tions have all been fulfilled. As Joint-Senator of Clark, Scott and Jennings 
counties he was of value to the community at large, and a powerful acquisition 
to the standard of his party. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 895 

He was born in Jefferson county. Indiana, on April 3. 1840, the son of 
McGannon and Rebecca (Fonts) Barnes, and came of sturdy stock. His grand- 
father, John Barnes, was a native of Culpeper county, Virginia, and of EngHsh 
and Irish ancestry. Hon. Thomas J. Hanley, formerly member of Congress 
from the Third district of Indiana, was an uncle of our subject, and a pioneer 
of Clark county. John Barnes was a substantial farmer and a pioneer of Jef- 
ferson county, Indiana. His wife, whom he married in Indiana, was originally 
named Sarah Law. He settled down, farmed extensively, and died in Jefferson 
county. His son, McGannon Barnes, moved to \\^ashington township. Clark 
county, in i860, and became a leading farmer in that section. He died late in 
life. July 5. 1894, aged eighty-five years. His wife died in the year 1887. Their 
family consisted of the following children: John C. Barnes, of Illinois: Jacob 
F. (deceased): Thomas B., of Washington township, Clark county; William 
E., also of Washington township: George D. (deceased); Edward C. (de- 
ceased), and Willis L. 

The Hon. Willis L. Barnes was reared on his father's farm, and upon his 
arrival at the customary age helped and assisted in the farm work. In winter 
time he attended the district schools. He received sufficient education to be- 
come a teacher through attending Hanover College, and was for several terms 
a teacher in Clark county and in Kentucky. He was naturally inclined towards 
mechanical pursuits and therefore switched himself into the saw-mill industry, 
in which business he interested himself for several years, and built his own mill. 
He then began to figure in political life, being a Democrat. In 1884 he was 
nominated for the Legislature and served in the session of 1885, and, upon 
being again nominated and elected by an increased majority, served in the 
session of 1887. In 1885 he was appointed chairman of the Committee on 
Claims, and acted in the same capacity in the session of 1887; he was also 
prominent in other committees. In 1888 and 1889 he was nominated and 
elected deputy warden of the Jeffersonville prison. His political worth was 
not, however, appreciated until he had been nominated and elected a joint Sen- 
ator of Clark, Scott and Jennings counties, when he filled the office with much 
credit and dignity in the sessions of 1891-1893. Since then he has led a com- 
paratively retired life. He is a civil engineer and surveyor and does much 
work of this nature. He is an astronomer of no small ability, and is the pos- 
sessor of a good telescope, with lens of the approved type, and with which 
he makes many astronomical investigations. Mr. Barnes has devoted much 
time of later years to the study of astronomy, and has recently developed an 
improved method of determining the elements of double-star systems, by which 
the intricate process is reduced to a mathematical and geometrical formula, and 
has received the endorsement of the highest authorities engaged in that branch 
of stellar astronomy. 

In 1874 he married Lydia Buxton, of Jefferson county, Indiana. They 



896 BAIRD"s history of CLARK CO., IND. 

have a family of five children. The family residence at Halcyon's Hill is 
capacious and substantial and an ideal home, and there, in fitting surroundings, 
^Ir. Barnes enjoys his retirement. 

The Hon. U'illis L. Barnes has the reputation of a gentleman of the high- 
est type, cultured and courteous. He is a member of the Universalist church. 



EDWARD C. HUGHES. 



Edward C. Hughes, attorney-at-Iaw, of Charlestown, Indiana, is a law- 
yer of prominence in his native township. He comes from that stock from 
which America has ever drawn her foremost lawyers — the tillers of the soil. 
His grandfather came to Clark county in its early days and engaged in ag- 
ricultural pursuits. We find his father following the same vocation, and Ed- 
ward C. began life in the same strenuous fashion. 

Edward C. Hughes was born in Charlestown township, Clark county, on 
the 28th of October. 1864, the son of Hiram K. and Nancy J. (Lewman) 
Hughes. Grandfather Eleven Hughes was of English birth, born in the year 
1795. In after life he emigrated and settled in Kentucky. He fought as a 
soldier in the War of 181 2, and was captured by the enemy on the defeat of 
Dudley. He escaped, however, by running the gauntlet through the Indian 
lines and came back to his home in Bourbon county, Kentucky. He settled in 
Clark county, Indiana, in 1830. and in that county the remainder of his life 
was spent in farming. Grandfather Hughes was known through life to be a 
man of sturdy and upright character. He belonged to the ^Methodist church 
and was a Democrat in politics. 

Hiram K. Hughes was a lad when he came to Clark county, Indiana, with 
his father, from Bourbon count}', Kentucky. He assisted in working the 
parental farm, and in after years married Nancy J. Lewman. His wife was 
born and reared in Utica township, Clark county. Six children were born of 
the marriage, of whom there are three dead and three living. The sui-viving 
members of the family are: W. Clay Hughes, who is a well-to-do farmer; 
Court S. Hughes, who is a contractor in Florida, and Edward C. 

Edward C. Hughes was i-eared upon his father's farm, assisting in the 
farming work as best he could in summer and in winter time attended the dis- 
trict school. • He later took up his studies at the Charlestown high school, and 
afterwards entered Depauw University. He graduated in the law department 
of that institution on June 13, 1894. In September of the same year he 
opened a law office at Charlestown, and later in the same year was appointed 
County Attorney, an office in which he served for four years. At the present 
time he is the chairman of the Clark County Council, and while in this capacity 
has been instrumental in reducing the tax levy of the county. 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 897 

Edward C. Hughes is a close student of fraternal work and is a member 
of many orders, including' the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having" 
passed the chairs in that organization. He is a past master in the local Ma- 
sonic lodge, and takes an interest in local religious affairs, being an active 
member of the Christian church. 

Attorney Hughes married Mauile Robertson, the daughter of John S. 
an.d Matilda ( Beggs) Robertson, who are among the oldest residents of the 
county. The marriage took place on the loth of April, 1901. Mr. Hughes 
is a business man of ability and firmness. In politics he a good type of the 
present-day Democrat, anxious and active for the success and further progress 
of his party. His financial ventures have been lucky and he is beginning to 
e.xperience the prosperity which his energetic years have merited. 



JAMES NOBLE WOOD. 

James Xoble \\'ood was born in South Carolina, December 26, 1768, and 
was married to Marg-aret Smith September 27, 1794, at Clarks\-ille, Indiana. 
He died at Utica, Indiana, March 25. 1826, aged fifty-eight years. 

Alargaret Smith was born in the state of Pennsylvania March 5, 1777, 
and she died at Utica, Indiana, ]\Iarch 5, 1854. 

From Clarksville, Indiana, on Christmas day, 1795, James Noble \\'ood 
and several friends went to what is now Utica, Indiana, eight miles above 
Clarksville, in a pirogue, taking with them the few tools necessan- to fell and 
shape the timber and build a log cabin ; this they did in one day. It was built 
about ninety }-ards above what is now the northernmost street of Utica. The 
cabin was near the river bank, as was the two-story log house built later, and 
nearer the town. His nearest neighbor lived on Harrod creek, Kentucky, tw^o 
and a half miles from the Ohio river. The only building in what is now Jeffer- 
sonville was the block-house occupied by soldiers. In the spring of 1796, he, 
with his wife, moved into th.e cabin. Their table was the top of a poplar stump, 
having felled a tree, four feet in diameter for clapboards for the roof and pun- 
cheons for the floor ; later enough of the timber was cut away to form a well- 
shaped center table. 

Wood employed two men to assist in clearing a few acres of land in the 
river bottom, planting corn and vegetables. In December the men wished to 
go to Shippingsport, Kentucky, to remain during the winter months. They 
hunted two days, killed several bears and a few deer and sold the game at 
Shippingsport. Game was then very plentiftil. 

A few years later Wood built a ferry boat of poplar, immense poplar 
trees being then abundant. About this time many families from the Carolinas 
were moving into what is now the state of Indiana, at that time known as 
57 



898 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 

Knox county, Virginia. W^ood made big money witli liis ferry I^oat, and soon 
added more boats. He sold com at one dollar per bushel. If an emigrant had 
a lame or worn-out horse he would sell or trade. Soon a stock of horses were 
on hand, and became a part of the business. Wood also sold a great deal of 
whiskey. 

Later Judge Jolm ]\Iiller, of Utica, Xe\v York, settled here. ])urchasing 
land adjoining what later was the southern part of Utica. IMiller built a large 
two-story log house, with hall and ell, yet occupied and in good repair. Joseph 
Miller, late of New Albany, Indiana, was a son of Judge ]\Iiller. Joseph ]Miller 
was a well known river pilot, between Louisville and New Orleans. Judge 
Miller built and operated ferryboats between L'tica and Harrod's Creek, Ken- 
tucky, making good money in the business. Aliller. A\'ood. and a Mr. Bright, 
of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, laid out the town of L'tica. Part of the town 
was owned by Wood, by deed of gift from his mother's half brother, Capt. 
Robert George, of Arlington Springs. Virginia. Captain George served under 
Gen. George Rogers Clark in what was known as the Illinois Regiment, which 
was present at the capture of Vincennes, Indiana, Kaskaskia. Illinois, and St. 
Louis, Missouri, and also at points on the lower ]\Iississippi river. It appears 
that Captain George spent his years of capability in military service. There 
is no tradition as to whether he was or was not at Braddock's defeat in 1758. 
His brother, ^^'illiam George, of Arlington Springs, Virginia, owned much 
land and many slaves. He made his home with James Noble \\'ood during 
the remainder of his life, although he held patents for two bodies of land of 
one thousand acres each, in Kentucky. He gave nothing to either of his two 
sisters, claiming that their husbands failed to take up arms against the crown 
during the Revolutionary war. The two sisters, with their husbands, lived in 
this vicinity for several years and the descendants of both families were good 
citizens. Some of them have held good county offices in Clark county, yet the 
old captain held to his prejudice and gave the two thousand acres of land in 
Kentucky, and the three hundred and sixty acres in and adjoining Utica to 
the sons of his half sister, Margaret Sharon, the widow George having mar- 
ried a man of that name, wife of James \\'ood. James Wood had to leave 
his home in South Carolina after striking an English soldier with a black- 
smith's hammer. Captain George considered striking an English soldier de- 
served reward. Ann \\'ood. born in 1796. often told of the peculiarities of 
Captain George. He died alx)ut the year 1807: buried in Utica cemetery. 

Of eleven children bom to James Noble Wood and his wife, six died be- 
fore reaching the age of seven years, one died at the age of seventy-five years, 
one at eighty-four, one at eighty-seven, two at eighty-nine, four were in fairly 
good health until within a week or two of death ; one was feeble for two or 
three years. It appears that malarial fever was so common and malignant 
that onlv the strong survived. 



BAIKU'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 899 

James Noble \\'ood was presented to General Lafayette in Louisville, and 
had a little conversation with him. He met Aaron Burr also in Louisville. 
Moses Wood, a brother, joined the expedition under Burr, and was captured 
by the L^nited States troops while descending the Ohio. George Wood, a 
brother, settled in what is now Wood township, this county. Some of his 
descendants live in that township today. Ann \\'ood, a sister, married Samuel 
Hay, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Hay was appointed and served as 
Sheriff while Indiana was yet a territory. Court was held at Vincennes. Jane 
Wood, a sister, married John Douthett, a native of Pennsylvania. He seiwed 
many years as Recorder of Clark county. Another sister married William 
Ferguson, a cousin, and lived some time in the vicinity of L'tica. 

James Noble ^\'ood lost mtich through his friends, and sold some land be- 
fore his death. His two sons, Robert George Wood, born in 1803, and Na- 
poleon B. W'ood. born in 1813, inherited his estate and through recklessness 
lost the greater part of it. Some of the descendants of Robert G. Wood live 
in Utica, others in Kentucky. Some of the descendants of Napoleon Wood 
live in Utica; others in Kentucky. Robert G. Wood died April 18, 1878. 

James Wood, father of James Noble ^^'ood, was born of Scotch par- 
entage. No record as to date of birth is at hand, and he may ha^^e Ijeen born 
in Scotland and possibly in America. He married Margaret Sharon, half 
sister to Capt. Robert George, of Arlington Springs, Virginia. The tradition 
of the family is that James Wood during the Revolutionary war was located 
sixty miles from Charlestown, South Carolina. He kept a country store, cooper 
shop and blacksmith shop, being a blacksmith by trade. He organized a com- 
pany of thirty men favorable to the color.ial cause, a home guard, the American 
general commanrling the military district ordered Wood to report at head- 
quarters, which he did. The general (probably Gen. Francis Marion) offered 
Wood a commission, provided he would be mustered into the service, and also 
bring as manv men as possible, ^^'ood failed to accept. Immediately following 
the battle of Eutaw Springs (in which the Americans were sorely defeated) two 
British cavalrymen on jaded mounts stopped at the blacksmith shop to have 
liorse shoeing done. They told of the battle; of the British victory and Ameri- 
can defeat, and said that soon there would not be a rebel in South Carolina. 
One horse was shod ; his rider mounted and rode away. Later \\'ood struck 
the remaining soldier with his blacksmith hammer, the result of the blow is 
not known. In less than an hour Wood, with wife and children, a bed and 
covering, a few pots and pans and some food, were in an ox wagon, driving 
northward. He drove all night and all of the next day. when he stopped for 
the night the oxen and wagon were always headed southward, in order to de- 
ceive pursuers. He reached Virginia, remaining there until the close of the 
war. He then returned home and sold both personal and realty, and prepared 
to move to the Falls of the Ohio. 



900 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

About 1786 \\'ood reached tlie Falls of the Ohio, Ijnught land and culti- 
vated it. It was located between Shippingspnrt and Portland. He later sold 
this land and moved near Utica. His bones lie about the center of Jefferson 
street and about half way in the square between Eleventh and Twelfth street, 
Louisville, Kentucky, the street having been cut through, the cemetery. He died 
September 24, 1816. His wife, Margaret Sharon, died October 19, 1801, and 
is buried beside him. 

Margaret Smith, wife of James Noble Wood, in the year 1785, together 
with two sisters in charge of the their father and mother, left the state of 
Pennsylvania, in a house boat, their destination being the Falls of the Ohio. In 
another boat were Mrs. Smith's sister and her husband. With several boats 
they reached the blockhouse where Cincinnati now stands, known then as Fort 
Washington. They turned their cattle out to browse. The brother-in-law, an 
Indian fighter, went after the cattle, but came back without them, reporting 
signs of Indians. Smith, also an Indian tighter, disregarding the advice of the 
brother-in-law, took his rifle and started to get the cattle, the bells being plainly 
heard. (The bells were probably rung by the Indians.) Shortly after rifle shots 
were heard, the soldiers pushed out into the timber, found Smith dead and 
scalped. He had been struck by several bullets. Smith was an athlete and 
excelled in jumping. A survey of the surroundings showed that he had run 
some distance and had reached a ravine, or gully. The marks showed that he 
had jumped, falling dead on the opposite side of the gully. The soldiers de- 
cided that the force of the bullets carried him across, as they struck him while 
in the air, as no one could possibly have jumped that distance. The brother- 
in-law returned to Pennsyh-ania with his family. 

Xancy Smith, the widow, determined to go on to the Falls of the Ohio. 
During the trip a storm at night separated her boat from the fleet. When 
morning came she was alone with her children, pulling to the middle of the 
ri\-er. She rowed to overtake the fleet during the day. She was tired upon by 
Indians, several bullets striking the boat. The children were told to lie flat on 
the floor, while the mcjther pulled for the opposite shore, keeping the boat be- 
tween her and the Indians, and was soon out oi danger. She soon overtook 
the other boats and reached Clarksville in safety. One of her daughters mar- 
ried a Mr. \\'are, of Clarksville: a son born to them, was for many years a 
Falls pilot. A sister, Nancy, while washing clothes at a spring at the outskirts 
of Clarks\-ille, was fired upon by Indians, receiving seven wounds. One Indian 
rushed forward and scalped her. He then turned to 11m, made a few steps 
and turned, threw his tomahawk at her but missed her. By that time men were 
in sight, rushing to the scene with arms in hand. The Indian made his escape. 
Years afterward, at Vincennes, Indiana, an Indian in conversation with whites 
remarked that he had never killed a white man, but had killed a white squaw 
at the Falls of the Ohio, and pointed to a scar on the calf of his leg, where she 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO.. IN'D. 9OI 

had bitten liim while being scalped. \\'hen told that the white squaw was liv- 
ing and was the n:other of several children, he answered "Ugh ! Kill 'um next 
time." Xancy was about sixteen years of age at the time of the scalping, and 
later she married a Mr. Pittman. Pittman was a Virginian, had served in 
a military organization, known as The Rangers. Their service was in In- 
diana Territory, and he probably had served under General Clark. He received 
patent for five hundred acres oi land, this he sold for a trifling sum, as did 
many others. After being' discharged from the service he remained in Clarks- 
\\Ue awaiting for the spring time weather before starting for his Virginia 
home, bidding acquaintances and Clarksville farewell. He mounted his horse, 
crossed the ri\-er below the Falls and as he led his horse off the boat, the horse 
fell, injuring him so badly as to make him useless. Pittman returned to Clarks- 
ville and later married Xancy Smith and several years after, with his wife and 
children, left in a flat boat. They floated down the Mississippi, and years after 
were located on Fairchild's Island, near Vicksburg, Mississippi. The mother 
of !Mrs. Julia Mackay. iicc Morrison, of Utica, had in her possession for sev- 
eral years, a lock of white hair, coarse as the mane of a horse, taken from the 
new growth of the scalp on the head of Xancy Smith, ^^'illiam ^lorrison, 
father of Mrs. Mackay, fought under General Jackson at the battle of X'ew 
Orleans. He settled in Utica al)out the year 1823, dying there in 1867. He 
deserves a place in frontier history. 

Xancy Smith, mother of Margaret, wife of James X'oble \\'ood, died Au- 
gust 10, 1828. aged one hundred and two years. At the age of ninety-six she 
bought a new spinning wheel. A neighbor wished to borrow it and the old lady 
refused to loan, saying "I've owned several wheels. Other people borrowed and 
wore them out. I intend to wear this out mvself." 



THOMAS WEST FREEAIAX. 

The Freemans were nf English origin and the emigrant ancestors came 
over before the Re\-cilutionary war, settling in Massachusetts. Charles B. 
Freeman, one of the descendants, was bom in the old Bay state, Aug'ust 20, 
1776, shortly after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. He was one 
of four orphans apprenticed to learn trades and he learned that of carpentry, 
which was his line of work throughout his life. He was reared by a Congrega- 
tional minister, who came from England to do missionary and philanthropic 
work. He came to Indiana about 1818. and settled at Vevay, being 
one of the earliest pioneers of that section. The state at that time was 
little more than the original wilderness full of wild game and still inhabited 
bv various Indian tribes. He married Elizabeth Haskell, who was born in 



902 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Massachusetts in 1784, her father beino- job HaskeH, of English descent. The 
marriage took place in their native state, and there were seven children born 
to them. Thomas \\'est Freeman, of this review, was born in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania, December 16, 1816, and was but two \-ears old when his parents 
came to Indiana. As he grew up he learned the carpenter's trade and followed 
that occupation until he was fifty years old. He learned his letters in one of 
the old fashioned school-houses, his teacher being the mother of Edward 
Eggleston, the famous author of "The Hoosier School ]\Iaster." He came 
to Clark county about 1868, and bought timber land in Alonroe township, 
which he cleared and improved. In 1S40. ^Ir. Freeman was married to Eliza 
Oele, who was born in Switzerland countv, Indiana, December 22, 1816. Fler 
father and mother were among the first settlers of that section and went 
through all the hardships and dangers of pioneer life. They became the par- 
ents of ten children, most of whom are now dead. Ida, who was born in 1851, 
married George Lewellen, and resides at Columbus, Indiana; Eliza, born in 
1S53; Ramey, born in i860, married Emma Dunlevy, lives in Monroe town- 
ship and has two children; John W., one of the sons, enlisted in the anny at 
the beginning of the Civil war, and died at Stone River. As he was under 
age, his father drew a pension on his account. JMr. Freeman retired from 
active business many years before his death, and made his home with his son, 
Ramey, in Monroe township. For some time he was the oldest man in the 
township, and one of the oldest in the county, his age having corresponded with 
that of Indiana as a state. He was an interesting relic of a bygone age and 
loved to talk about the old pioneer days. He remembered the Indians vei-y 
well after thev had become peaceful and mingled freely with the white people. 
He enjoyed the reputation of having been a good neighbor and a good citizen 
during his long life. After giving up the carpenter's trade he devoted his time 
to farming with success in that line. The death of Thomas ^"\'est Freeman 
occurred on May 7, 1909. 



JOSEPH CLARK. 



The emigrant ancestor of this family was a native of County Down, Ire- 
land, who came to America when a small boy, where he found a temporary 
home in Pennsylvania, but later joined the tide of emigration setting in 
towards the ^^'est and eventually found a location in Southern Indiana. He 
was one of the earliest pioneers of Scott county, the state at that time being 
little more than an unbroken wilderness. He reared a family after the primi- 
tive methods of those days when toil and hardship were the experience of every 
one. Among his children was a son by the name of William, who was born a 
few vears before the settlement in Scott county, and went through all the pri- 



BAIRD's history of CLARK CO.. IXD. 9O3 

vations of a l3o\- on a pioneer farm. After he grew uii he became a farmer and 
devoted his hfe to agricuhm'al pursuits. He was a Democrat and quite active 
in local politics, but ne\-er aspired to office. He died in 1844. His first wife 
was 3ilahala Taylor, a nati\-e of Kentucky, where her ancestors were early set- 
tlers. She was quite ynung when her parents came tu Indiana. She died after 
becoming the mother of three children; there were also three children by her 
husband's second marriage. All but one are still living, four in Clark county 
and a sister in Indianapolis. 

Joseph Clark, eldest of the family, was born in Scott county, Indiana, in 
January, 1836. He remained at home until his twenty-third year, when he 
branched out in Iiusiness for himself as a farmer and dealer in timber. For 
seventeen years he devoted his time to getting out cross-ties and did a large 
business in this line. He made the ties that were used in the building of the 
Belt Railroad at Indianapolis, also furnishing the timber for the bridges and 
other purposes on that line. In fact he was one of the pioneer lumber men of 
Southern Indiana, and no man in the state better understands the "ins and outs" 
of this business. At the same time he carried on his farming operations. 
When he began business Clark county was practically all woods, being covered 
with the fine growth of the original forests. There was an abundant harvest 
for the woodsmen, and Mr. Clark reaped his share of the trade, although it 
involved much hard work and considerable financial risk. He remembers wdien 
there were no roads, only blazed trails, through this section. Charlestown was 
the onlv village of any importance in the vicinity. As was customary in all 
the families of those days, his mother made his clothes from flax grown on the 
farm. The schools were few and far between, and of the most primitive char- 
acter, being kept up by meager subscription, while the teacher "boarded 
around." ^Ir. Clark put in a month or two during the winter months, but is 
" unable to recall that he got any benefit from his irregular attendance, except 
a slight grounding in the three "R's." The land he bought after reaching man- 
hood was entirely wild, covered with timber and the clearing and improving 
involved much toil and some labor. Those now living on the smiling and 
highly cultivated farms of Clark county with their rural mail delivery and tele- 
phones can little realize what the first settlers had to contend with. Mr. Clark 
is a Presbvterian in religion, a Republican in politics, and in eveiy respect has 
been a model citizen. Blessed with a powerful constitution, he was able to en- 
dure much of the hardest kind of work, and few men of his years are better 
presented. 

In 1859 Mr. Clark was married to Mary Ann Woods, a native of Ohio. 
Her parents were Jesse and Jane Woods, natives of Kentucky, who lived for 
a time in Clark county. ]\Ir. and j\Irs. Clark became the parents of an interest- 
ing family, their children being well situated in life. 



904 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

ANDREW J. HOLMAN. 

One of the substantial agriculturists in Jeffersonville township, Clark coun- 
ty is Andrew J. Holman, whose life, co\'ering a period of sixty-eight years has 
been spent in this county, the greater portion of the time within sight of the 
spot where his father was bom and where his grandfather, Isaac Holman, set- 
tled in 1802. Mr. Holman has been very successful in his avocation, and a 
broad expanse of highly cultivated soil is evidence of the careful attention that 
lie has bestowed upon his possessions. The subject is a man of most genial 
disposition and affable manners, which has been the means of his having 
formed many warm friendships throughout the county. Mr. Holman has been 
a hard worker all his life, but is still a very hale and hearty man for his years. 

As heretofore stated, he is a native of Utica township, having been born 
there April 4, 1841. His father was Isaac N. Holman, who lived to quite a 
ripe old age. The subject married October 12, 1864, to Rosetta W'orrall, and 
four children were born to the couple. They were Mrs. Bailey L. Burtt, Wal- 
ter J. Holman, Homer A. and Sol. 

Mr. Holman has participated in politics to a large extent during his life. 
being an ardent and active Democrat. He has held but one political office, that 
of Township Supervisor. He is a member of the Christian church, and be- 
longs to the Odd Fellows. His record in both business and politics is an hon- 
orable one, the people of the community having implicit confidence in him. 



WALTER ERLE McCULLOCH. 

One of the well known and enterprising agriculturalists of Jefifersonville 
township, Clark county, who is deserving of mention in a work of this 
character, owing to his upright life and his public-spirit, is Walter Erie 
McCulloch, son of Mr. and Mrs. John McCulloch. He was born on the 
farm where he now resides in Jeffersonville township on Friday, August 13, 
1876. Here he was reared. He attemled the public schools in New Albany, 
also DePauw preparatory college in New Albany and, having applied himself 
in a verv careful manner he received a good education. Being the youngest 
of the family he came into possession of the old homestead and he has lived 
here, carrying on farming on an extensive scale in such a manner as to stamp 
him an agriculturist oi the best type. He is the owner of a very fine landed 
estate consisting of five hundred and twenty-five acres, located about midway 
lietween Jeffersonville and New Albany on the interurban traction line. In 
1907 he sun-eyed and platted thirty-five acres, making one hundred and 
forty-nine lots, and since then he has sold over one hundred of the same. 
He named this suburb Midway, being ambitious to make this the finest 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 9O5 

suburban residence district nf this section. It is about ten minutes" ride to 
Jeffersonville and New Albany and only thirty minutes to Louisville. It h-is 
modern advantages in the way of electric lights, telephone, and inside of 
two years water and gas will be accessible. Mr. McCulloch has constructed 
twelve up-to-date houses on these lots, and is making a sale of houses and 
lots on ix)pular small payments down and monthly payments without interest 
or taxes until the agreed amount has been paid in full, and a deed is given 
in case of death without further payment and cost. Mr. McCulloch was the 
instigator and builder of the McCulloch boulevard, which extends from 
McCulloch Pike ( built by his father at a cost of se\'enteen thousand and five 
hundred dollars) to Howard Park on the south. He also carries on farming 
extensively, having over three hundred acres in cultivation. The land is all 
highly improved, showing that a man of good judgment has its management 
in hand, and the McCulloch residence is modern, beautiful of design and 
elegantly furnished. He is an admirer of good stock and always keeps some 
high grade horses, cattle and hogs. 

Mr. McCulloch's domestic life began on October 19, i8g8, when he 
was united with Edith H. Schwaninger, a native of Jeffersonville, the accom- 
plished daughter of Abraham and Sarah (Carwardine) Schwaninger, the 
former a native of Switzerland and the latter of London, England. The 
father of Mrs. McCulloch was City Judge of Jeffersonville for several years 
and also served as Mayor, tilling these offices with credit to himself and to 
the satisfaction of all concerned. His death occurred in Jeffersonville on 
October 17, 1906. His widow resides with her daughter, Mrs. McCulloch, 
She is a woman of gracious personality. To Mr. and Mrs. ^IcCuUoch three 
interesting children have been born, namely : Kenneth, Ruth Agnes and 
Howard Schwaninger. 

Mr. McCulloch in his fraternal relations is a member of New Albany 
Lodge, No. 270, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In politics he 
is a staunch Republican. He is a member of the Third Presbyterian church 
at New Albany, while his wife belongs to the Episcopal church in Jeft'ersonville. 
They are both popular in social circles and are held in high estean by a 
wide circle of friends owing to their h(ispitality and affability. 



OiMER L. MILLER. 



A scion of worthy pioneer ancestors is Omer L. Miller, Deputy United 
States Revenue Collector, with offices in the Federal Building. Indianapolis, 
well known at Jeffersonville, Clark county, Indiana, who was born at Galena, 
Floyd county, this state, January 19, 1871. He was reared to the honest 



906 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

toil of the farm and received a good elementary education at the district 
sclfools and later attended a business college. He is the oldest of two children 
born to James L. and Clara (Thurman) Miller, both natives of Floyd 
county, Indiana, the former having been born in 1841, the son of Jacob and 
Isabelle (Smith) Miller, both of Pennsylvania, where they were married, 
soon after moving to the then new Eldorado, settling in Floyd county, this 
state, and engaged in farming" in a most successful manner for those early 
times, and there they spent the remainder of their lives, honored by all who 
knew them. The names of their large family follow : George W. ; James 
L., father of the subject of this review; Elmer, Charles W. ; Anna, now 
[Mrs. John Sheets : Caroline, who married George W. AIcKinley : Harriet 
(Mrs. Mosier) ; Jennie (Airs. McKinley) : Belle (Mrs. Hancock). 

James L. [Miller was born and reared in Floyd county. During his 
early youth he worked on the home farm. While yet in his teens thoughts of 
the great rebellion aroused his patriotism and he resolved to do something in 
the restoration of the Union, consequently he enlisted in the Federal army 
three times before the close of the war, his father having taken him from 
the service twice, but later decided not to interfere and allowed him to go to 
the front. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth Regiment, 
Indiana \'(jlunteer Infantry, in whicli he served until the close of the war. 
He was always on duty and in the front ranks, but he was never wounded 
nor made a prisoner. He received an honorable discharge after the close 
of hostilities. He returned home and resumed farming. Later h.e married 
and began farming on his own account, which he continued successfully for 
a number of years, finally leaving the farm and moving to Jeffersonville, 
where he worked in the railroad car shops, becoming a skilled finisher on 
passenger coaches. \\'hen free mail, delivery was inaugurated in Jefferson- 
ville he entered the service and he delivered the first letter by the free delivery 
system in that city, and he is still in the city service in 1909. Although a strong 
Republican he has never aspired to offices outside of his present appointment. 
He is a worthy member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is widely 
known and highly respected in Jeft'ersonville and \-icinity. His wife is the 
daughter of Henry C. Thurman, of Virginia, a prominent and honored 
early settler of Indiana. Although dying at middle age, he had Ijecome an 
extensive land owner. Fie was survi\'ed by a large family of children, the 
mother of our subject being the youngest child. Following are the names 
of the Thurman children: Henry, William, John, Phillip, Robert, Barney, 
Elizabeth, Sarah, Laura, Harriet and Clara, mother of our subject. She is 
a worthy member of the Presbyterian church while her husband subscribes 
to the Unitarian denomination. To James L. [\liller and wife two children 
were born, Omer L., of this review: and Nettie, the wife of H. Hazzard. 

Omer L. Miller remained at home during his ynuth assisting his father. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CI.ARK CO., IXD. 9O7 

\\'hen he reached manhood he began work at the Jettersonville Car \\'orks 
and later took a business course, after which he engaged in the grocery 
business in Jeffersonville, beginning in 1890. and he continued in that hue 
successfuhy until 1906, when he received the appointment as Deputy Revenue 
Collector ( Internal) for the United States, for the port of Indianapolis. He 
then closed out his business and moved to Indianapolis, for the purpose of 
assuming charge of his newly assigned duties. He has charge of fifty-nine 
men acting in different capacities, store keepers, gaugers, etc. He also has 
charge of the bonded spirits department, and full charge of the various 
departments of the government at the Indianapolis branch of the revenue 
department, and he is handling the same with accuracy and dispatch, showing 
that he is a man of apt business acumen. 

From boyhood he has always taken a great deal of interest in politics, 
being a loyal Republican, and \\hile he was at Jettersonville he was active in 
the ranks, and he keeps well posted on curent events of state and national 
import, but he has never aspired to elective office. For many years he was 
prominently connected with the business interests of Jeffersonville and 
vicinity, being favorably known throughout Clark county. 

Omer L. Miller was married on October 3, 1897, to Clara E. Tatspaugh, 
who was born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1875, a lady of intelligence and 
culture, the daughter of John and Julia Tatspaugh, who still live in New 
Albany. ]Mr. Tatspaugh is a railroad engineer, having been prominent in 
railroad circles for many years. He is a member of the Christian church. 
He is the father of two children, Cora, now Mrs. Beatte: and Clara, wife of 
Omer L. Miller, who is the father of one winsome daughter, born August 5, 
1899. Her name is ^Marjorie. 

Both ^Ir. and ^Irs. Miller are members of the Presbyterian church. 
They moved their membership from Jeffersonville to Indianapolis when they 
moved to the latter citv. 



HARRY C. SHARP. M. D. 

This distinguished physician, one of the most eminent socialogists of 
the age and a reformer of high degree, is a native of Clark county, who.fe 
fame he has done so much to extend. His birth occurred in Charlestown, 
Indiana, December. 1869. his parents being James K.. and Margaret J., 
(Ferguson) Sharp, the latter a sister of the well known Judge C. P. Ferguson. 
After graduating from the high school in 1888, he entered the medical 
department of the University of Louisville and there obtained his degree in 
1893, locating at Henryville. this county, and began active practice of his 



908 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

profession. In 1895 he removed to Seymour, Indiana, and in October of 
that year was appointed physician of the Indiana State Prison, South. In 
connection with others he framed and secured the passage of a bih that 
changed this prison to the Indiana Reformatory, working it before the 
Legislature, though he knew the passage would cost him his place as official 
physician. He was, however, re-appointed by Governor Mount and has 
ever since given the institution the benefit of his rare talents. He offered his 
resignation to take efYect on October i, 1908. but on urgent request consented 
to remain until the subsidence of the epidemic of typhoid fever then prevalent 
at the Reformatory, subsecjuentl)^ removing to Indianapolis, where he con- 
tinues the practice of his profession. During his tenure at the Reformatory 
he had charge of about sixty-five hundred inmates, the usual average being 
some twelve hundred and fifty at one time. Dr. Sharp has received many 
evidences of esteem from fellow members of his profession and has been 
showered with honors, but his greatest claim to distinction is due to the 
leading part he took in instituting a great and epoch-making reform in the 
treatment of degenerates. It has long been recognized by the medical pro- 
fession and sociologists that many, if not most of the insane, epileptic, 
ibecile. idiotic, sexual pervert, and many confirmed drunkards, prostitutes, 
tramps, habitual criminals and chronic paupers are by heredity degenerates. 
In other words they have defects that cannot be cured. If allowed to become 
parents their posterity increases the same defects and their number increases 
at a ration far greater than that of the total population. The question was 
how to stop this growth of degeneracy, what method would be most effective 
with least hardship. In studying out this vital problem. Dr. Sharp reached 
a remedv that is destined to enroll his name high among the benefactors of his 
race. He formed and took a leading part in passing through the Legislature 
a bill that is destined to have far-raching importance. In effect it provides 
that when degenerates are confined in state institutions, the proper authorities, 
under prescribed safeguards, may cause to be performed on them a surgical 
operation, known as vasecotomy, a simple easy and not \-ery painful operation, 
that pre\-ents procreation. Dr. Sharp has operated on two hundred and fifty 
such, with full opportunity to study the results and is highly pleased with the 
outcome. He says the results, unlike those of castration, are physicially, 
mentally and morally beneficial to the patient and the patients themselves 
favor and recommend the operation to their friends as being for their good. 
He has never observed any unfavorable symptoms, but the great result 
achieved is the prevention of the multiplication of degeneracy. It is a dis- 
tinction to Clark county that this great reform began here and was instituted 
bv one of her citizens. Other states are now following the way pointed out by 
Dr. Sharp, and the discovery will undoubtetlly spread over the whole civilized 
world as one of the most valuable achievements in the science of sociology. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 909 

Dr. Sharp recently received letters of inquiry from Germany relative to this 
subject. The Cilerman g()\ernment. through the eft'i:)rts of repesentative citi- 
zens and philanthropists, has taken up the matter of changing the laws of 
that country in regard to degenerates and criminals and is in correspondence 
with the doctor for the purpose of incorporating into the German code a law 
similar to that of Indiana. The originator is destined to rank with Koch and 
Pasteur as a benefactor to the human race and Clark cmmty will recei\e the 
glory reflected upon her by one uf her most distinguished citizens. 

Dr. Sharp has held many positions of honor and trust, among them 
being the president of the Third District Medical Society, and the vice- 
president during 1 906-7 of the Indiana INIedical Association. He was coun- 
cilor of the third Councilor District of the last mentioned association and 
Indiana member of the committee on medical legislation of the American 
Aledical Association. In 1908 he read a paper before the American Anti- 
Tuberculosis Association at its annual meeting in Chicago, which gained for 
him much favorable comment and wide distinction as a physician of learning 
and original thought upon the subject of that dread disease. In his discussion 
he took the advanced ground that rarely if ever death was lue to the direct 
results of tuberculosis, but in almost every instance to complications there- 
from. This position has since been indorsed by practically the entire 
profession. He is a member of the Jeffersonville Lodge of Free and Accepted 
Masons, and Lodge No. 362 of the Elks, of which he was exalted mler in 
1907. His religious atfiliations are with the Unitarian church and his 
standing both socially and professionally is of the highest rank. 



ELISHA CARR. 



Elisha Carr belongs to one of the old pioneer families of Clark county. 
His great-grandfather, John Carr, came to this country from Ireland when 
ninetten years of age. He was accompanied by a brother and sister, but his 
father and mother both died on the ocean voyage to America. The young- 
people landed at Annapolis, ^Maryland. 

Later we find his son, Thomas Carr, and wife moving from \\'estmore- 
land county, Pennsyh-aiiia, to Clark county. Indiana, in 1806. He settled on 
what is known as the Sinking Fork of Silver creek, a tract of land embracing 
five hundred acres, which he purchased for one thousand si.x hundred sixty-six 
dollars. 

He was a man of influence in his time, and became a member of the 
famous constitution convention which sat under the great elm tree in Corydon, 
Indiana, and framed the state constitution in 1816. Later he was for two 



9IO BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. 

3-ears a member of the General Assembly of the state, and was also an officer 
in one of the regiments ser\'ing in the Indian wars. He was present at 
Colonel Crawford's defeat. His death occurred in 1822. 

One of the eleven children of Thomas Carr was Joseph Carr, who was 
born February 7, 1796. On February 26, 181 8. he married Nancy Drum- 
mond and they established their home where the residence of Elisha Carr is 
at this time. From this union came twelve children, and when the youngest 
of these, Elizabeth Carr, was but seven months of age, Joseph Carr died, 
leaving to his widow, Nancy Carr, the care of twelve children. 

It was a great task for a mother to thus rear so large a family in those 
pioneer days. However, she proved to be a careful and successful manager, 
both in regard to her family and in the conduct of the estate. It may be of 
interest to say that of the twelve children, eleven attained their majority, one 
daughter having died in her eighth year. 

One of these sons, Elisha Carr, who was born December 3, 1838, ac- 
quired the home farm from the various heirs, after the death of his mother, 
Nancy Carr. He still holds this farm, comprising now the land on which his 
g-rancifather, Thomas Carr, settled in 1806. It is one of the most beautiful 
homes in Southern Indiana. 

Mr. Carr has been in every way a successful farmer and stock raiser. 
May 22, 1878, he was married to Alary Hess, of Cadiz, Henry county, In- 
diana. Her father, Milton T. Hess, and his wife, Elizabeth Shively, were 
born in Monongahela county, Virginia, and were brought by their parents 
to Indiana about the year 1830, entering farms near where Mount Summit is 
now situated. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carr have one daughter, ■Miss Lucile Carr, and it was for 
the purpose of placing her in Butler College that they left their home on the 
farm and moved to Irvington. suburb of Indianapolis, in 1900. Mr. Carr 
still manages his farm in Clark county, however, making frequent visits to 
it from his home in Indianapolis. 



MISS LILLIAN HARMON. 

The many friends of this affable and estimable lady will no doubt be glad 
to learn more of her personal history than has heretofore been shown the 
public through the medium of a sketch similar to that which here follows, 
for she has shown herself to be capable, alert and possessing many com- 
mendable attrilxites of character, which have won for her the esteem of all 
with whom she has come in contact. She is the present efficient postmistress 
of Marv'sville. 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. QII 

INIiss Lillian Harmon was born in Oregon township. Clark county, the 
daughter of Daniel and Rachael C. (Bower) Harmon. Her ancestors are of 
sturd}" German stock. se\'en brothers of the Harmnn famiK- ha\ing cmne to 
America from the Fatherland, four of whom settled in Xew York and three 
in \'irginia : one of the three, ^^'illiam. was the son of the one that later emi- 
grated to Indiana and settled in Clark ciamty, and he was the grandfather of 
Lillian Harmon. \Mlliam Harmon married Elizabeth Stoner. and they were 
the parents of Daniel Harmon, the subject's father, their family consisting 
of the following children: ^^'illiam. John. Silas. Joseph. Daniel, Elizabeth. 
j\Iary and Sarah. 

To the subject's parents the following children were Ijiirn : ]\Iay. wife 
of A. H. Hemphr\-, of Marysville : Lillian the subject of this sketch: Milton 
E. ; ^klyrtle is the wife of Jaccb Shields, of Lexington. Lidiana. These chil- 
dren all received every care at the hands of their worthy parents, who were 
people of sterling qualities and they are all held in high respect wherever 
thej^ have gone. 

Miss Lillian Harmon was reared on the farm in Oregon township, where 
she did her share of the household duties and attended the district school, 
having graduated fnmi the common school and rapidly developed into a lady 
of culture and refinement as well as an innate individuality that has shown 
her to be a woman of rare business ability. 

Our subject moved to Marysville in 1891. and she was appointed post- 
mistress in 1906. in which capacity she is serving in 1909 in a manner that 
has won the praise of everyone concerned. 

She is a member of the Christian church, and she was honored by being 
elected district superintendent of the Christian Endeavor work in this dis- 
trict, faithfully ser\-ing in this capacity for a period of four years. She takes 
a great interest in religous and educational movements, and has become 
widely known in this line of work. 



THE WHITESIDE BAKERY. 

Trulv a wonderful plant — one of the finest in the L'nited States — is that 
of the Whiteside Bakery, where the famous "Mother's Bread" is made, and 
which was established by the late Isaac F. Whiteside, a sketch of whom ap- 
pears in another part of this history. 

The building is a beautiful structure, reflecting much credit upon the 
architect, Arthur Loomis. It is IMoorish or Spanish in design. In the large 
tower which looms high over the lower part of the building is an immense 
clock, which strikes everv hour during the twentv-fnur, and at night it is es- 



912 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

pecially imposing, for then tlie characters descriljing the circle and declaring 
the hours stand forth in letters of fire, and read, "Alother's Bread." The 
hands of this enormous clock are also illuminated as soon as twilight comes 
on. It is a master time-piece and controls, electrically, all the other clocks 
around the building. 

The building was formally opened and dedicated July i6, 1908, the 
fiftieth birthday of Air. Whiteside. It is a concrete and fire-proof strticture 
and is a real marvel among bakeries. It is located at the corner of Broadway 
and Fourteenth street, Louisville, Kentucky, on the tracks of the Pennsvl- 
vania Railroad. This has a great advantage since it does away with any re- 
handling of materials — these coming direct from the cars to the consumer. 

The flour in barrels is taken from the cars, placed directly into the large 
iron chutes leading to ditiferent parts of the basement storage room. The 
sifting and cleaning are done mechanically in the basement. A "worm" ele- 
vator runs the flour to the second floor, where great mixing machines mix 
the dough, going from the sifters and blenders on to the dough mixers, and 
into the sanitary dough troughs. These are portable and can be wheeled with 
their contents into the cooling room. 

From this room the dough descends through iron chutes into dough 
dividers, thence into the "merry-go-round." The next step in the preliminary 
process takes place in the moulding machine, where the dough is formed 
into loaves for the baking pan. These loaves are placed on large portable 
cars and wheeled into the steam rooms, where they remain about half an hour 
to raise. This is quite different from the home method, where the bread has 
to be "set" over night for the "raising" process. 

Now that it is time to begin baking the loaves are wheeled to the ovens. 
The oven room in the Whiteside Bakery would be a joy to any baker, 
and is perhaps the finest one extant. It is long and well lighted with nine 
ovens down each side. Tliese have a combined capacity of one hundred forty 
thousand loa\es daily. The ovens, which are faced with white enameled tile, 
are fired from the rear with coke, which is brought in by an overhead trollev. 
After a proper time the bread is wheeled out of the opposite side of the steam 
box which opens into one hundred and twenty corridors between two rows 
of ovens. 

During the whole time of baking, pilot lights show the condition of the 
bread. When it is finished it is delivered to the shipping room. Twenty doors 
leading to as many wagons lead from this room. These wagons are lined up 
in a covered paved court. Delivery of the bread begins at 12 130 in the morning 
and the last wagons leave the court at i 145 a. m., to serve the communitv with 
breakfast rolls and bread. 

Praise is due the architect for the splendid arrangement of lights, ventila- 
tion and extreme cleanliness, for the sanitary condition of the bakery is as near 



baird's history of clark co., ind. 913 

perfect as is p(issible. Just n1i()\-e the frnnt of the ovens is a wall, slightly pro- 
truding over and Ijetween it and the oven tops is a space which permits the 
heat to pass out. to prevent overheating the workers, as is often the case in 
bakeries. Much care had to lie taken in the arrangement of the skylights, etc., 
in order to produce the proper amount of light — light enough Uj prevent seeing 
into the darker o\-ens and yet enough in which to work comfortably and to 
show every spot of dirt that might accumulate: but the proper results were 
obtained by the minute arrangement of upright sky-lights over the middle of 
the corridor from end to end. 

Bath-rooms of the most im[)ro\-ed design occup}- one part of the building. 
Every employee is compelled to batlie before commencing work, and is fur- 
nished by the company a freshly blundered linen suit each day before begin- 
ning work, and all workers are required to wash their hands when returning 
from any place al.iout tlie building where there might be a chance t(j collect 
the least particle of dirt. 

The mechanical appliances througiniut the plant are of the very latest de- 
sign. But little of the work is done by hand, the machinery even dividing and 
weig'hing each loaf automatically, and the least possible waste of energy is 
avoided in the plant, and to fully appreciate the genius of the architect one 
must go through the plant and observe how perfectly the various departments 
coincide, making one splendid svstem. 

The entire building is lighted with electric lights, each light being enclosed 
in a glass globe for sanitary purposes, the fixtures being absolutely dust-proof. 
The flour sifters and blenders, as well as the machines in the moulding room, 
are dri\-en l)y motors attached to the ceiling. A tiny motor is also used in the 
testing laboratory, the Whiteside Bakery being a model both among bakeries 
and as to electrical installations. 



DAVID \\'. WATSON. 



This name is well known in Clark county, where oui' subject was born, 
and where his ancestors also maintained their homes, being numbered among" 
the representative pioneers here, and Mr. Watson is not only recognized as 
one of the leatling agriculturists of Oregon township, where he has a valuable 
farm pro])erty, but he has also been prominent in iniljlic affairs of a local nature 
and has been incumbent of offices of distinctive trust and responsibility, and 
he has been signally faithful to his duties of citizenship. 

David \\'. Watson was born in Oregon township, Clark county, Indiana, 
December 28, 1853, the son of John and Catherine (Amick) Watson, John 
Watson was also born in Oregon township, this county, his birth occurring 

58 



0)14 BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 

March 17, 1827, the son of Robert Watson, who was of Scotch-Irish descent. 
John Watson is living at this writing (1009). Jnlm Watson and Catherine 
Amick were married in Oregon townsliip hehrnar}- 5, 1S49. Tiiey are elderly 
people of ninch stability of character, and are making their Immes with David 
W., their son. They are the parents of Ann, the wife of William McNew, 
of Scott county, Indiana; D. W ., of this rex'icw, being the second in order of 
birth; Amanda, tlie wife of Daniel Smith, of Scott county, this state. 

David W. Watson was reared (.ni the farm in this couiUy, having assisted 
with the work about the place until he reached man's estate, attending the dis- 
trict schools in the meantime until he was seventeen years old, but he remained 
under his parental roof until he was married to Mary Taflinger, who was 
born in Oregon township, Clark county, August 20, 1858, the daughter of 
Joseph and Hester Taflinger. She was reared on a farm and receixcd her 
education in the district schools. The subject and wife moved on the farm 
where they now live, which is in Clark's grant No. 279, soon after their mar- 
riage, and they ha\'e a valuable farm, consisting of three hundred and seven 
acres, which is highly improved. Mr. Watsnn carries on general farming, 
Ijeing regarded by his neighbors as a first class agriculturist in every respect. 
He was formerly in the lumber business in which he prospered. He has a 
substantial home well located with attractive surroundings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Watson are the parents of fourteen children, named as 
follows: Catherine, bom September 25, 1875, the wife of Charles Bonsett ; 
John, born November 2j, 1876, married Ida Boley; Bertha, born August ig, 

1878, is the wife of Edward Zimmerman; Bert E. was b(irn November 27, 

1879, married Amelia Deiterlen ; William 1., born Se])tember 22, 1881, mar- 
ried Catherine Claddin; Elmer, born September 14, 1883. is single and living 
in Illinois; Lunetta, born October 9, 1885, is the wife of John Deiterlen ; Dud- 
ley, born December 3, 1887. is a teacher and is unmarried; Nellie was born 
January 28, 1890, and is single; Jessie, born July 14, 1892; Alta, born Octo- 
ber 17, 1894; David, l)orn May 13. 1897; Mamie, born September 15, 1899, 
is deceased; Walter was born August 6, 1900. 

Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
of this neighborhood. Mr. Watson is a memlier of English Lodge, Eree and 
Accepted Masons, also of the Marysville Lodge, rndepcndent Order of Odd 
Fellows, of which he is a past grand master. 

In his ]j()litical relations Mr. Watson is a Democrat, and he has taken 
considerable interest in the alTairs of his party. He was elected Trustee of 
Oregon townshii) in 1900, and faithfully served in this capacity mitil 1904, 
and while incumbent of this office he was nominated and elected Commissioner 
of the Third district, and two years later, in i<)o6. was re-elected and is at 
this writing serving in that capacity in a manner that stamps liini as a man of 
excellent business qualities. His term expires January i, 19 10. During his 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 915 

term as Trustee he l>uilt the graded scliool at Marysxille, this enmity, and it 
was during- Mr. Watson's term tliat tlie magniticent eouuty infirmary was 
Imilt, which is a crecht to Clark county. Fur this manifestation of interest in 
l)ublic affairs and liis honest dealings with his fellow men, Mr. Watson is 
held in high favor with all who know him. 



DANIEL W. BOWER. 



Daniel W. Bt)wer, Commissioner of the Second District of Clark county, 
and iirosperous and influential farmer of Charlestown township, has done 
much during his career to increase the material and moral welfare of the town- 
ship in which he resides. He has been instrumental in obtaining many of the 
progressive innovations which have become associated with the townships 
with wdiich he has been connected in recent years. During his term of office 
the Board of Commissioners built the new county infirmary at the cost of 
twenty-five thousand dollars, wdiich is a credit to the county, and of much as- 
sistance to many of the inhabitants. He has been successful as a farmer, lives 
in a Ijeautiful spot on the banks of the Ohio, and leads a peaceful domestic 
life. 

He was born in Oregon township on the JQtli of June, t86o, the son of 
lohn A. and Mary Jane (Coombs) Bower. John A. was born in Owen town- 
ship, Clark county, his father, who was the grandfather of our subject, having 
come to Indiana from South Carolina at a \er\ earl)- date and settled in Clark 
county, where he lived the remainder of his life. The elder Bower was in- 
terested in the manufacture of flat boats and he followed the old custom of 
piloting them down the river to New Orleans from which place, having 
efifected a sale, he would back to Indiana overland. It was during one of these 
trips that he took sick at Natchez, Mississippi. Grandfather Bower was the 
father of eight children. They were: George, John A., Daniel, Adam, Eliza- 
beth, Kittie, Anna and Eliza. All grew to maturity. John A. Bower was born 
in the old log school-house wdiere he received his early education. During his 
life time lie was a successful farmer and ser\'ed as Justice of the Peace. He 
married Maiy J. Coombs, a cousin of the late Doctor Coombs, of Charlestown. 
He and his family were members of the Christian church. Three children 
were born to John .\. Bower: Orrie, born in 1852, who was the wife of Frank 
J. Stutsman and is now deceased ; Benton B., wdio was born in 1857, is a farmer 
in Oregon township: the third was Daniel W., of this review. 

Daniel ^\'. Bower was reared on the old fannstead in Oregon township, 
worked on the farm, and went to the district school, wdiere he got a common 
school education. He married Belle Graebe on November 10, 1882. Mrs. 



9l6 BAIRD's history of CLARK CO., IND. 

Bower was born and reareil in Owen township, where she attended the district 
school. At the time of his marriage both Daniel W. Bower and his wife were 
in rather poor circumstances. They moved to Illinois and farmed there for 
awhile, returning thence to Nabb, in Washington township. In 1892, he 
bought the farm he now owns which contains in all one hundred and sixty 
acres of bottom land and one hundred and fifty-three of the old homestead. 
He has been quite successful financially in all agricultural ventures. In 1904 
he erected a fine residence on the banks of the Ohio, eighteen miles above 
Louisville. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Daniel W. Bower were born seven children, five of win mi 
are at home and all have a good common school education. His wife and family 
are members of the Presbyterian church, wliile he belongs to the Christian 
church. 

Daniel W. Bower is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
Lexington Lodge, No. 405. He also belongs to the Modem \Voodmen of 
America, and the Red Men. In politics he has e\er been a Denidcrat and has 
l.)een active in the affairs of his party in this county. He served as Trustee of 
Owen township from the year 1900 to 1904. He was then Commissioner, and 
served one term, being elected the second time in 1906. He is the present Com- 
missioner of his district. In past years lie has worked strenuously for gra\'el 
roads in the county, as he is a firm believer in their efliciency. 



PARADY PAYNE. 



Parady Payne, of Henryville, Clark county, needs slight introduction to 
the i)eople of his township and county. He is one of the oldest settlers now 
living on Blue Lick road. He is the pro])rietor of the widely known Blue Lick 
Springs, which are justly famous for the medicinal properties of the water. 

He was born on the 28th of May, 1830, in Lawrenceburg, Kentuclcy, and 
was the son of Thomas B. and Mary (Cofifman) Payne. Thomas B. Payne 
was of English descent and was by occupation a riverman, being for many 
years associated with the steamboat business. He died in Kentucky at a ripe 
old age, never having come to Indiana. His wife was of German descent. 
She was one of the earliest pioneers in this section of the county, and died 
aged sixty-seven years. Of their family our subject was the only boy of three 
children born to them; one of his sisters still survives in Crothersville. Par- 
ady Payne came to Clark county when about four years old. Some time about 
his sixth year his mother became a widow. The old salt trail, still visible on 
the subject's farm, and the deer trail lay across the land, while every night in 
those early days it was necessary to bar the doors of their log cabins to keep 
out the wolves. This section of the state was almost a wilderness then and on 



BAIRD S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IND. 917 

one occasion during tliis period a five luindred acre tract of land of which our 
subject's farm was a part was bartered for an old flint-lock gun. 

Parady Payne's education was obtained in the subscription schools in 
the old log school-houses; he never attended a free school. In the year 1844 
he started to make his own way in the world. He \entured into the cafe busi- 
ness, and was for many years connected with the steamboat service on the 
Ohio. In 1853 his marriage took place, his wife Sophia Townsend, being the 
daughter of John F. Townsend and Celesta Ferris, his wife, natives of New 
York. Mrs. Payne was born in Staten, New York, and her marriage cere- 
mony was performed on March 20th, of the above-mentioned year, in Michigan. 
They then came to Monroe township, Clark county, Indiana, which has ever 
since been their home. The children born to them were: William H., born 
in 1855, married Nora Sprague; they live in New York, and have two chil- 
dren, both boys. James M., born in 1856, married Mattie Russell; they live in 
Nebraska, and have six children. Lilly C, born 1858, married Danie! Guern- 
sey; they have two children, and live with the subject. George F.. born in 
t86o, is a doctor in Louisville. He graduated from the Louisville Hospital 
College of Medicine. He married Addie Guernsey, and has four children. 
Charles, born in 1862, married Katie Hawes; they live in Clark county, and 
have four children. Henry H., born in 1864, died when young. Blanche, 
born in 1866, died when nineteen years old. Arthur B., born in 1866 (twin 
brother of the last named), married Lizzie Manning; they live in Clark county, 
and have six children. A child, Eleanor, died in infancy. Katie, born in 
1868, married F. W. Carney; they live in Charlestown. John Byron Payne, 
born in 1870, is the youngest member. He married Rose Gray; they live in 
Louisville, and have one child. 

Parady Payne is a Democrat. He is secretary of the Township Advisory 
Board. He is also interested in the cemetery association, and president of the 
finance committee of the township. His land is contained in sections No. 
265-266. 



HENRY FISCHER. 



Among the energetic and prosperous agriculturists of Clark count)', whose 
efforts have benefited alike themselves and their community, is the subject 
of this sketch, who is one of the best known men in his locality, being an 
American by adoption only, for Mr. Fischer was born in Germany, June 22, 
1845, the son of Mathias and Elizal^eth (Rockey) Fischer, the former having 
been born in the Fatherland and came to the LTnited States in 1853, locating 
in Clark county, Indiana, on the farm where the subject now lives in section 
S. He was a farmer and miller in the old countrv. He made the voyage to 



9i8 baird's history ok clark co., ind. 

-Xmerica in an old sailing \essel. tlie trip rei|uiriny' nearly fnnr nmntli'-:. He 
made two or three return trips to Europe. He followed farming until his 
death, Octoher 5, 1871. He was a memher of the German Reformed church, 
and a good Democrat, and although often solicited hy his friends to accept 
public office, he wduld not do so. He became well known in this countv. 
Mathias Fischer and wife were the j^arents of ten children. 'This family first 
came to New York, where they rem:iined about six months, then came to 
Clark county. ^lathias Fischer was born February i, iSoj, died October 25, 
1871. His wife was born December 22, 1805, and died May 12, 1883. The 
former received his education in Germany. He was a well informed man. and 
a good farmer, his land lying in section 3, Wood township, where he bought 
a farm when he came here. It was all timber and in the wilderness, but he 
cleared it all r.fi and made extensive impr(_)\ements. 

Henry Fischer, our subject, still lives on the old home place, where the 
Fi.scher family was reared. At the age of twentx-three he married Ozena 
Fordyce, and after her death he maried ]N[ary Temple October 10. 1872. .She 
was the daughter of Frank and Magdalene ( Siler) Temple. Her father came 
from Germain- and her mother from Switzerland. She is the oldest of nine 
children. 

The following children ha\e Ijeen born to the sul'ject and wife: Clara 
Matilda, born August 14. 1873, married Hite Henry Fleistand, and they are 
living in Hammond, Indiana; Flora Amelia, born September 21, 1875, mar- 
ried Louis P. \\'agoner ; they are living in Harrison county, this state and are 
the parents of two children; Walter Henry, bom January 31, 1878, married 
Laura Jameson; they also li\-e in Harrison county, and are the parents of one 
child; Elmer Milton, who was born July 11, 1880, married Iva Haddox, and 
is living at home; Anna Nora, born October 7, 1882, is single and living at 
home; Hettie Pearl, born June 12. 1884, married Joseph Bowman, of Har- 
rison county, and they are tlie parents of three chikh'en; Edgar Emil, laorn 
June 18, 1886, is single; Jesse Gilbert, liorn May 18, 1889, is single; Carl 
Leon, was born October 18, 1893. 

The subject has been a farmer all his life and he has also been interested 
in the flour mill business, and is now interested in the mercantile business in 
Harrison county. He has been a hard working man and now as the twilight 
of old age approaches, he finds himself well fixed in reference to this world's 
affairs. x-\ll his time is taken is looking after his farm and other business, con- 
sequently he takes little interest in politics, merely voting the Republican ticket 
wdien elections come. He is a well informed man. having received some edu- 
cation in Germany and some in America. He delights to tell of his boyhood 
days and the early experiences of his father in this county, when he used to 
haul the products of his farm to New Albany and Louisville to market, using 
oxen to do the heavy hauling. 



BAIRD'S HISTORY OF CLARK CO., IXD. gig 

F„ll„wi„g are the 1,rothei-s a„<l sisters of tlie sttbject : Christian, born 
October lo, 1825. died February 5, 1894: Elizabetli, born November -g 18^7 
^ now deceased; Lou.s. born February 22. ,832. died Au-ust 24. loo.'- T.ihn' 
E. born December 22, 1834. died February T2. 1900: Fe'nb-nand. born Oct„- 
l)er 4. T835, died August 2^. 1862; Mathias lives iu Borden- Phib-p is de 
ceased: Mary, who was born in 1839, lives in Ohio; Eliza, born in 18,8 lives 
HI Shelby county, Kentucky. 

Mr. Fischer is known as a man of good business principles and is an ex- 
cellent neighbor and has many friends throughout the county. 







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